LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Each year the Lake County’s Division 35 of the California Retired Teachers Association presents a scholarship to an individual enrolled in a teacher credential program.

This year’s recipient of the $1,000 scholarship was Laura Pimentel.

Pimentel is in her second year of teaching third grade at Minnie Cannon Elementary School in Middletown.

In California an individual may teach as an intern while enrolled in a teacher training program. Pimentel is enrolled in her final semester at Western Governors University.

Minnie Cannon Elementary School Principal Brandy Ficher says of Pimentel that she “excels at building strong relationships with her students. She employs innovative teaching strategies to captivate their attention and stimulate their minds.”

Jamie Buckner-Bridges administers the Teach Lake County Program for the Lake County Office of Education. Buckner-Bridges is there to help local individuals interested in a career in teaching.

“Teacher candidates who choose to earn their credentials while teaching full time and taking education coursework in the margins, are really the unsung heroes of the teacher shortage,” she said. “Without people like Laura, who are willing to jump into the classroom and learn while they teach, the urgent need for teachers would go unmet and it's our county's children who would suffer. On the contrary, children instead get a dedicated educator who shares their home community, is invested in regional success, and understands local context.”

Anyone interested in learning more about how to become an Intern teacher can visit the Teach Lake County website at lakecoe.org/tlc or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

“Our group of retired teachers is proud to help dedicated teachers like Laura obtain a California Teaching Credential,” said Dick Bode, treasurer of the Lake County Division 35 of the California Teachers Association.