Lauren's Story

Lauren Wilcox, STARS scholar from 2013-2015, was a stay at home mom pursuing her degree in education at Iowa Western Community College. Lauren's biggest challenges were being able to balance being a mother, full-time student and how to support her family financially while student teaching. Lauren says, "STARS was beyond helpful, being awarded this scholarship allowed me to focus on my academics and less on tuition. I am also thankful for STARS providing an outlet for nontraditional students to speak with other scholars who could relate to one another".

Lauren graduated with her Bachelors in education from Buena Vista University in 2015 in which time she began teaching within the Council Bluffs Community School District. Lauren went on to earn her Masters degree in 2018 studying instruction and curriculum to strengthen her delivery and understand the importance to teach inclusively to all students.

Lauren is currently a teacher with the CBCSD at Lewis and Clark Elementary.