The Credit Union of Texas has awarded a $20,000 scholarship to Zumwalt Middle School teacher Shareefah Nadir-Mason to help her pursue her doctorate degree.
The William H. Cotton Scholarship has been established by Credit Union of Texas (CUTX) to honor the legacy of William H. Cotton for his 43 years of dedication and service to Dallas ISD and the Credit Union of Texas.
Mason is originally from New Orleans and moved to Dallas after Hurricane Katrina. Looking for a fulfilling employment opportunity that would allow her to work with impoverished students and spend time with her husband and daughters, she applied to the Dallas ISD alternative certification program in 2005 and became a teacher in 2006.
Mason has taught at Boude Storey Middle School and Zumwalt Middle School as well as served as an Instructional Coach at South Oak Cliff High School. Joining the team at Zumwalt in 2015 as a part of the Accelerating Campus Excellence (ACE) initiative, she has helped make unprecedented gains with students that had historically struggled on standardized assessments.
Shareefah is excited about winning the Dr. William H. Cotton scholarship because she can now pursue her a doctoral degree in educational leadership at California Coast University.
“The Credit Union of Texas believes it is important to invest in the future of Dallas ISD educators because the future of the school district is directly tied to the quality of its leadership and teachers,” CUTX said in a statement. “Anytime we can support the Dallas ISD in its efforts to distinguish itself as one of the best urban school districts in the nation, it is in our best interests to do so because we know that a strong and healthy Dallas ISD means that the Credit Union of Texas enhances its chances of continuing as a strong and viable financial institution. Given our long and storied history together as partners, we want all Dallas ISD employees and families to think of the Credit Union of Texas as their partner of choice for all of their financial needs.”
