The WSU College of Education has established a scholarship in memory of a devoted Pasco teacher who died this summer, and whose story was shared in the EduCoug post “Teacher David Ruiz lived his dream, but not for long enough.
David came from a family of migrant farm workers and overcame great obstacles to achieve his dream of teaching students in both English and his native Spanish. After his 2005 WSU graduation, he was hired at Mark Twain Elementary School in Pasco. He was teaching third grade there when he died at age 32.
Students graduating from high schools in Kennewick, Pasco or Richland who are certified in the College of Education at any WSU campus will be eligible for the Ruiz scholarships. Donations can be made online at the WSU College of Education Scholarship Fund, with a notation in the “special requests field” that the gift is in memory of David Ruiz. Donations may also be made to the WSU Foundation and designated to the David Ruiz Scholarship Fund, WSU College of Education, PO Box 642114, Pullman WA 99164-2114.