Kristin Mohan, the 2018-2019 Croy West Memorial Art Education Scholarship recipient, recently had the opportunity to meet her benefactor.
Mohan met Debi West '92 at the 2019 National Art Education Association conference in Boston March 14–16. Also there were Lynne Horoschak, founder of Moore's graduate program in art education, and Lauren Stichter, director of art education. West created the scholarship in 2015 in memory of her son, Croy, who passed away in 2008.
"When we spoke, I expressed my deep gratitude and promised I would do my best to make her family proud," said Mohan. "She graciously responded, 'I know you will.' What more could I ask for? I will never forget the West family’s generosity."
Mohan received the scholarship when she was accepted into Moore's MA in Art Education with an Emphasis in Special Populations program in spring 2018.
"As the sibling of a person with special needs, I have always had a personal stake in creating an equitable, accessible world for those experiencing disability," Mohan said. "When I became an art teacher, I quickly realized art’s potential to reach all learners. In an art room where diversity is celebrated, abilities are emphasized, and students receive personalized support, all students can be successful."
Mohan teaches at Mountain View High School in Stafford, Virginia.
"Every day I work to make my classroom and teaching practices more accessible and adaptable to the needs of every student," she said. "Through my thesis research at Moore, I am examining the ways in which collaboration and communication strategies modeled by the teacher might help to improve perceptions of disability held by typically developing students in the inclusive art room. In the future, I hope to share my findings with other art educators so we might positively influence relationships between all our students, in and out of the art room."
