Mater Lakes teacher awarded Teacher and Librarian grant

Mater Lakes high school teacher Michelle Alonso has been awarded a Teacher and Librarian Scholarship to attend the Key West Literary Seminar, “Under the Influence: Archetype & Adaptation from Homer to the Multiplex.”
Alonso joins 20 other teachers and librarians from 13 different states who have been chosen to receive financial aid packages totaling more than $22,000 to attend the 37th annual event January 10-13, 2019.
During their attendance at the seminar, scholarship recipients will expand their professional network and be exposed to leading contemporary authors such as Margaret Atwood, Marlon James, Victor LaValle, Joyce Carol Oates, and Kevin Young. They will also have the opportunity to meet with colleagues at the Monroe County Public Library and Key West High School.
Alonso teaches language arts to tenth graders and composition to students at Miami Dade College. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Florida International University. In her master’s thesis, she discussed translation and influence in the work of Anne Carson, Canadian translator, poet, and novelist. She runs the National English Honors Society chapter at Mater Lakes Academy and has been a Florida High Impact Teacher for the past three years.
The Key West Literary Seminar Scholarship Program aims to nourish a vibrant literary culture by providing support to a diverse group of teachers, librarians, readers, and writers. Since 2008, the program has provided 470 individuals with nearly $460,000 in fee waivers and lodging and travel assistance.