Alicia Vanover receives Mavis F. Broome Memorial Scholarship

Alicia Vanover, a senior at University of the Cumberlands, has received the Mavis F. Broome Memorial Scholarship for the 2019-2020 academic year.

The Scholarship was established in 2017 by the family of the late Mavis Broome, a beloved wife, mother, and teacher. She taught elementary and special education in McCreary County for 27 years and taught evening special education courses at University of the Cumberlands (then Cumberland College) for approximately 10 of those years, sometimes teaching on weekends. Her husband, Dr. John Broome, taught at Cumberlands from 1966 – 1999 and continues to live in Williamsburg. Their three daughters, who all work at the University, graduated from Cumberlands and married fellow Cumberlands alumni.

The Scholarship is awarded annually to a junior or senior at Cumberlands studying special education who is from Whitley, McCreary, Knox, Laurel, or Bell County. The hope is that the Scholarship helps encourage more students to pursue their passion of teaching.

Vanover, a junior from Williamsburg, Kentucky, is an Elementary education major with a special education minor. She made the Dean’s List for both semesters in 2019. She has a passion for helping children, which is why she wants to be an educator. The late Veronica Rains of Williamsburg City Schools was one of her inspirations. Ms. Rains taught Vanover’s kindergarten class.

Vanover said, “It was so different from preschool, but she made it so easy for me and both my younger siblings the following years. She is the reason I want to be a teacher.”

Besides her schoolwork, observation hours, and time with family and friends, Vanover owns and operates her own dessert shop, Alicia’s Treats. Her desserts have brought sweetness to celebrations throughout the community.