How does a disadvantaged student overcome to succeed in American society? Seeking answers, researchers interviewed Beverly Armento, who rose from poverty through help from educators.

Teachers helped Beverly Armento believe in herself, and she was so inspired that she became one, too. She went into academia to have an even greater impact by educating teachers who are knowledgeable and who believe in the power of each child to be effective and successful in life.

After almost 30 years on faculty at Georgia State University, she recently made a bequest to the GSU College of Education to support "the preparation of outstanding and caring educators."

"Making a will was a profound process for me that made me think of what I have and where I want it to go," said Armento, who kept all of her report cards as souvenirs of her education and teachers. "Through that process, I decided to pay it back. In a sense, I got my whole education because of people who taught me, and I am who I am today because of the influence of those teachers."

Achieving success after childhood spent in poverty, Armento became one of the subjects of the 1997 book, "Paths to Success: Beating the Odds in American Society," by Charles C. Harrington and Susan K. Boardman (Harvard University Press). The authors concluded that for "path makers" such as Armento, teachers provided structure and encouragement not readily available from any other source. Love and rules, they wrote, help a child believe "that one could still exert control over one's life outcomes." 

To read more about Armento and her contributions to the COE, click here.   

Photo caption: Beverly Armento (center) stands with Associate Professor Dana Fox and Erika Bullock, one of two recipients of Armento's doctoral award, at the College of Education's Honors Day ceremony on April 3, 2012.