The Leslie Crain Memorial Scholarship is an annual scholarship that focuses on rewarding language learners in the English Language Center at Michigan State University who share a story and a photo about someone who was influential in their life. Applicants to this scholarship must be enrolled directly in the English Language Center and submit the following information:
- Contact Information
- Your photo
- Short paragraph describing the influential person in your life and what that person means to you (in English or other languages spoken with a preference for bilingual or multilingual submission)
- Permission to share your name, photo, and other information related to the scholarship
Scholarship available annually. Submissions due on or before October 1st each fall semester. Award amount: $500
Application for the Leslie Crain Memorial Scholarship.
Please note you must log into your MSU Google Apps account to access the application.
I first met Leslie Crain in 2000 when I had started teaching at Cuauhnáhuac in Cuernavaca, Mexico. He had already been teaching at the language school for a number of years when I was hired to teach the Saturday group. I was immediately struck by Leslie’s smile, infectious laugh, and his very, very dark sense of humor. We would work together in the small school for the six months I spent studying Spanish and teaching English. During those six months, we would often crash on the couch in the school’s main entrance. We often taught at multiple schools, and we juggled multiple classes throughout the city to keep us living in Mexico. We loved the work, and I remember having so many funny and interesting conversations on that very couch.
After completing my degrees in Chicago, I would return to Cuernavaca and Cuauhnáhuac in 2006 to find Leslie was not only still teaching at Cuauhnáhuac, but he was the director of the English Language School. He hired me on the spot, and we worked together again for a number of months. Having him as a boss was such an amazing learning experience for me. He dealt with many challenges from low enrollment to increased competition just about everyday. He was always calm, confident, and a pleasure to be around. I have often tried to emulate his style in my day-to-day practice, but I know I fall far short of his level of coolness.
I returned to Chicago early in 2007 due to my father’s cancer diagnosis. Again, Leslie took the news in and gave me unwavering compassion and support even though I needed to leave the school in the middle of a teaching season. We maintained contact while I was back in Chicago and not too long after I returned to Chicago, Leslie decided to return home to Los Angeles to be near his sisters after more than a decade living and working in Mexico. He was planning on returning to grad school and had already started taking some classes at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). He found himself enjoying being a student again, and he would often send me an email or two updating me on something he found funny about being back in the States or to comment on how much he missed Mexico.
I was saddened to receive an email from his sister one day in early 2008. She sent out a message to all of his email contacts to let us know that Leslie had unexpectedly passed away at the very young age of 34. Even though he left this world too soon, I will never forget his smile or the observations he would make about the funny things people will do. I miss you to this day, Leslie!