Ruth Guilford of Vineyard Haven was awarded Lesley University’s Timocracy Scholarship, providing her with $5,000 toward her studies at Lesley’s graduate school of education.

Lesley honored Ms. Guilford’s achievement during a ceremony and reception on Sept. 7 attended by university officials and founders of the Timocracy Foundation, which recognizes individuals who “do good for the sake of doing good.”

As part of the scholarship application, Ms. Guilford was asked to reach out to a teacher who positively influenced her, and she chose her sixth-grade teacher at Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School. The gesture prompted a powerful reunion.

“I didn’t just fall into education,” she said during the ceremony. “I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, and I want to have a positive impact on the lives of young children.”

Ms. Guilford is a master of education degree candidate in elementary education with a reading specialty from Lesley University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in elementary education from University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth. She served as an assistant teacher at Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School for three years prior to matriculating at Lesley.