Since her freshman year at Stanford, Efundunke "Dunke" Hughes, '05, MA '06, knew her future lay in teaching others. However, by the time she was a junior, Hughes felt discouraged. She had been planning to earn a master's degree and California teaching credential through the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP), one of the most respected teacher training courses in the country. But the price tag for the program was daunting.

Many students take on a heavy loan burden they then must face at graduation. For those who aspire to become teachers, student loan payments can take a real bite out of the modest salary most new teachers earn. Some students question whether they can afford to become teachers.

The new Dorothy Durfee Avery Loan Forgiveness Program at Stanford's School of Education offers to ease that burden for any graduate of the STEP program who teaches in an underserved community. The program was established by a gift from Judy Avery, '59, and named in honor of her mother, who was a teacher. Her gift will be matched by the university, bringing the program fund to $20 million.

"Graduates of STEP are among the nation's best-prepared teachers, and I want to encourage them to apply their skills to help improve K-12 education in our country," Judy says.

Dunke, now 24, is teaching kindergarten full time in Oakland, California. "It's really important to me to help these kids reach for something bigger," she says, "to prepare them for a future they can't yet see."