Sophia Bush shines the spotlight on teachers and education

Bush at CBS/CW/Showtime TCA Party/Dan Steinberg AP

'One Tree Hill' star Sophia Bush says her education is what helped her get where she is today, and she believes that behind every famous person is a fabulous teacher. She is currently using the spotlight usually placed on her in order to bring attention to the importance of teachers and education by becoming a 2009 spokesperson for the award-winning Teachers Count Campaign.

The Time Inc., supported campaign is known for pairing famous figures with their favorite teachers. Past participants have included former first lady Laura Bush, actress America Ferrera, and the Today Show's' Al Roker.

If you like Sophia’s work in her films and on ‘One Tree Hill’, you may want to thank her high school English teacher, who Sophia says taught her valuable lessons that help her to succeed as an actress. “He taught me to read between the lines, to see the hidden messages, and to live the stories on the pages.”, said Sophia, who graduated from the Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena, Calif. “The way he taught me to break down a novel is the way I break down scripts today”.

Proceeds of Bush's shirt go to underfunded schools

It appears Sophia's script break down  is working for her as she won the “Rising Star” award at the Vail Film Festival for her work in 'The Hitcher'. She is also a multiple Teen Choice Award winner.

Yet even when knowing she wanted to be an actress, Sophia still believed a strong education was vital; she enrolled at the University of Southern California as a journalism student prior to assuming the role of Brooke Davis on 'One Tree Hill'. "It was great. I spent all my time in the world of news media and history and literature”, said Sophia on her studies in college. “I loved it”, Sophia emphasized to me at the 'Celebrity Autograph Fund-raiser' in Wilmington, NC, where she helped to raise money for fallen police officers.

The former Rose Bowl queen places a strong emphasis on the importance of today's youth keeping themselves informed on the world's main issues.“We’re the generation now that this world’s going to be entrusted to so I want to see kids smart and educated, caring about politics, and caring about the environment”, said Sophia at the Global Green event in Los Angeles last year. “Reading UsWeekly is fine, but it's not the thing that's going to serve you later”, she says.

Bush will direct an episode of 'One Tree Hill' this season

Her passion for education has definitely earned the actress great respect among her co-stars. Former 'Melrose Place' actress Daphne Zuniga told Denise Gideon in an recent interview on One Tree Hill’s podcast that she loves working with Sophia because of what she has to offer. “She's[Sophia]one of the smartest women I've ever met”, said Daphne, who plays the role of Sophia's on-screen mother on 'One Tree Hill'. “She's just like this beautiful, brilliant girl."

In addition to education, Sophia has always made her passion for the environment very public. In 2008, she volunteered with Surfriders Foundation to help clean the beaches of North Carolina, where ‘One Tree Hill’ is filmed. “It’s a big deal to remember to motivate people to keep our environment clean”, Sophia told Avalive. “We have to change with the earth, the earth doesn't change with us”.

Sophia says that change has to come from seeing the bigger picture in your life. “You have to look out and do good for other people in your life, not just yourself or your family, because if you can take the world collectively into consideration, it all evens out, everything does get better”.

Raising money for underfunded classrooms, cleaning beaches, bringing attention to teachers; yes it is safe to say that Sophia Bush is certainly helping to make things better.

For more information on the Teachers Count Campaign go to:http://www.teacherscount.org/campaign/bush-goss.shtml

To check out interviews from Sophia Bush and to watch full episodes from 'One Tree Hill' online, go to www.cwtv.com

For more on 'One Tree Hill' go to www.onetreehillblog.com