While other graduating seniors may spend the upcoming summer vacation relaxing and traveling, three University students will embark on a two-year journey across the country with Teach For America, a national organization dedicated to eliminating educational inequity by enlisting college graduates from all academic majors to teach in rural and
urban communities.
Graduating seniors Stephanie Day, Catherine Perez and Matthew Rowan leave for training at the end of June before beginning their teaching endeavors this fall.
Accepting about 2,500 applicants from a pool of about 17,000, Teach For America is a highly selective program that caters to children growing up in low-income communities in the United States who often face tremendous socio-economic challenges, such as minimal access to health care, lack of proper nutrition, limited pre-school opportunities, lack of quality housing, lack of economic opportunity for their families and insufficient social services. Their schools are not generally set up to compensate for these deficiencies, and the result is an enormous achievement gap between children growing up in low-income and high-income areas, according to the Teach For America Web site.
Teach For America, a public-private partnership, places corps members in 21 urban and rural communities across the country.
Day, a sociology major and English and business administration minor, was
placed as a special education teacher in Washington, D.C.
“I was looking for a ‘dare to be great situation’ after finishing up my undergraduate degree,” Day said in an e-mail interview. “I applied to graduate school and actually got offered a teaching fellowship at the University of Wisconsin that would cover my tuition and pay me to study there, but I just felt that I needed to be doing something different. Teach for America is an amazing program that allows you to make a direct impact on individuals. My emphasis is in politics and social movements and what better way to learn about that than an education reform movement?”
Day wrote that she is trying to set realistic goals for herself to prepare for the demanding job of teaching
in a new city far from family
and friends.
“I have only been to Washington, D.C., once, but it is an exciting place,” Day wrote. “It is amazing that with all of the nation’s social inequalities, one of the largest lies outside the doors of the nation’s capital. But I think that will be inspiring rather than discouraging.”
Maren Elliott, recruitment director of the Northwest Recruitment Team for Teach for America, said in an e-mail that in addition to regional inductions, or orientation periods, Teach for America provides ongoing support for corps members.
“Teach For America provides the
resources and guidance they’ll need to succeed during their two years in the classroom,” Elliott wrote. “This support includes organizing groups of corps members and alumni teaching in similar grad/subject areas, scheduling workshops and retreats and working with area school districts or schools of education to provide professional development opportunities.”
Perez, a double major in Spanish and political science and a business administration minor, will be going to Los Angeles to teach special education in a secondary school. She said she’s not as nervous or anxious as she is excited about the whole experience.
“L.A. was my top choice,” Perez said. “I’m extremely excited because this program gives me the opportunity to work firsthand with children, which is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Perez said her long-standing goal of being involved in Teach for America is a great opportunity for her to get involved in the issue of educational inequity.
“As much as protesting and rallying helps raise awareness about these inequities, it’s the one-on-one interaction with the students that’s really going to make a difference,” Perez said. “I’m honored to be a part of it.”
Rowan will be teaching in English as a second language classes in New York City this fall.
“As a political science major, social inequity in education is an issue that definitely interests me. In fact, I’m writing my thesis on it,” Rowan said. “The educational system deserves more attention, and it’s a very
important issue.”
Rowan, whose parents are both teachers, said more people need to volunteer to bring up this issue and to raise the standard of education.
“I’m hoping I can make a difference by instilling my love of learning into the students,” Rowan said.

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