BC students join Teach For America

Some Boston College graduates are giving up office space on Wall Street for classrooms in the Bronx in hopes of effecting the systematic changes needed to eliminate educational inequity. An increasing number of BC students are matriculating in Teach For America (TFA), a movement of individuals committed to achieving educational excellence in the United States.

"This is a college where students are making an impact on their school and their community," said Hilary Gipson, New England recruitment director for TFA. "These are the leaders that we need in our corps."

Teach For America recruits promising future leaders who commit two years to teaching in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong advocates for expanding opportunities for children growing up in low-income areas.

TFA has placed 12,000 corps members in under-resourced school districts nationwide over the past 14 years. After completing their two year commitment, 60 percent of TFA alumni have stayed in the classroom.

"[The experience] gives students the chance to see if teaching is a long-term career for them," said Theresa Harrigan, director BC's career center. Those who choose to leave their schools take the insight they have gained working in their communities to careers in diverse sectors. From law to medicine and from business to policy, TFA alumni help lead the movement forward by effecting the systemic changes needed to give children growing up in low-income communities an equal chance in life, the chance that many BC students were privilaged enough to experience themselves.

An increased number of BC students have considered Teach For America as a post-graduate job in order to make an immediate impact in this country.

Because of BC's strong involvement in volunteer organizations, students find this move natural, and their experience at BC often provides the motivation for continuing the tradition of giving.

When Ryan Pontier, BC '04, found out that children growing up in low-income areas were seven times less likely to graduate from college than their peers in more affluent communities, he began to consider joining TFA.

Last spring, he accepted a position with the corps as a bilingual third grade teacher in the Rio Grande Valley.

BC graduates may consider TFA for their post-graduation work because of recent events in our country that have had an impact on students' perspectives of social justice.

"There is an increased interest in service-oriented careers since 9/11," said Harrigan.

The tremendous national momentum that TFA organization has gained over the past five years is reflected in the quantity of their applications.

Last year, 13,700 individuals applied for positions with TFA, roughly quadruple the number in 2001, including close to 100 BC seniors.

Wendy Kopp, the president and founder of TFA, connects the success of her movement to a general awareness of what she believes to be the social justice issue of our generation: educational equity.

"The growing interest in our movement among college graduates, and the fact that our alumni are deeply engaged in the effort to expand opportunities for children, show that the future leaders of this country are determined to ensure that our country lives up to its ideals," said Kopp.

"The Boston College community has a clear commitment to social justice," said Toni Mardirossian, BC '02, who taught a fourth grade class in the Bronx through TFA.

Mardirossian cites his education at BC as a major resource for his work within the classroom.

"My professors at BC gave me the skills to identify problems and systematically address them. Each day in the classroom I was called upon to utilize these valuable problem solving skills."

Many have identified similarities between the values that have come to represent the core of the BC identity, the ideals of its students, and the overall mission of TFA.

"A high percentage of students are involved in service activities" said Harrigan. "They have a commitment to helping others."

Mackey Brown, A&S '05, recently accepted a position with TFA and believes the Jesuit influence on BC students has an effect on their post-graduate plans.

"I think Teach For America heavily recruits BC grads because it is a Jesuit institution," said Brown. "So many people volunteer at BC that it is only natural for them to be involved in service oriented programs when the graduate."

TFA looks for the most successful and capable individuals to accomplish their vision.

The mission is clear: "One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education".

Gipson suggests that coursework and the Jesuit community aren't the only things that make a BC student stand out in the applicant pool - it's all about leadership.

"Teach For America corps members are, above all else, leaders in their classrooms," said Gipson. "They are setting ambitious goals for themselves and their students and are working relentlessly toward those goals every day. Boston College nurtures this kind of leadership in its students."

Statistics show that 93 percent of 2004 corps members held leadership positions on campus or in their community, earned an average GPA of 3.5, and all demonstrated records of achievement and a commitment to expanding opportunity for children in low-income areas.

The recruitment efforts TFA dedicates to BC seem to be paying off. "Our graduates have thrived in the program.

These successful experiences from our alumni keeps [TFA] interested in BC as a top priority school for recruiting," said Harrigan.

Last year, TFA successfully recruited some of the most influential leaders in the class of 2004. Tom Rochowizc, former UGBC Vice President and Rebecca Wolfe, former Organizational of Latin American Affair's president, are teaching as corps members in the Bay Area and New York City, respectively.