College graduates have an outlet for a different kind of work experience during the intermittent period between their undergraduate education and either graduate school or the working world - Teach for America, a two-year program that places college graduates in low-income communities to teach the students there.
For Shadi Tayarani (LA '99), who majored in Child Development at Tufts, Teach for America was an opportunity to "change the life paths of students." Tayarani, who worked for two years in Houston, TX as a reading teacher, said the experience was "amazing" and "phenomenal."
"You're able to give [these students] the gift of literacy," Tayarani said. "There are very few jobs that you can take right out of college where you get to be so powerful. Regardless of what your path is going to be for the rest of your life, for two years, you get to have such an impact on the community [in which you] teach."
Tayarani, who currently runs a non-profit learning center, still keeps in touch with the students she taught and their families.
Teach for America has become a popular choice for Tufts graduates. Senior Tara Vance, an English major and communication and media studies minor, is taking steps to learn more about the program. "I've heard good things," she said. "The concept of the program is really neat - it's giving me the chance to have a first-hand teaching experience."
Snagging a coveted spot on the Teach for America team, however, has proven to be competitive. Last year, Teach for America received approximately 13,500 applications nationwide, and after a rigorous selection process, extended offers to only 2,000 - less than 15 percent.
Like most students attracted to the program, Vance said she is interested in helping people. Teach for America also offers financial benefits for participants. In addition to a first-year teacher's salary, all graduates of Teach for America are awarded an AmeriCorps sum of $4,725 for each year of participation. The award can be applied to loans or the pursuit of further education.
"Not only can you get
monetary aid through Teach for America, but it can also help you get into the grad school you want," said senior Rachel Marx, who is Teach for America co-Campus Campaign Manager along with senior Maggie Rasor.
Indeed, graduate schools seem to smile on the program. The Yale University Law School, for example, is one of many universities that offer a two-year deferral to students who join Teach for America. In addition, two prospective Yale students who choose to join Teach for America are selected to receive the Stupski Scholarship for Civic Leadership - a $30,000 grant awarded in addition to any financial aid package from Yale.
Rasor estimated that about 60 percent of Teach for America alums ultimately decide to remain in teaching. The remaining 40 percent tend to pursue careers geared toward social justice, such as pro-bono law work or medical clinics for low-income patients. Rasor pointed out that all teachers are certified - a "life-long qualification" - and many choose to simultaneously complete master's degree programs.
Whether students ultimately plan to be lifelong teachers is irrelevant, Rasor said, as teaching experience can be used to succeed "in a number of professions."
Alumnus Mike Wang (LA C99), who worked as a Teach for America corps member in southern Louisiana, later went on to advise the governor of Louisiana on education policy. Wang is currently attending law school at the University of Pennsylvania.
Rasor, who attended a conference in Washington, DC with Marx to prepare for her responsibilities with Teach for America, noted the large number of Tufts alums she has met throughout the process.
"Tufts students are the kind of people Teach for America loves," Rasor said. "[Tufts students] are obviously capable of working extraordinarily hard, [and have] such a strong commitment to serving others."
Edna Novak, the Teach for America National Recruitment Director for the Boston area, agrees - she said that Tufts is "a goldmine" for Teach for America. Novak estimated that Teach for America has had almost 100 alums from Tufts since 1990. Of Teach for America's three Institutes - located in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Houston - two are directed by Tufts alumni. The staff itself is composed of multiple program directors and recruitment team members from Tufts.
Novak attributes the popularity of Teach for America to the array of possibilities that are available after completion of the program.
"So many doors are open to you later on, in whatever you choose to pursue," Novak said.
