ML locals join Teach for America’s 25th anniversary corps
Teach For America has announced that four Mt. Lebanon area locals have been accepted into the organization’s 2015 teaching corps. Teach For America is a national nonprofit working to expand educational opportunity for students in low-income communities. Corps members commit to teach in high-need urban or rural public schools and become life-long advocates for educational equity.
The locals are Angelina Liberi, a graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School and Chatham University; Natalie Honkala, a graduate of The Ellis School and Vanderbilt University; and Jessica Stickel, a South Fayette High School and Allegheny College graduate.
“The teachers that I had at Mt. Lebanon were a huge influence on my decision to apply to Teach For America,” said Honkala. “In fact, I specifically wanted to teach middle school science – my placement for the fall – because of the incredible seventh-grade teacher that I had at Mellon Middle School. She recognized potential in me that I couldn’t even see yet and encouraged me to continue studying science at higher educational levels.”
In our country’s lowest-income communities, just 6 percent of students will graduate college by the time they’re 25. These women join a network of 50,000 corps members and alumni working alongside parents, principals and communities for positive change.
“It is with incredible excitement we welcome this group of remarkable and diverse corps members,” said Elisa Villanueva Beard, co-CEO of Teach For America. “They join a group of 50,000 leaders who have raised their hand to be part of ensuring every child has access to an excellent and equitable education.”
Over the past 25 years, thousands of individuals have launched or continued careers in social justice through Teach For America. Hundreds of corps members and alumni have been honored as teachers of the year by their school, district, county or state. More founders and leaders of entrepreneurial education organizations started careers with TFA than from any other organization or company. Alumni have gone on to become leaders in politics, school systems, nonprofit work and more. Together, they form a network helping to expand and strengthen the movement to give all kids access to a great education.