Teach For America and the faith community
Teach For America is an organization committed to ending educational inequity. In our experience, many individuals within faith communities share our passion for addressing this national injustice, and demonstrate qualities that make them strong Teach For America candidates. Recognizing this connection, Teach For America reaches out to outstanding leaders in faith communities and enlists them to join the movement to ensure educational opportunity for all.
By joining Teach For America, leaders assume tremendous responsibility, working daily to provide students with better educational opportunities, and transforming the life prospects of children facing the challenges of poverty. Alumni say that the intense challenges and rewards they experienced as corps members led to tremendous personal, spiritual and professional growth. Sign-up to learn more, apply today, or attend an on-line event.
Read what corps members and alumni have to say about living out their faith in the classroom.
Kerry Donahue
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- Eastern North Carolina Corps '07
- College of the Holy Cross, B.S. '07
- Georgetown University, M.P.P. '11
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 My faith became a more important part of my life at the Catholic (Jesuit) college I attended. At Holy Cross, I discovered that the Jesuit motto "men and women for others" could be a driving force in my life. At Holy Cross, I realized that a large part of my faith and service of God would be through the service of others. I got involved in various community service and campus ministry programs. I knew I wanted to continue this service after college. That made Teach for America the perfect opportunity. After I graduated I wanted a chance to truly live out the Jesuit motto and be a woman for others. Each day I walk into my classroom, I am that woman. Teach for America is a completely unselfish endeavor, one that has challenged me to live up to my beliefs every single day. 
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Neil Spears
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- Los Angeles Corps '07
- University of California, San Diego, B.S. '06
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ed.M. '10
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For me, being Jewish has always been a lot more about actions than about exact beliefs. The way that I express my Judaism is by working to make the world around me a more just, equitable place. It just seemed natural that teaching in a low-income community and being part of a movement of like-minded peers across the nation would fit with my Jewish values. I can't think of a more fulfilling way I could have expressed my Jewish identity than to join Teach For America.
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Lera Moore
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- Phoenix Corps '06
- Pepperdine University, B.A. '06
- Seattle University, MPA '11
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At my university, I learned the idea of a vocation, a calling that God has put upon our heart to fulfill his will and our hearts' desires. When I first discovered Teach For America during my junior year of college, I prayed that if teaching through Teach For America was my vocation, that God would prepare me and the way for this to be. When I was accepted after much effort and prayer, I believed that the Lord truly had plans for me to teach in Buckeye, Arizona.
The area I was placed in put me in contact with many individuals of faith and this Fellowship developed my faith. I became involved in Young Life in the area I taught. This experience has developed a new idea in my heart regarding my vocation. Not only am I created to serve others to meet their basic needs, but I am also created to serve others by loving and serving as a follower of Christ.
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Sara Hakeem
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- Chicago Corps '07
- University of Texas at Austin, B.A. '07
- University of Michigan, Ph.D. ’16
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Islam had everything to do with my decision to join Teach For America. Right after I had my final interview, I attended a lecture at UT given by Islamic scholar Umar Faruq-Abdullah. His entire lecture was about how Muslims have a religious duty not only to perform the personal rites of religion (such as prayer, fasting), but also a duty to improve society. What we normally think of as fard (required) are things like prayer, but there is also something called a fard-kifaya-- the religious duty you have to the society in which you live as a Muslim. What better way to fulfill a socioreligious obligation and a sociopolitical goal all in one: work toward educating America's youth, thereby improving our country and our status as Muslims in this country.
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Tiffany Moore
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- Los Angeles Corps '06
- Azusa Pacific University '06
- Loyola Marymount University '08
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I believe that the disparities in our educational system are some of the biggest injustices here in America. My identity as a follower of Jesus Christ is to advocate, educate, and empower those whose voices have been overlooked and marginalized. Teach For America provided me with an unparalleled opportunity to give our kids the education they deserve.
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Collaborations
Teach For America collaborates with many faith-based organizations that value the work corps members do across the country. Our partners recognize that Teach For America is a way for its members to answer the call of giving back to those in need. A selection of 2009 corps members from some of our collaborations is listed below.
- Campus Crusade for Christ: 158 corps members
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes: 229 corps members
- Hillel: 148 corps members
- InterVarsity: 117 corps members
- Muslim Students Association: 23 corps members
- Young Life: 191 corps members
Next Application Deadline: October 28, 2009
Our corps members
Corps and Alumni
