As an English teacher at Bishop Spaugh Community Academy in Charlotte, I worked with an exceptional group of seventh-graders to ensure that each one was prepared to be successful in high school and then in college. After two intensely challenging years, most of my former students are now attending top magnet high schools and are on the path to college. Those two years solidified my commitment to ensuring that every child receives an excellent education. I feel lucky that we now offer our nation’s next generation of leaders the opportunity to make a similar impact for South Carolina’s students.

Many of the schools where we place corps members are located in the “Corridor of Shame,” a stretch of small communities along Interstate 95, where schools operate with inadequate facilities and have some of the lowest student achievement rates in the state. Students here rarely have the chance to explore opportunities that lie beyond their town or to fulfill their potential. In fact, many who live just an hour away from the Atlantic Ocean have never seen a beach.
This school year, 30 charter corps members are joined by more than 60 Teach For America alumni who work across South Carolina in education and other sectors. I’m incredibly optimistic about what we can accomplish together, to have an immediate impact on students and to build a pipeline of leaders who will remain committed to our community and continue to lead the efforts to expand opportunity for low-income students in South Carolina.