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Corps Year: 2004 |
Describe where you live.
Currently, I live in downtown Baton Rouge in a section of town called Spanish Town. It is a great place to live. Its trademark is a pink flamingo, which adorns houses throughout the neighborhood.
What do you like most about living in South Louisiana?
I love the culture of South Louisiana. The music, food and people combine to create something that you cannot find anywhere else in the country.
What is the nightlife/weekend-life like in South Louisiana?
Baton Rouge has the usual nightlife that you would find in most cities including bars, restaurants, and movie theaters. However, South Louisiana also offers amazing festivals almost every weekend of the year. Festivals range from the International Music Festival in Lafayette to the Zydeco Festival in Ville Plate and include lots of food and great music.
How would you describe the South Louisiana corps culture?
Family. I am now working at a nonprofit in Baton Rouge, and I am so excited to work with other Teach For America alumni that are also working/leading other local nonprofits. Everywhere I go I see current corps members and alumni working to help close the achievement gap.
How have you and your students been affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita? What effects are there in your area?
I was a second-year teacher when the hurricanes hit in 2005. The biggest impact on my classroom/school was the influx of students we received. I started the year with 135 students and reached 180 students after Katrina. At one point, I didn’t have anymore desks in my classroom, and there were still students coming in. Many of the students stayed for a short amount of time and moved to bigger cities with their families.
My area (Opelousas) was most affected by Hurricane Rita, which hit a few weeks after Katrina. Although we were two and a half hours inland, we sustained a lot of wind damage and I was without power for over a week. Opelousas also did not have safe drinking water for two weeks which made it difficult to reopen the schools.
Through this whole process, however, Teach For America and my fellow corps members were amazing – we worked to support each other and get our schools back running again.
What is your every day life like these days?
I currently work for a local nonprofit, Volunteers In Public Schools (VIPS). I recruit, train, and manage volunteers from the community to work with student in East Baton Rouge Parish public schools. I serve as the connection between the community and the schools, so I am constantly working on building relationships. On a daily basis, I am on the phone with school staff; I am meeting with community organizations about how they can become involved; and I am strategically planning how to implement and grow our programs.
What opportunities are there for you after your corps experience in South Louisiana? How did you find these opportunities?
I actually stayed in South Louisiana because of the amazing opportunities available to corps members. We have alumni working in nonprofits, government, Louisiana State University, music industry (one alumnus makes fiddles), and of course the classroom. I found my job through my executive director. She served on the board of my organization and told me to apply. I have learned about the amazing network that Teach For America has created and how it can help me find different jobs and opportunities.
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