By: Anna Aguillard, Senior Writer
For the first year in its history, Wofford College was named to Teach For America’s list of top contributing small colleges and universities for the year 2015. The list, released annually, highlights the colleges and universities that contribute the greatest number of alumni to its teaching corps.
This year, 44,000 applications were submitted for 4,100 available teaching spots. Seven of the highly sought-after spots went to Wofford alumni, including Kirsten Frost, Taylor Brown, Margaret Carraway, Anna Henson, Zoe Paist and Maggie Stroud, who were placed in elementary, secondary and high schools throughout the South East.
The news of Wofford’s acclaim does not surprise Maggie Stroud ’15, who was assigned to teach middle school science in South Carolina.
“I am thrilled to know that Wofford has made the list of top small schools,” says Stroud. “Teaching is one of the most challenging endeavors I have ever taken on, and if there is one thing a Wofford student loves, it’s a challenge.”
Sam Clowney, director of teacher leadership for Teach for America in Charlotte, N.C., believes that Wofford students are ideally suited for Teach for America.
“Each year, we have tens of thousands of applications, and we only accept three or four thousand,” says Clowney. “We get the cream of the crop, and Wofford students definitely hold their own against anyone from any college or university in the country.”
Stroud agreed that her Wofford education helped to prepare her for her teaching experience.
“Wofford’s liberal-arts environment teaches you to work hard, intertwine disciplines and collaborate with others,” says Stroud. “However, my most valued lesson from my Wofford education has been to persevere. Every day brings new challenges, victories and defeats, and that is where Wofford has prepared me best.”
Teach For America works in partnership with communities to end educational inequity caused by poverty. Volunteers are selected to make a two-year commitment to teach in underserved schools in order to help all children have access to an excellent education.
To all those considering applying for Teach for America, Stroud has three words: “Go for it.”
“Truly, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Teaching is a roller coaster, but an incredibly rewarding one,” says Stroud.
Spelman College topped the list of contributors with 18 volunteers. Nearby schools included on the list were Washington and Lee with 10 volunteers and University of Richmond with 11 volunteers.
