My Story/college

My Story - Ali & Kevin (Part 1)

Kevin Parkinson - Teach for America
Illinois State University

Hours before I had my second interview with Teach For America, I found myself on a train back to my alma matter from my very first High School Pay It Forward Tour.

The bad news? I was tired, exhausted, and worn out: Physically, mentally, and intellectually. Certainly not a good condition to enter into an interview with.

The good news? I was inspired, enthused, and absolutely convinced that Teach For America was for me.

Before I heard of Teach For America, I was absolutely certain that I was going to graduate school after my time at Illinois State. When TFA was introduced to me, I decided that I would apply in order to keep my options open, but deep down I’m not sure I had any real intent on accepting a position. The research I did on TFA’s mission statement certainly played a large role in my eventual acceptance of the position, but my experience with STLF undoubtedly sealed the deal. 

The lesson I learned on my very first HS PIF Tour (and the lesson that was reiterated on my second) is that students who are poor performers in school aren’t failing because there’s anything inherently wrong with the students (or their families) themselves. They’re not naturally less intelligent, they don’t naturally care any less – It is us who has failed them. Conversely, when students are simply given the access to better education, leadership, or service opportunities, they will rise to meet even the highest expectations set of them. STLF has fueled in me a desire to provide ALL of our nation’s youth with the opportunities to prove just how smart, just how engaged, and just how passionate they can be.

I’m only just beginning my journey with Teach For America, but am I already starting to develop the unique perspective of an educator in a tough urban/rural community. Just this week we took a break from teaching summer school with the Houston Independent School District to meet with leaders from the schools we will be teaching at in the fall (and for the next two years). The school district I am placed with – beautiful Leland, Mississippi – has a per capita income of approximately $9,600 – among the lowest in the entire United States. At this high school of approximately 200 total students, I also learned that many students have never been outside their own county, let alone the state of Mississippi. Tragically, I knew that this meant attending college would seem like a distant dream, not a tangible possibility. How can these students possibly be passionate about college if they’re not entirely sure exactly what college is? What does it look like, what do people do, how can I fit in?

I knew then that I need to find a way to expand the mindsets of these students, and thought that STLF could be the perfect outlet. Almost instantly after leaving the meeting, I called a member of STLF’s national office. I shared with him the tragic statistics of Leland, and my vision of bringing a High School Pay It Forward Tour to Mississippi. I told him that as long as the administration at my school was on board, I would want this to happen this very academic year. The hard part? I told him that I didn’t want the students to pay a single cent in order to participate. Knowing that this trip will literally alter the life trajectory of these students in a very direct way, but also knowing that money is extremely tight in Leland and that many students are still – in 2009 – living with basic amenities at certain times throughout the year, fueled my sense of urgency in bringing a completely free HS PIF Tour to Mississippi.

Before we even began crunching numbers, the national representative said, quite calmly, “Okay. Let’s get to work.” And so it begins. It’s going to take hard work and the continued support from the entire STLF family, but I know that we CAN bring a Tour to Mississippi, so that the students of Leland High School can finally prove to the world just how awesome they truly are. 

Make sure to check back next week for Part 2 with Ali Fadlallah!

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