Grace Andrews ’22, a sociology and history major, has been accepted into Teach for America. Teach For America is a nationwide organization that recruits promising leaders to teach for at least two years in a low-income community.

Andrews will spend the summer completing educational training before doing a practicum at a summer school. Then, starting this fall, she will teach social studies to seventh- to 12th-graders in a New York City school.

At Colorado College, Andrews has been a proactive learner and leader, driven by her passion for investigating the practices and structural contours that reproduce inequality in the K-12 education system.

“I realized the life-changing power of education when I was a little girl. I was able to express myself and explore my interests and identities in ways I never could at home,” Andrews says. “I am excited to be a part of Teach For America because I can jumpstart my career as teacher and recreate for my students the inclusive and impactful education I received. I plan to educate on the power of learning for positive social change at the individual, community, and societal levels. My dream is to help students develop a toolbox to respond to issues in productive and effective ways.”

She served as an education assistant at CC’s Children’s Center for nearly three years, where she provided care and education to children from infancy to five years old. Her role also involved supporting teachers and managing early behavioral problems. Additionally, Andrews was a seasonal education instructor and naturalist at Westmoor Park in Hartford, Connecticut, where she worked with pre-K to eighth-grade students for four summers. Her weekly educational programs incorporated horticulture, animal science, entomology, and ecology in an environmental science curriculum that utilized the park’s farm, gardens, and forest. 

Teach For America works in partnership with 350 U.S. urban and rural communities to expand educational opportunities for children. Its 66,000 alumni and corps members work in more than 9,000 schools nationwide in pursuit of profound systemic change.