I currently work as the Learning & Evaluation Director for a local nonprofit organization, which puts young adults in high-need schools to tutor and mentor students to be in-school and on-track for graduation.
My undergraduate degree is in Journalism, and I am certified to teach English/Language Arts Reading 7-12.
For the past five years, I have worked in San Antonio schools in conjunction with my employer, City Year, which is an education focused non-profit organization. In this time, four of my five years were spent serving SAISD and one of those years was spent working with the Southwest ISD, at Christa McAuliffe Middle School.
Throughout my tenure at City Year, I gained extensive experience working in the classroom to provide one-on-one and small-group academic and socio-emotional support to at-risk youth. By using student-level data and collaborating with school administration and teachers, I help identify which students are off-track, or are in danger of not getting promoted to the next grade level, which increases their chances of dropping out of high school. Our model encourages school collaboration to not only identify these students, but to provide targeted interventions in attendance and behavior coaching, as well as Math and English core classes to get students back on track.
I also have frontline experience with City Year serving as a corps member, team leader and impact manager. During this time, I was a collaborative partner at a Diplomas Now school, helped build a sustainable, strong first-year partnership at a high school that is part of the federal initiative Promise Neighborhood, and successfully coached teams of young adults to support high-need students. I honed my skills in organization, relationship development and executing to results, all of which serve as transferrable skills into the teaching profession. My sharp attention to detail, ability to adapt to be an effective leader for diverse audiences, and passion for providing quality work also serve as a strong foundation on my path towards becoming a successful teacher.
My passion for education extends beyond my work at City Year though. During my time at the University of Florida, I tutored fourth-grade students at a high-need elementary school and helped start a library and after-school program in a subsidized housing apartment complex. It was through such volunteer work that I found the most joy as I experienced firsthand the impact teaching can make. On a personal level, I also understand the importance of a good education and the impact that teachers can have on young minds. I was fortunate enough to receive a good education as a child, and I am the first in my family to graduate from college. Writing has always been a passion and positive outlet for me, ever since a teacher of mine first sparked that interest in middle school. I attribute much of my success to that positive experience. Through tutoring, I hope to light that same fire within my students so that they too can reach their full potential.
As a journalism major, I gained experience writing for different audiences. I had an internship with a parenting magazine, which required a more mature, clean style of writing. In contrast, my work as the entertainment editor for a local newspaper, allowed for more creativity in voice and style. These experiences taught me that writing is not a rigid art form, which is something I would like to convey to my students. I want to show them that reading and writing can be fun, and that through reading and writing, the boundaries for creativity and self discovery are endless.
In closing, I am confident that my journalism background, coupled with my collaborative efforts and educational experiences, all highly qualify me to excel as a tutor.

Sincerely,
Megan