Hello, my name is Jeannette Rupprecht. I am a senior studying Early Childhood and Special Education with a concentration in English as a Second Language. I am also a Campus Campaign Coordinator Intern at Teach for America. Through my experiences at Temple University, I have gained a wide variety of knowledge, skills and opportunities related to my field of study in education. Last year, I learned about Teach for America, a nonprofit organization aimed at Educational Inequity. Teach for America seeks to hire college graduates to teach for two years in low income public schools in both urban and rural communities. Our goal is to provide all students with the proper education and access they need to be successful in their academic career. I believe that equal opportunity in education is something that all children deserve, and I am extremely passionate about education and serving those students who need quality teachers the most. I believe all children have the opportunity and potential to be successful and through Teach for America I am able to pursue that dream.

• How did you find out about this opportunity, and what was the interview process like?

I connected with one of my sorority sisters who served as the Intern last year. I felt that this was a great opportunity for me to become connected to the Teach for America community and spread the great news at Temple. I agreed to go through the interview process to possibly be considered for the position. The interview process was quite complex as I had to apply, complete specific assignments related to the position to prove my eligibility and obtain three letters of recommendation for the position. In the interview, I had to share about my personal experiences in education and experiences with working with students in low income areas.

• What does a typical day entail? 

As a Campus Campaign Coordinator Intern, my job is to reach out to students on campus via campus wide events, sharing presentations to other campus organizations, as well as in classroom visits to share about Teach for America and its mission. Typically, my weeks consist of reaching out to Professors and Campus organizations via email to share information presentations about Teach for America and to share opportunities for undergraduate students to pursue with us in the job field and leadership development post-graduation. Each week I typically share around five presentations for about five to ten minutes each to different groups of students (of different majors) to help share the news about Teach for America. Upon completion of presentations, I connect students with our recruitment manager to learn more about Teach for America and our leaders. I also host tabling events at career fairs, organization fairs and other events to connect with students whom I feel may be good leaders and additions to Teach for America. In addition, I manage our campus social media page on Facebook.

• What is the most important thing you’ve learned during your experience?

Thus far, I have learned a lot about the problems facing our nation in terms of education and this continuous cycle of educational inequity. I have also learned how to collaborate with a wide range of students and gained confidence in my public speaking abilities as a presenter to large groups of people. I have also gained greater skills in terms of my professionalism, time management, rapport with faculty and staff and making connections for my future endeavors beyond my time at Temple University.

• What advice would you give to current students embarking on an internship/job search?

Personally, I feel that obtaining an internship is essential to establish rapport with future employers, build resume experience and build knowledge and skills as a professional. Internships provide students with the stepping stones to future opportunities and careers beyond a degree through putting knowledge into action. I think one of the best ways to learn about internship and job opportunities is to make connections with staff and faculty on campus, research on OwlConnect and OwlNetwork, talk with peers to learn about experiences that they have participated in and most importantly, speak with your advisor and the Career Center about options for you and your future! The career center and your advisor are go-to personnel to make connections on and off campus, to find resources to best suit your needs, and can provide you with expert advice!

• Can you tell us a little about Teach for America and how students who are interested can explore opportunities with them?

Overall, I think that Teach for America is a wonderful opportunity and can provide students with a wide variety of options to help them better themselves, develop leadership and professional skills and become a part of something larger than oneself. Through service with Teach for America students will be given opportunities to connect with Alumni and Employer partners to help navigate job opportunities and careers to jump-start their future. If you would like to find out more about Teach for America and the opportunities we have in store, don’t hesitate, reach out to me via email, Jeannette Rupprecht at tug12340@temple.edu. You can also check out our website for more information on how to apply and other relevant details at www.teachforamerica.org.

Don’t wait!  Now is your time to become a part of something big and make a difference!