With the quiet hum of the fan in the background of IPS Clarence Farrington 61’s cafeteria, where Orientation had recently kicked off, a corps member stood up to share affirmation for his growing relationship with a peer.
“Some days were rough days, but his best days were always after we had a conversation the night before to unpack.”
This theme of supporting and seeing one another through times of trial and challenge resonated across the shoutouts during Orientation, a week after our 2019 corps members returned from their five-week summer training at Houston Institute. This sense of community is fundamental to the corps experience, as we seek to foster within our 700+ member network a thriving and diverse coalition of leaders united in values, strategically aligned, and actively engaged in creating a more vibrant and just Indianapolis. Sixty-eight percent of our new corps members come from outside of Indiana, representing 21 states and 43+ colleges and universities, and 40% identify as people of color.
Combined with our 2018 corps, 120+ TFA corps members are leading classrooms across 40+ public schools in the fall, teaching PreK-12 and a wide range of subjects including STEM education, a high-need area that 65% are teaching.
Hear from a few corps members on why they chose to join TFA.