Megan Malone, a doctoral student and teaching assistant in the School of Arts and Humanities at UT Dallas, will soon be teaching on her own. She has been selected for Teach For America, the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit two years to teach in low-income urban and rural public schools and become leaders in the effort to expand educational opportunity.

The goal of Teach for America is for its members not only to make a short-term impact on their students, but also to become lifelong proponents of educational equality. The organization is active in 38 regions across the country, from Atlanta to Washington, D.C.

This year, Teach For America received a record-breaking 46,000 applications, and admission was more selective than ever before, with an acceptance rate of 12 percent.

Incoming corps members earned an average GPA of 3.6 and 89 percent held a significant leadership position.

Malone, a history of ideas PhD candidate, fits the bill, serving as coordinator for the UT Dallas Destination ImagiNation teams.  Through Teach For America, she will be teaching social sciences in a Dallas Independent School District (DISD) high school yet to be determined. Training kicks off June 5 in Houston for five weeks, and then her adventure begins.

“As Teach For America heads into our 20th anniversary year, we’re excited to welcome this diverse group of remarkable individuals to our highest-need classrooms, where they will go above and beyond traditional expectations to help their students achieve academic success,” said Wendy Kopp, Teach For America’s founder and CEO.

Dr. Michelle Nickerson, who is overseeing Malone’s dissertation at UT Dallas, added, “Megan is going to dazzle Teach For America and DISD with the leadership, creativity, and energy that she brings to our program in Arts and Humanities.  I am so excited because Megan’s talents and vision give me hope for education in the future.  She has always demonstrated genuine concern for this community.”