Meet one of our incredible alumni, Jareline Guerrero, from the graduating class of 2010! She is currently studying sociology and race and ethnic studies at Barnard College. Jareline just started a summer teaching internship with Uncommon Schools in Camden, New Jersey. She learned about this opportunity through her academic connections at Row New York! Read what Jareline has to say about the experience:
How are you? Tell us about Uncommon Schools and the internship.
I am great! The Summer Teaching Internship is a program created by Uncommon Schools, which is network of free, public charter schools dedicated to closing the achievement gap in Boston, Brooklyn, Rochester, New York, Troy, New York and now Camden. The internship takes college juniors that are interested in education and places them into their charter schools with the main goal of providing low-income areas with high quality education in order to get students to college at the same level as their wealthier counterparts.
Why were you interested in this fellowship?
I applied because I have experienced firsthand the benefits of caring, high quality teachers. Born and raised in the Bronx, my surroundings growing up were very similar to those of the students I am now teaching. Without my mother’s lessons on hard work and the dedication of the incredible teachers I was lucky enough to have throughout grade school and high school, I probably would not have ended up at top-tier schools like Dominican Academy and now, Barnard College of Columbia University.
Uncommon’s goal is essentially to deconstruct the various systems of inequality that develop the achievement gap.
I see myself in all of the students I teach. The day I found out I was accepted into my dream college was a day I’ll never forget. It was a feeling of fulfillment that I want students in communities like mine to experience. I want to work to make sure that students in urban areas have a fair and equal chance to getting there.
It is great to hear about your passion for teaching and empowering through knowledge. I know you have been involved in other aspects of social justice. Tell me about your work with Sanctuary for Families. Are you involved with other school groups or community work?
At Sanctuary for Families, I work to provide mothers with child care. Sanctuary for Families is an incredible organization that provides comprehensive services to domestic violence victims. While they are receiving counseling or legal aid, I watch over their children in a beautiful, state of the art children center. It is so fulfilling and eye-opening. While I get to play with babies, draw, and lead arts and crafts sessions, I also get a first hand look at how violence can affect children. So often children have relayed stories to me of what they’ve seen and how it makes them feel. It is intense but something I love to do.
I have also volunteered with Peer Health Exchange (PHE), an organization that trains college students to deliver public health workshops in public schools around the city. Because of budget cuts, many schools around the city do not have health education. With PHE, I was able to teach a workshop on Rape and Sexual Assault, a sensitive but extremely important subject for high schoolers.
Any ideas for after graduation?
After graduation, I would like to travel and return to do some more teaching, preferably with Uncommon Schools!
A big thanks to Jareline for letting us know about all the amazing things she continues to pursue! We wish her the best of luck with her summer teaching internship beyond!
