New Paltz senior accepted into Teach for America

NEW PALTZ – Julia Vogel, a senior at the State University of New York at New Paltz, has been accepted into Teach for America.

Vogel will graduate in May 2013 with a major in history and minor in psychology. She plans to begin teaching high school mathematics at a public school in Texas. “Julia’s acceptance into Teach for America is a real achievement, but even more it is an acknowledgement of her hard work and tremendous potential,” said Michael Vargas, associate professor history at New Paltz.

“Teach for America recruits some of the highest achieving college grads to teach in some of the country’s poorest schools,” Vargas said. The application process for Teach for America is extremely competitive, with the organization adhering to a strict set of criteria by which it selects its members. Last year, only 17 percent of applicants were accepted into the program. Participants are placed throughout the country and serve for two years.

Teach for America is a network of more than 10,000 members teaching in 46 regions across the U.S. and nearly 28,000 alumni working in education and many other sectors. The nonprofit organization was founded in 1989 with the goal of ensuring “all children in in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education,” according to its website.