After her graduation from Abilene Christian University in May, Alaina Bearden set out to find a job where she could make a difference on a daily basis. In August, she discovered such a position in Boston, teaching as a part of MATCH Charter Public High School's MATCH Corps.
"I work 12-hour days and team up with my fellow Corps member to provide daily support and stability to children that are victims of gang violence, drug addiction and poverty," said Bearden. "I feel as though I am forced to live what I was taught at ACU out on a day-to-day basis. It is an amazing opportunity to be a light in a place so different and far from Abilene."
For the MATCH Corps program, the MATCH Charter Public High School and Middle School employ 60 recent college graduates as Corps members to live in the school in a dorm-style residence for one academic year. Each Corps member meets with five students, paired with them at the beginning of the year, and tutors them every day one-on-one in their classroom subjects.
The student body at the MATCH schools is almost entirely African American and Latino, so the school's mission is to erase the racial achievement gap that afflicts so many urban high schools across the nation, according to Bearden.
"Because of the Corps and our tireless staff, our student body is very high achieving – our largely poor, minority student body recently ranked No. 3 in the state in the MCAS biology proficiency test among state 10th graders." said Bearden. "My friends are idealistic and passionate. I work with them on a daily basis with the hope to truly close the educational achievement gap and provide the blessing of a future for kids who did not have a shot at hope before the school existed."
The unique "no excuses" culture of the schools and the relentless individual effort of the Corps, staff and teachers have made MATCH a model for what a public school can achieve in the face of overwhelming odds stacked against a 95 percent minority, generally impoverished student body, said Bearden. Newsweek recently named MATCH one of the top-25 high schools in the country.
"I feel compelled to share the story of how courage, discipline, perseverance and good old-fashioned elbow grease can be the answer to urban educational underachievement, and how my experience has fit into ACU's mission to change the world through Christian service and leadership," said Bearden.
For more information about MATCH schools, visit their website.
If you are a member of the media who would like more information about this release, please contact ACU's Public Relations Office or call (325) 674-2696.
