Studying at John Carroll University was a blessing for 2013 graduate Curtis Walker.
Now the Cleveland Heights High alumnus is hoping to share some of that blessing with students in inner-city Cleveland.
Walker, of Cleveland Heights, has been accepted into Teach for America Corps. Those chosen for the program agree to teach for two years in schools across the country where students face poverty and other hardships.
“Their objective is all about closing the achievement gap. They recognize there is a problem, that children in the inner city do not have all the same resources as someone who lives in a suburb might have. They don’t want a child’s future to be determined by their zip code,” he said.
Walker learned about the achievement gap first-hand. He lived and went to school in East Cleveland until he was 12, when he moved to Cleveland Heights with his mother, Rosemary Walker. Seeing the disparities between East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights was “eye-opening,” he said.
“If you live in an urban setting, you have obstacles. Students give up, even teachers give up on them,” he said.
Walker thrived at Cleveland Heights High, where he was editor of the yearbook and developed a passion for journalism. He stayed close to home for college, where he majored in communication and theater arts, with a minor in Spanish. He also returned to his alma mater to teach an editing, design and photography class every Friday afternoon, and continued helping put together the yearbook.
During the intensive application process for TFAC, Walker was asked to choose the top three cities where he would like to teach. He chose New York, Chicago and Cleveland.
“Part of me wanted to go to New York or Chicago and see what it was like, but part of me wanted to stay here and give back. I stayed home for college, so I was happy to stay here to teach,” he said.
He left at the beginning of the month for five weeks of intensive training at the University of Arizona, during which he will earn his teaching license. The training is intensive, from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and includes teaching in summer school around the Phoenix area.
Before he left, he took part in an induction session at Cleveland State, where he met the rest of the 15 new TFAC members who will also teach in Cleveland next fall. The group acts as a support system, while teachers who began the year before will act as mentors for the new group.
He also will draw on his experience at JCU, where he attended as a commuter student.
“People said I would miss out on the full college experience. I wanted to debunk that myth, so I immersed myself in campus activities,” Walker said.
He became involved with several organizations, including the African-American students, which organized a variety of events, including Cultural Diversity Week.
“There were not many African-American students at John Carroll, so we wanted to make sure we became known on campus. It went from an organization in need of help to Organization of the Year on campus last year,” he said.
He also became an orientation leader and tour guide, and performed community service every semester, such as working at food banks or teaching English to Spanish-speaking families. He was also selected as the sole student on the diversity study committee.
Off-campus, he taught public policy and the Constitution at Shaw High School, and worked at several internships with local television stations, and the Cleveland Clinic Office of Civic Initiatives.
Walker will put aside his passion for journalism for the next couple years while he is teaching. He will be paid by the school district, but TFAC offers up to $6,000 in transitional grants, which will help pay for expenses in Phoenix. After he completes the two-year commitment to teaching, it will also help pay for grad school and will pay the interest on his student loan.
After that, he will decide whether to pursue a master’s in education or advanced degree in communications.
“John Carroll was four years of personal and professional growth, but I am not through with my journey yet,” he said.
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Twitter: @SusanKetchum