Miles McCauley’s job is to find a passionate collection of people with a strong desire to change the lives of children attending struggling schools across the nation. McCauley, a Teach for America recruitment manager at The University of Alabama, seeks out interested, driven students looking for a way to promote positive change after they graduate.

According to Teach For America’s website, the program’s mission is to recruit a diverse group of leaders with a record of achievement who work to expand educational opportunity, starting by teaching for two years in a low-income community.

McCauley is an alumnus of the TFA corps and took the recruitment job to find people who share his passion to change the lives of the children they teach. McCauley said his role is focused on growing TFA’s corps because the need for great teachers in low-income communities is increasing.

“Teach for America gives you the opportunity to grow yourself and become aware of national problems and crises,” McCauley said. “It is a world-class leadership development opportunity, and it will impact you forever in whatever sector you go into.”

Michael Patrick, a current corps member and UA almunus, is teaching in Chicago and said the TFA staff in Chicago has made his experience great.

“I truly believe that each and every member of the staff at the TFA Chicago office looks forward to the day that the city of Chicago no longer needs programs like Teach For America,” Patrick said. “I really feel supported by the TFA staff, and because of them, I feel capable and confident to create transformational change in my classroom with my students and members of the community I work in.”

Patrick said living in Chicago and working with Chicago’s South Shore community through TFA has been a valuable experience and his fellow teachers and staff members at TFA have shown a great commitment to the students that they teach.

“They have already proven to be hardworking, thoughtful and dedicated to creating a place where the 3-4 year old students in my classroom can thrive as confident and capable members of Chicago, the U.S. and the world.” Patrick said.

Emily Seelenfreund, a corps member and UA alumna, was assigned to a school in New Mexico. She said teaching has been the most challenging thing she’s ever done, but also the most rewarding.

“I teach third grade at Church Rock Elementary. My school is located on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, and my students are 100 percent American Indian,” Seelenfreund said.

The application process for TFA has five steps. The first step is applying, and the next four steps are by invitation only, including a phone interview and critical thinking exercises. During the final interview, applicants rank their preferences for region, grade and subject.

“About a month after the final interview, applicants find out via the admissions team if they got accepted,” McCauley said. “Applicants have two weeks to accept or decline the offer.”

McCauley said applicants would not be sent to a region they did not request. McCauley said the regions with the highest need this year are the Mississippi Delta region, Arkansas, Las Vegas, Tulsa, Detroit and Memphis. The next deadline for applications is Oct. 25. Applicants will know by January if they have been accepted to the program.

For more information, email McCauley at [email protected] or call him at 334-652-9260.