What are you doing now? What have you been doing since MTC?

After teaching at Greenville-Weston High School (Greenville Campus) for two years, I taught French and World History for four years at Lookout Valley Middle-High School in Chattanooga. We then moved home - back to the mountains of southwestern Virginia. I now teach AP Psychology and serve as lead teacher for the social sciences department of Virginia's Virtual Advanced Placement School (commonly known as 'Virtual Virginia' - www.virtualvirginia.org). My wife, Cassandra, and I are now also very blessed to have a wonderful four-year-old daughter, Kilmeny Anne.

What was the greatest reward of being a part of the Mississippi Teacher Corps?

The greatest reward about being a part of MTC was working with the students - just knowing that I had made a positive impact on their lives was very, very personally rewarding.

What was the biggest challenge?

The greatest challenge about being a part of MTC was, well, working with the students! Honestly, the day-to-day instruction provided both the greatest challenges and the greatest rewards. It was a difficult teaching assignment, but I had the chance to really interact with my students and help them achieve.

How has MTC impacted your life?

MTC impacted my life in a number of ways - it would be very difficult for me to imagine how my personal and professional lives would be without MTC. I feel that I was able to really grow into full-time teaching as a career while working for MTC. Cassandra and I also made many lifelong friendships during that time - and we are very, very grateful for that opportunity as well.

The Mississippi Teacher Corps is the most competitive teaching program in the country. The two-year program, designed for non-education majors, recruits college graduates to teach in the Mississippi Delta and offers a host of benefits, including teacher training and certification, a full scholarship for a master's degree in education, job placement that includes full pay and benefits and, most importantly, the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students in one of the poorest areas of the country.