SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Seton Hall University announced a partnership with Today’s Students Tomorrow’s Teachers on Monday, Sept. 18, officially signing an agreement that will go into effect in August 2018 for the 2018-2019 school year.
The nonprofit organization is a teacher mentoring program that launched 23 years ago to address the teacher diversity gap in classrooms and provide opportunities for students of color to pursue teaching. The university is TSTT’s 25th college partner and the first school it has worked with in New Jersey.
The SHU administration was introduced to TSTT by the South Orange-Maplewood School District. Through the program, the university hopes to create an avenue for local high school students to eventually attend SHU and pursue education degrees.
“It’s no surprise to us that we are leading the way,” interim SHU President Mary Meehan said at the ceremony on the university’s campus. “This is a wonderful opportunity to create a pipeline to have students come here to learn.”
TSTT will provide academic support and career guidance to students who want to pursue careers in education. While Seton Hall is the nonprofit’s first foray in New Jersey, the organization is well established in New York, Connecticut, Virginia and Massachusetts. A group of high school students from upstate New York was at SHU on Sept. 18 for the launch of the program and spoke about how it has impacted them so far.
“I tutor twice a week and I get to observe teachers and what they do,” Cristina Torres, a 15-year-old high school student from Ellenville High School in New York, told the News-Record at the event. “It’s made me realize what I do, what to become and what it means to be a teacher, especially when we shadow teachers and work with kids.” Torres plans to become a physical education teacher after college.
Bettye Perkins, the founder, president and CEO of TSTT, stressed the importance of expanding the program’s reach at a university like Seton Hall, which has many opportunities for scholarships.
“The thing it really gives our students is experience and options,” Perkins told the News-Record. “They can be not too far away from home and have the opportunity to not be saddled with debt. It’s also important that they have the human support and are able to work one-on-one with mentors and students.”
With SHU being the first location in the state to benefit from the TSTT, Perkins said it was a good starting place.
“This is opening a door in New Jersey,” she said. “It’s important to add a state that’s close to New York. Our next goal is to find a school district in the state to work with.”
The South Orange-Maplewood School District hopes to be that district, according to Assistant Superintendent Kevin Walston. Administrators from the district linked Seton Hall to TSTT, and are looking for the funding to bring the nonprofit to their own students. In the meantime, they plan to stay connected to the program via their collegiate neighbors.
“We have a number of students who are talented and smart who don’t necessarily go away to school,” Walston told the News-Record at the event. “And there’s a school right down the street where they can get a good education and financial aid. Hopefully they can use this here at home, and come back and teach in their home district.”
Walston said working with Seton Hall and TSTT would be a boon to all parties involved.
“I think it benefits both sides,” he said. “We have some talented people in our district and we know how close it is to Seton Hall. Our next step is to make sure our counselors are aware of the benefits and to find the support and funding.”
The marriage between TSTT and Seton Hall is in line with SHU’s goal of getting more first-generation students into college, according to Meehan.
“One of our focuses is working with first-generation college students,” she told the News-Record at the event. “It’s perfect because this will take them one step at a time and it’s an extension of our mission. It’s nice to see young people going into education. This is providing an opportunity that will not only change their lives, but will help the community when they go out and teach.”
Photos by Amanda Valentovic
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