But the question of what I could do after graduation actually has a second part — what should I do? And as I turned each choice over in my head, none of them felt quite right.
The truth is, as an African-American woman with a college degree, I now have access to opportunities that many other children like me growing up in Dayton didn’t. I think of my friends and classmates in junior high school, whose ambitions were just as great as mine, and their intelligence often greater, now raising children and working two part-time jobs rather than worrying about exams or picking classes. I worked hard not only to get into college, but through it as well. I faced struggles along the way, but I also know that it was the hard work of others that got me to this point. If just a few things were different — a different teacher or a different group of friends — I might not never have become an OU student.
With this in mind, I finally found the answer to that big looming question. This fall, I’ll start teaching in Dayton as a Teach For America corps member. It’s the community where my parents have spent 20 years as educators and the place where my own story begins. When I think about what I can and should do with my privilege, working to ensure that kids who don’t typically get the opportunities they deserve feel inspired and motivated is the answer that fits.
I didn’t decide to teach because I think I’m going to be a hero. I know from watching my parents all these years that this work will be incredibly challenging and humbling, and I will have to push myself harder than ever before to give my students the education they need. I will need to work in close partnership with the parents, teachers and community members who have been working towards justice and equity long before I arrived. But I don’t want a job that lets me turn a blind eye to the injustice kid’s face every day. I want one that forces me to look injustice in the face and fight it with all my heart. I want one that holds me accountable for the injustices that plague our communities — because, although I did not create them, I’d still bear responsibility if I chose not to address them.
As I become a Teach For America corps member after graduation, I’ll be joining a network of tens of thousands of individuals working relentlessly to make access to opportunity equitable. It’s a network of leaders that is vastly diverse in background, experience and work, working across sectors to create change. But we are all united around the fundamental belief that a quality education is not a privilege, it is a right. We can fight to ensure all students get to enjoy that right. I can’t wait to be part of it.
Tiarra Comer graduated from Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School. She is a senior at Ohio University studying Psychology and African American Studies, with a minor in Social Services. She will begin teaching in Southwest Ohio this fall as a Teach For America corps member.
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