Rachel Kittaka '12

Rachel's 2011 MCAN Scholarship allowed me to serve with a national program called Breakthrough Collaborative. I taught pre-algebra and paper mache to underserved middle school students in Santa Fe, New Mexico along with high school and college students from across the country. The Breakthrough staff, students and co-teachers made this summer of hard work an incredibly rich experience. She collaborated with the other teachers to organize sporting events, an art walk and a career day for our students. Rachel also received instruction and coaching on how to be an effective novice teacher. Finally, her students inspired Rachel to give her best effort in the classroom every single day. This experience, made possible through MCAN, was a large factor in Rachel's decision to pursue a career in education. Currently, she plans to teach at an urban school in Memphis, TN following her master's coursework in urban education.