Meet Corps Member Sierra Nelson

“I’ve never had a job where I left feeling so rewarded and just feeling so accomplished that I actually had an impact in someone else’s life other than mine,” said NC Education Corps member Sierra Nelson, who tutors for Guilford County Schools in High Point, NC.

Sierra started working at Allen Jay Elementary School in fall 2021, after applying for a job opening at GCS through NC Education Corps. A friend suggested the program to her since she’s studying to become a speech-language pathologist at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. 

Sierra Nelson tutors up to 15 students each day in 1-on-1 or small group tutoring at Allen Jay Elementary School, working as an employee of Guilford County Schools. Click the image to view the full story on Spectrum.

“I think communication is often a privilege that we take for granted. So, I think it’s really interesting and really important to teach that to kids and help children that have these communication and language disorders,” Nelson said.

What Nelson learns in her own classes overlaps with her work as a corps member, giving her a first-hand look at her future as a speech pathologist. Nelson works with kindergarteners, first graders, and third graders. 

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction reported 55% of third graders tested at or below grade-proficiency in the 2020-2021 academic year. NC Education Corps targets kindergarten through 3rd grade students to work on the foundational skills of literacy.

NC Education Corps is looking to expand into 35 total school districts for 2022-23. For more information on how to apply to become a corps member, click here. See the full story on Spectrum 1 News.

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Excerpted from N.C. Education Corps helps elementary students build literacy skills, Courtney Wallen, Spectrum 1 News