Henry Burbank ’16: Teach for America

via Kenyon College website—Kenyon has been named a top contributor of corps members to Teach For America, a nationwide nonprofit that recruits individuals to teach in schools of low-income communities for two or more years. Teach For America seeks out members who exhibit strong leadership skills and a dedication to their community. The program also presents opportunities for those who might not want to commit to a teaching profession. Henry Burbank ’16, who majored in political science, is stationed on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota where he teaches reading, writing, math and science to 7th and 8th graders. While Burbank hopes to pursue a career in economic development, national security policy or the private sector, he saw the advantages Teach For America could afford him. “I knew that I wanted to take a job where I was going to learn a lot,” Burbank said.

While Burbank is especially interested in current issues facing Native American communities, he also wanted a position where he could learn a variety of skills. He recalled another Kenyon graduate in Teach For America mentioning to him that being able to manage teenagers is a skill that can be translated into many other aspects of life.

One skill he brought from Kenyon to teaching is his stamina. “This universal Kenyon experience of really slaving away at three in the morning on some project … is necessary and you can push through that,” he said. “You can work yourself that hard and still make it out all right.”