FedEx Communicators Share "Tools from the Trenches" on Writing College Entrance Essays

I recently served on a team of FedEx writers that conducted a college essay writing workshop for Memphis high school seniors interested in getting into some of the nation's most prestigious colleges. The FedEx team, comprised of communications managers and senior specialists who write for global audiences, focused on how to write college entrance essays that stand out from the crowd.

Teach For America: A Leadership Pipeline

Support from FedEx was crucial to bringing Teach For America to Memphis in 2006.  Two years later, Teach For America has placed over 150 corps members in Memphis City Schools and has become a leadership pipeline for schools and administration in the district.  Nearly 15% of all principals in Washington, D.C. are Teach For America alumni as is the Chancellor of schools, Michelle Rhee.  By 2010, Teach For America will have nearly 800 school leaders across the country. Click here to see a recent report on Memphis Fox News Live:

Walk Into the Gap

Do I really understand the education achievement gap? If you were to ask a parent, or even a student, from an economically-challenged community if their school was as good as those on the other side of town, what would they say? In 2005, only 13% of seniors graduating from Locke High School in Los Angeles were eligible to attend college in the Cal State system. This startling statistic was recently shared by Donna Foote, author of Relentless Pursuit, a story about the journy of four Teach For America corps members who taught at Locke.

Suddenly Sanjaya

Recently, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund hosted their annual gala in New York City. FedEx sponsored the event to reflect our on-going commitment to create opportunities for individuals to achieve their dreams and participate in the global economy. APIASF has awarded more than $1.8 million in scholarships to 850 deserving APIA high school seniors.

FedEx Abre Puertas (FedEx Opens Doors)

In my house, living with two parents who both had their Masters and a mom who was president of the school board, college was clearly in my future. However, we weren't always sure if we could afford it. In the end, it was the generosity of the community that allowed me to begin college in the fall of ‘94 with a handful of scholarships.