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Exceptional Aggies: Aggie grad serving underserved communities with Teach for America

For the past two years, the school system has seen its ups and downs due to the global pandemic and teachers are the ones taking the brunt of the impact.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — For the past two years, the school system has seen its ups and downs due to the global pandemic.

Teachers are the ones taking the brunt of the impact, with many seasoned teachers even leaving the profession. All due to the challenges and stresses they've had to navigate through due to COVID-19.

One Aggie grad and first-year teacher with Teach for America, Meredith Dickson is growing the education field with books by starting up "Meredith's Book Drive."

"They jumped up with the opportunity and within days I was getting texts saying we have 400 books we have 700 books, we have 1,000 books," Dickson said.

Teach for America teachers, like Dickson are placed in underserved schools where resources are low for students.

First-grade teacher Genevieve Steirs, who teaches in a bilingual classroom, said apart from TFA she had no resources to get books for them. Students also didn't have that access at home. Making Dickson want to help by partnering with her Texas A&M sorority Pi Beta Phi.

"I was very involved with my sorority at A&M I knew the desire for our sorority to do philanthropy and literacy-related work."

From there, the ladies collected books over winter break, exceeding Dickson's goal.

"My goal was 200 books for their students and they ended up with 1500 books."

All classroom ready for Steirs and sorted by age, and grade.

She was able to surprise them with a makeshift scholastic book fair in her classroom. Dickson told them it was from the "Book fairy" because they worked so hard.

Dickson says this shows how much people still care about the education system despite, the ups and downs its been through.

"The community at large still really cares about education and that there are people who will do anything to help students, especially with literacy and learning to read."

Showing teachers that people will step up and help them even if they can't always do it themselves.

Their next steps will be in May for Teacher Appreciation Month to donate books to them. Dickson says she's willing to drive wherever if anyone wants to donate.

Because no child should ever be left behind.

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