174 Awesomes

No one seems to really know hoe many of us there are, but the number of TFA Phoenix 2010 Corps Members started around 177, and as far as anyone can tell, is now around 174.

174! 174 of us made the initial cut. 174 of us survived Intenstitute. That's pretty impressive.

Now, I really liked the Law & Public Policy Program at Towson High and the GLOBE Program at Carolina because those programs made a large institution small and were composed of like-minded passionate and talented individuals with the same goals and similar, awesome personalities.

And, for the most part, that's what the 2010 Phoenix TFA Corps is. 174 passionate, talented, and awesome people who picked up and moved to the desert to try and make a difference.

Not only is everyone super-smart and talented, but everyone was a complete all-star in college. But no matter what everyone's background may be, and the backgrounds here are VERY diverse, everyone is truly united under the TFA banner. We've all drunk the Kool-Aid, and call me corny, but it really is inspiring to truly be part of a movement of such amazing and dedicated and accomplished people trying to solve this massive problem of educational inequity. (Yeah, just gave y'all some major props)

And everyone is super fun. Be it road trips to Vegas or nights out on Mill, we always have a good time. Some of my best nights out are when all of us are out together, raging. Too much fun.

You've got all kinds here - but there are a TON of Midwesterners running around. I think I've met four Midwesterners in my entire life, maybe (you know who you are), and now they totally dominate the TFA 2010 Corps. I've gotten REALLY used to Midwestern accents.

Yeah, you've actually got all kinds here - remember the scene in Mean Girls when Lindsay Lohan (topical = just arrested) arrives at North Shore and Janice draws a map of the cafeteria, with all of the different cliques all mapped out? It's not that the Corps is a segregated bunch, but all of the cliques definitely exist. There's a large contingent of frat guys, your sorority girls, athletes, artsy folks, the people you never ever see and don't really know what to do, and then another group, that doesn't so much exist in a fictional high school: old people.

In the education world, their called "nontrads", I think: nontraditional teachers. We have a smattering of old people. Super passionate like the rest of us, yes, but certainly interesting to see in a dorm setting. The level of technology literacy definitely isn't there, that's for sure.

You know when you move someplace new, or when you go to a new school, you're always worried about whether or not you'll make any friends, and you picture yourself hating everything and sitting alone all the time? Well, that's not a concern here - it's great to be among such amazing company, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next two years with all these cool new friends.

peace and love from a quick mini-vacation back home to the old line state,

pb