Woodridge Student Volunteers Time, Elbow Grease in Maryland

Carthage College student Jessica Johnson had the opportunity of a lifetime when she traveled to Thomas Johnson Middle School in Prince George’s County, Md., to volunteer for Outreach to Teach, a National Education Association program founded in 1996 to beautify and repair a school in need.

The workday was held the week before the NEA Annual Meeting, which drew thousands of educators from across the nation.

Johnson, of and a senior at Carthage, is involved with her local Wisconsin Education Association Council student chapter as the public relations coordinator, in addition to her work on the Carthage Honors Council and volunteering with her church.

“I am working to be a teacher because I love to see students achieve their goals, and have a firm philosophy that every student can learn and succeed,” Johnson said. “My mom is a second grade teacher and my grandma was a fourth grade teacher. They inspired me to be a teacher, and to believe in myself, others, and all of my students."

She said Outreach is one of her favorite events.

“I love getting the chance to work with not only students from around the country, but also retired members from around the USA as well," she said. "I am able to learn from all of them, and help a school in need, making a difference in the lives of the students.”

For more information about the NEA’s Outreach to Teach, click here.