Students graduating this spring have until Feb. 20 to apply for Teach For America, an organization in which leaders work with children growing up in poverty to ensure they receive a good education.

Teach For America members and alumni across the country help create an educational revolution in low-income communities.

With over 50 regions in the United States and 32,000 members so far, Teach For America allows college graduates to give kids the education they deserve, said Cori Nip, senior elementary education major and Campus Campaign Coordinator.

The mission of this program is to eliminate the achievement gap, which refers to students who live in poverty not receiving the same education as students in upper and middle class communities, Nip said.

Nip advocates equal education opportunities and recruits graduating seniors to Teach For America. She will also join Teach For America and will teach in Hawaii this spring after graduation.

“We recognize and educate others about this issue so that we can find leaders to be placed in classrooms, so students in those high-need areas not only have a teacher but a leader who can inspire and motivate them,” Nip said.

A good education allows children to live up to their potential, but for 16 million children, this is something they are not receiving, Nip said.

“By putting leaders in the classroom we’re able to give an immediate impact,” Nip said. “Overall we hope that we will change the system and close the achievement gap over time.”

Teachers recruited by Teach For America typically have diverse backgrounds, strong leadership skills and a passion for what they teach.

Austin Warren, campus outreach and recruitment leader, said he found his passion in Teach For America. He joined the program after graduating in 2011 from University of Idaho with a degree in international studies.

After being accepted into Teach For America, Warren went through five weeks of intense training during the summer where he learned so much in little time.

He said although training was exhausting, he had the support of other members and faculty and was excited to teach in his own classroom.

Warren taught seventh through 12th grade science in Pine Bluff, Ark. for two years. He said the school was desperate for a science teacher and that the children needed him. His first year was a challenge because he had so many responsibilities, but throughout his time he knew he was making a difference, he said.

“Over the course of my first year, my confidence was high, I was caring, and I was compassionate,” Warren said.

Warren advises those that are interested to learn as much about the the organization as possible.

“Teach For America has a unique mission that can appeal to many individuals,” Warren said. “It is a great opportunity to do service within the country.”

Warren is currently not teaching, but is a Teach For America alumnus reaching out to students around the Pacific Northwest that are interested in involvement with the program.

For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org.