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Jewell student named to prestigious Teach for America program Contact: Rob Eisele, 816-415-7574 November 12, 2007 Krystle Chase, a senior biochemistry and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., has been named to the prestigious Teach for America program. In 2006, only 2,900 applicants were selected out of nearly 18,000 applications nationwide. Chase is a resident of Marshall, Mo. As a TFA corps member, Chase will spend the next two years teaching secondary chemistry at a school in southern Louisiana. Chase said she made the decision to apply for the program after teaching at the college’s Jewell Academy for Women in Science (JAWS) and Jewell Academy for Men in Science (JAMS) science enrichment camp programs for area middle schoolers last summer. “I’ve been looking at the program for the last several years,” Chase said. “I think that teaching in the science camps was the turning point for me when I decided I really did want to apply.” Chase worked with Dr. Lois Anne Harris, director of Prestigious Fellowships at William Jewell, to complete her application. “Krystle has a passion for chemistry, a passion for teaching, and this program was a good way to put those passions into action,” Dr. Harris said. “She’s doing it because she wants to work with children and instill in them the excitement about learning chemistry.” A multi-stage application process included essays and preparation of a detailed resume, followed by a phone interview at the semi-finalist stage. The final stage of the application process was a day-long interview at the University of Kansas which included teaching a five-minute mock lecture in front of all the other TFA finalists from the region. Chase will participate in an intensive five-week course at Arizona State University next summer to prepare new TFA corps members for the classroom. She will report to her new school in Louisiana in early August. With its challenging academic culture and focus on student achievement, William Jewell College promises students an outstanding liberal arts education that cultivates leadership, service, and spiritual growth within a community inspired by Christian ideals and committed to open, rigorous intellectual pursuits.

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