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Why Become an Undergraduate TA?

 

Make a difference

TAs with the Academy of Civic Life will have the opportunity to serve as mentors for rising high school seniors from underserved communities in Suffolk County. These high school participants will be bright and engaged, but they might not be sure if college is for them. TAs will have a fulfilling opportunity to help these students navigate the decision to pursue college and to prepare them for success as they apply. By working as a TA, you will change these students' lives.

Give back

The students that we will serve through the Academy of Civic Life are from historically marginalized and disenfranchised groups. They come from financially disadvantaged households and may be the first members of their families to attend college. In your role as a TA, you will have the opportunity to use the skills and expertise you have developed as a Stony Brook student to help students as they enact positive change in local communities.

Become part of a movement 

Through the Academy of Civic Life, students will not just be reading about civics, justice, and deomcracy, they will be living it. Part of the Academy’s curriculum includes a community-based experiential learning project. Your work as a TA will not just be about raising up students, but helping them to raise up their communities. 

Learn professional skills

TAs will also develop communication skills that are transferable to and valuable in many different fields and occupations. TAs will learn how to foster conversation, create a supportive environment for discussion, effectively communicate complex ideas, and teach writing and reading strategies.

Get paid to teach 

TAs will be given a stipend, and they will receive free campus housing and meals during the three week Summer Residency.