On November 3, Ty-Licia Hooker, a student in the LMU/Teach For America Northern California Partnership program earning her teaching credential, was honored at the BET Black Girls Rock Awards as a recipient of the 2013 Making A Difference (M.A.D.) Girl Award. Hooker was recognized for founding two non-profit organizations focused on providing disadvantaged and at-risk students with opportunities for self-empowerment and the keys to higher learning.
As an undergraduate student, Hooker found herself troubled by both the high levels of violence within the local community of Stockton, Calif. as well as the perception among many of her peers that neighborhoods like ones in Stockton and her hometown of Oakland did not foster opportunities for young people to believe in a bright future for themselves. Convinced that education could help provide a pathway out of poverty for some of California’s most underprivileged children, Hooker founded the Summer Success and Leadership Academy, a free residential program that provides high-school students in Stockton with mentors and training to become leaders of positive change within their communities. She also founded the Striving Together and Overcoming with Resilience and Motivation program as an ongoing source of mentorship to assist teens in reaching their full potential.
In naming her a 2013 M.A.D. Girl, BET honored Hooker’s commitment to her community and to the hundreds of disadvantaged teens whose lives she has touched. The awards are an opportunity to “highlight the accomplishments of exceptional women of color who have made outstanding contributions in their careers, and who stand as inspirational and positive role models in their communities.” Click here to watch a video clip of the awards ceremony.
As Teach For America’s exclusive university partner in California, the LMU School of Education provides graduate training, mentoring and support for corps members in Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco and San Jose. Founded in 2000, the LMU/TFA Partnership is one of the organization’s largest and most successful university partnerships in the country, with more than 500 current corps members teaching in urban schools. Since 2009, more than 90 percent of LMU/TFA Partnership graduates have remained in education following their two-year commitment.
