When Jackson Olsen graduated from college, he had every intention of going to law school and becoming a lawyer.
But before pursuing those plans, he took a temporary hiatus from being a student and decided to become a teacher instead.
Along with his wife, Olsen joined Teach For America, signing on for a two-year stint in the rural low-income community of Henderson, North Carolina. What he experienced during those two years changed his life forever, Olsen said.
"Teaching For America" is Olsen's compelling account of the astounding conditions he encountered in a struggling school and the difficult decisions he had to make regarding his career. Sometimes brutal, sometimes comical, but at all times honest and sincere, it paints a vivid picture of the inequities and injustices in our public school system and tells the powerful stories of the students and teachers who are impacted by them.
This episode of Access Utah is part of UPR's year-long series "Crossing Borders" and was inspired by Olsen's January 2018 interview with UPR news director Kerry Bringhurst.
More of the UPR news team's reporting from the "Crossing Borders" series can be read or listened to here.
The UPR Original Series "Crossing Borders" is a yearlong storytelling project between UPR and the USU Office of Global Engagement - providing services for international students and scholars; and facilitating study abroad opportunities for students and faculty. Details found here.
