Between high school and college Carter Dorsett ’17 took a gap year, teaching in Brooklyn through City Year, which is a program of Americorps. That experience convinced him that he wanted to work in education in some capacity, and at Hamilton he’s structured a course of study that will enable him to do that. He’s a public policy major with a minor in education studies. (Education studies at Hamilton is only offered as a minor, not a major.)
“There is a strong relationship between my interest in public policy and education studies,” Dorsett says. “I am excited to start my career with some teaching, but I do not intend to be in the classroom forever. What I really want to do is dig into educational policy work – setting curriculum and ultimately education reform.”
Dorsett has had a lot of hands-on experience. At Hamilton he mentors at nearby Clinton Middle School and tutors for high school students who live at the ABC House. He’s taught second-graders in a summer program and did research for a school district on its Advanced Placement curriculum.
“My A.P. research was a synthesis between education studies and public policy. I essentially developed my own study – I collected data, compared my results with existing research and ultimately made recommendations,” he says. After graduation he intends to teach, maybe abroad, in a private or charter school or in a public school through an alternative certification program.
