Greater Tulsa
Living in Greater Tulsa
Living in a rising city means access to amenities. Our friends of Tulsa Remote describe Tulsa as a “tight-knit community meets a population large enough to support world-class music and theater, sports venues, and one of the most impressive park systems in the country, including the recently opened $465 million Gathering Place.”
With a cost of living 43% below the national average and a community open to partnerships and collaboration, a move to Greater Tulsa is an invitation to innovate and build a life for yourself and a more just society for all.
Alumni Innovators
Onikah Asamoa-Cesar (Greater Tulsa '13)
Onikah Asamoa-Cesar (Greater Tulsa '13)
Onikah opened Fulton Street Books and Coffee in 2020 as a way to create community, develop relationships and build belonging and literacy across generations.
“In Tulsa, you can actually move the needle in a way that’s very unique,” says Onikah. “Almost anyone, I would say, is like two calls away. People are very accessible in a way that allows you to get the changemakers to the table and actually move the needle on an issue.”
Elsie Urueta Pollock
Elsie Urueta Pollock
Pollock established Tulsa Honor Academy six years ago in east Tulsa. Its mission focuses on college preparedness, and though it’s not a dual language program (classes are taught in English), approximately 75% of its students are bilingual. Many are immigrants or the children of immigrants, and the school provides extra language support for those who need it.
Cynthia Jasso (Greater Tulsa ‘14)
Cynthia Jasso (Greater Tulsa ‘14)
Cynthia Jasso Burke is a senior program officer at George Kaiser Family Foundation, leading the foundation's Elevate East initiative, a comprehensive neighborhood development strategy seeking to expand pathways to economic prosperity in strategic east Tulsa neighborhoods. Cynthia works to help ensure that Tulsa is one of the most vibrant and welcoming places for families and for young children. She is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation college graduate from UCLA. “My parents every single day would say, ‘Mija, we're not going to leave you with a fancy car or a fancy house, but an education no one can take away from you,’” Cynthia shared.
Colin Sato (Greater Tulsa ‘13) and Marco Herrera (Greater Tulsa ‘15)
Colin Sato (Greater Tulsa ‘13) and Marco Herrera (Greater Tulsa ‘15)
Colin and Marco helped found et al., a collective of chefs working collaboratively to build a more equitable future for the food and beverage industry in Tulsa by providing genuine and delicious food for all people. Since January of 2022, et. al has launched six different food programs.
Impact Now
Greater Tulsa corps members have an immediate and much needed impact in the classroom. Thirteen of our corps members and alumni were selected as the Teacher of the Year on their campuses last year, and three of the past seven TPS district-wide Teachers of the Year were TFA alumni.
TFA Greater Tulsa is positioned to support our teachers with one of the lowest corps member to teacher coach ratios (15:1). In addition to one-on-one coaching, corps members are a part of a community of learners engaging in ongoing professional development lead by staff, alumni, and community members to support each other to be effective in the classroom.
Kids Leading in Tulsa
With the experience and credibility that comes from effectively leading a classroom, our corps members and alumni increase their impact through increased responsibility. We have over 40 alumni serving in key leadership positions as school leaders, assistant principals, deans, and schools systems leaders. In addition to traditional leadership roles, our alumni have access to community leaders who support them to launch innovations that better support our students.
Tulsa is known for being open to leaders of all ages and backgrounds. Alumni Jake Learner (Greater Tulsa '15) and Andrew Specter (Greater Tulsa '15) noticed this in their experience, and wanted to ensure their students had access to the same assets of our community which lead them to launch Tulsa Changemakers.
Greater Tulsa Financial Supports
In addition to the financial supports all corps members are eligible to receive, TFA Greater Tulsa offers the following:
(1) Low certification cost
In 2009, the Oklahoma State Legislature passed a law enabling Teach For America to become a certifying agent in the state. As a result, our Teach For America Greater Tulsa region provides a low-cost certification program that is differentiated for the needs of our corps.
Breakdown of Certification Costs
- $120-$150 per subject area exam (two exams required)
- ~$59 for background check
- approximately $50 for degree-conferred transcript (varies by university)
(2) First day of school bonus
Thanks to the generosity of our community, each incoming Greater Tulsa Corps Member will receive a $1,500 First Day of School bonus.
Local Leadership
Sarah Park
Hawai'i '08
Executive Director
Sarah Park serves as the Executive Director of Teach For America Greater Tulsa and Oklahoma City and brings 15 years of experience in education. Sarah’s passion for education started in the classroom as a 2008 Teach For America Hawai’i corps member where she taught 7th and 8th grade math. She took the lessons learned alongside students to become a Corps Member Advisor and a Manager of Teacher Leadership Development with TFA Hawai’i.
In 2013, she joined the Oklahoma team where she held various programmatic roles and increased rigor and student learning in math and science classrooms across Oklahoma, launched Regional Summer Institute, and strengthened the corps and alumni experience for over 550 educators. Sarah now leads a localized strategic vision and plan, works side-by-side with local stakeholders to ensure TFA plays its critical role in advancing educational excellence, and aims to influence the conversation about education, learning, and economic mobility in Oklahoma.
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Support Our Work in Greater Tulsa
Without supporters like you, we would not be able to create a network of leaders dedicated to advancing educational excellence for all children. To join us in making an even greater impact, we invite you to consider a donation today. Your contribution will empower us to do more for Greater Tulsa students while creating a brighter future together.