Abigail Corder

Master of Education in Counseling

Clarksdale, MS

Abigail Corder is from Somerset, Kentucky, a town located in the Appalachian region. As an undergraduate, she studied Economics with minors in Political Science and Religious Studies at the University of Louisville. She is an avid reader and desires to be a lifelong learner. Walt Whitman wrote in his poem, “O me! O life!”, “What good amid these, O me, O life?/ Answer./ That you are here—that life exists and identity,/ That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” This line, and the broader works of Whitman, speak to her desire to live a life of optimism even in the face of challenges and to pursue individual and social progress. Following her undergraduate study, Abigail returned to her hometown and spent a year substitute teaching. She joined Teach For America in 2018 and moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi. She is currently in her fourth year of teaching English at Clarksdale High School.

Abigail’s TFA Fellows project is rooted in her commitment to addressing educational inequity and literacy gaps. It is a product of her love of education. She believes education should be a source of freedom, empowerment, and access that crosses geographic, social, and economic barriers. She is developing a model and set of resources to help high school Liberal Arts teachers successfully implement independent reading programming and classroom libraries as a component of literacy instruction and extracurricular enrichment. The primary intent of this project is to provide students with the opportunity to take ownership of their learning and with resources to develop academically, socially, and as individuals through reading and engaging with relevant and diverse texts.

Fun Fact: Abigail makes Spotify playlists for almost any conceivable mood, situation, and emotion (Titles range from “When you REALLY don’t want to work out” to “Feminist Anthems”). Her goal is to create an authentic musical score for her life.