Jon Delperdang

Greenville Renaissance Scholars

Master of Community Development

Graduated, Fall 2017

Greenville, MS

Jon, a member of the very first TFA Graduate Fellows cohort (2016–2018), is from Minneapolis, MN and studied political science and philosophy at the University of Minnesota. He taught math and ACT Prep for three years at West Bolivar High School in Rosedale, MS. Then Jon married his wife, Amanda, and together they are building their lives in the Mississippi Delta.

During the Fellowship, Jon served as the executive director of Greenville Renaissance Scholars (GRS), a nonprofit whose mission is to inspire, motivate, and prepare middle school students to succeed on a college track. His vision is to expand GRS’s programming in both academics and the arts, with initiatives like leadership development, dance, literacy club, Spanish club, and STEM club.

During his Fellowship, Jon led transformative growth for GRS. In spring 2017, he secured funding to expand the summer program from a half-day to a full-day format, doubling the number of instructors and greatly increasing capacity. By summer, student enrollment had quadrupled compared to the previous year. That July, Jon was officially named executive director, and by year’s end, he had expanded the board from six to ten members to bring in fresh perspectives. In early 2018, he doubled participation in STEM Club, strengthening GRS’s academic impact. Jon’s work continues to reflect his purpose statement: to do whatever I can to help as many people as I can lead a better and more fulfilling life.