ACE News
Former ACE Tutor Continues Service as Newest Member of ACE Council
December 6, 2012
“Literacy is so important, and I can’t imagine my life without it,” says new ACE Council member Matt Morgan. “ACE is a great program that enriches the community and efficiently delivers real results.” Matt Morgan, who joined the ACE Council on November 16, encourages fellow alumni to support the program by donating, and spreading the word.
Matt Morgan grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and moved to Texas during high school. After graduating, he attended The University of Texas at Austin and studied electrical engineering.
While at the University, he became a part-time ACE tutor during the 2002–2003 school year and served at Sims Elementary School. Initially, he chose to become a tutor because, at that time, it was available as part of the university’s work-study program and it was a great break away from his classwork. However, once a tutor, Matt realized how fulfilling it was to serve his community and the positive effects he had on the lives of young children. As a part-time tutor, Matt worked with about three children a day. He recalls “the feeling a tutor gets at the end of the year, looking at the progress made in comparison to the initial benchmark results” as one of his most memorable experiences as an ACE tutor.
After his time with ACE, Matt served with the Peace Corps for two years. The skill of empowering children by teaching them how to read was translated in his work with the Peace Corps as he shared his knowledge of electrical engineering with communities in Ghana.
Currently, Matt resides in Austin and continues to support ACE as a donor and a member of the ACE Council, a working group of committed and involved community members who provide strategic direction and support.
Everything in life requires reading as a foundation. Matt notes that it’s vital that alumni support ACE, “because the way ACE impacts your life as a tutor makes it great to give back and continue to fuel the community you live in.”
As an ACE Council member, Matt wants to contribute an alumnus perspective and learn from the other members while supporting the advancement of ACE’s mission to provide low-income schools with highly trained AmeriCorps tutors to ensure that children advance to grade level in reading before third grade.
ACE has expanded to three times the size it was when Matt served and continues to see significant improvement in the reading skills of children served. Matt envisions ACE’s long-term impact on the communities it serves as continually growing and potentially becoming a statewide program. “We’re excited to have Matt on our Council, as he’ll bring his valuable expertise as a tutor to advancing the ACE mission,” says Mary Ellen Isaacs, ACE Director.
Abbey Gerard
ACE Communications VISTA