Alliance for Catholic Education
The ACE Application is open for applicants for ACE Teaching Fellows in the 32nd Cohort! Fall Applications are due on November 5, 2024 and Spring Applications are due on January 24, 2025. Tyler Johnson (ACE 30, Philadelphia) and Molly Schroeder (ACE 30, Miami) got together to reminisce on their ACE Application process and share some wisdom with incoming applicants. Here is a video recording and an abridged version of the conversation!
Tyler Johnson: So I feel like we should address the elephant in the room… The ACE application is open and the ACE team is looking for ACE 32
Molly Schroeder: You're so right! We have to apply!
Tyler: Well, I heard that we can only get one M.Ed but other people should apply…
Molly: Speaking of…
1. Where did you hear about ACE and when/why did you decide to apply? (Video – 1:58)
Tyler: So, I actually didn’t hear about ACE until after I finished my undergrad. I went to St. John’s in Minnesota, and one of my friends, Nick Swanson—shoutout to Nick, ACE 28 in Washington, DC— told me about it. That’s when I started looking into it and decided to apply.
Having had experience, I was definitely into teaching, and I was also into some of the spirituality aspects as well. St. John's was a Benedictine school, and I think a lot of the Benedictine values were also aligned with the ACE program, and so I threw my hat in.
Molly: For me, I went to Notre Dame for undergrad and I heard about ACE right away. I heard about ACE during Welcome Weekend from a friend whose parents were both ACE teachers. After that it was always kind of on my radar, especially since the ACE marketing at Notre Dame is everywhere.
I ended up applying for the ACE Frassati Internship, which is not a teaching program but for business majors. I was exposed to the incredible people in ACE and in Catholic education as a whole, and I fell in love with the mission of the program. Hearing their stories about the joys and challenges of ACE really stuck with me, and I think that guided me in my decision to apply.
2. Who did you talk with to discern? (Video – 5:33)
Molly: I highly recommend reaching out to a current teacher or recent graduate, because they can give you a good perspective on the day-to-day life of ACE. A big shoutout is due to Addie Quinn (ACE 29, Santa Ana), who was my Frassati roommate in LA and ended up doing ACE. Her encouragement and her lived experience during my senior year were why I applied.
I also met with Mike Comuniello and Taylor Kelly throughout my application. The ACE team is so helpful in understanding the bigger picture of the program and how to write your application to reflect the best version of yourself.
Tyler: I talked to a lot of people about their ACE experiences, and hearing their stories helped me decide. I was constantly checking in with myself and talking with friends about whether or not this was the right step for me. Try to find someone you can see yourself in through the process to learn more about their ACE experience and what it could be like for you.
Alec Torigian was my guy. He was a Johnnie and went to St. John's, as did I, and we did the same post-grad volunteer program, the Benedictine Volunteer Corps. He reached out to me, and we had a few conversations, and I saw that someone I knew had such similar values to me and got so much out of doing ACE.
3. Why did you decide to accept ACE? (Video – 7:40)
Molly: Honestly, the discernment process really helped me make that decision. I remember getting ready for the interview and realizing how much I cared about it. I loved the mission of service and community. I was looking at other opportunities too, but I realized I wasn’t as invested in those as I was in ACE. I thought to myself, “If I’m spending this much time and effort prepping for the ACE interview, this is probably where my heart is.” That was a big clue for me.
Tyler: For me, it was similar. I knew that I was meant to be here because of how I felt during the process. The community aspect, the mission of ACE—it just felt like the right fit for me.
4. Who wrote your letters of recommendation? (Video – 9:02)
Tyler: I tried to cover an array of experiences with my letters of recommendation, especially the three pillars of ACE. You know, teaching, community living, and spirituality. So I had a professor write one and then one of my best friends wrote the spirituality focused-letter. We were close in a lot of different arenas like I played, you know, football with him for a while. We were both in the same volunteer program. So I feel like he could speak to a lot of those experiences. Then, I had one of the monks I lived with during my service program write about my contributions to community life.
Molly: I agree, having different perspectives is really important, so try to choose recommenders who can show your dimensions. I had two professors write letters for me. One professor was from my history major who I had worked with for a while and could speak to my academic strengths, and the other was from an elective class where we made a Telenovela, who could speak to my organizational skills and work ethic.
For the peer recommendation, I had a friend of mine, THE Hannah Smith, who I lived and worked with during my summer service program. I felt that Hannah could speak to a different part of myself than was on my resume, because I hadn't done anything like this before.
5. What do you wish you would have known when applying? (Video – 13:03)
Molly: I wish I had known more about what it was really like to be an ACE teacher. Seeing it in the brochure is one thing, but I think knowing the real, day-to-day challenges and joys would’ve been helpful before applying. There was a nervousness around the fact that I didn’t have any teaching experience and I was not sure how to portray that in my application. But ACE isn’t necessarily looking for you to be an already great teacher… they want great people! Because teaching is where you bring your whole self to the classroom every day, and they want incredible people in those classrooms.
Tyler: Yeah, I agree. Talking to both current teachers and the ACE team really helps give you a good perspective on what to expect.
6. What was the interview process like? What questions do they ask? (Video – 17:50)
Molly: The interview process was actually kind of fun because it was more about who you are as a person. I remember thinking, “This isn’t just about my qualifications—it’s about whether or not I’ll be a good fit for the ACE mission.” They want to see what school community you will be a good fit for and how you’ll bring your whole self to the classroom every day. Show your character, personality and your resilience.
Tyler: Yeah, I had my interview over Zoom. I was teaching in Minnesota at the time, and it was like 6 a.m. in February—so dark and cold. I remember just sitting there in my office, waiting to go teach, and doing this interview. One of the big things I remember is that they were open to hearing your preferences for where you’d like to be placed. I was thinking a lot about where I wanted to go, and they were supportive of that. It’s okay to say, “Hey, I’ve been thinking about this location,” and they don’t penalize you for having preferences.
When you do get placed you get to grow in your humility because you get put somewhere and say, “I don't know anything about Philadelphia. But they tell me I'm going there and I'm going to be open to experiencing it.
Molly: Your placement is actually really about your school and what ACE school you will be a best fit for. I saw that when I got to St. James and so many pieces of this school were such a perfect fit for me. Thinking about your city placement feels glamorous but it is really about your school!
Tyler: I think of the whole ACE Team placing applicants like they could be part of that Charlie Day meme where he is investigating something…I can’t remember what (see below).
Molly: Everyone I have ever talked to had different ACE interview experiences and questions. It is really unique to you and your experiences. At the end of the day, through the whole application process, I realized how much I really wanted to do ACE. Even though I was looking at other opportunities, this was the one I kept coming back to.
You can reach out to Tyler or Molly with any questions you might have about the application process. Now go out and ACE your application!