by Jill Chukerman, reprinted from Francis W. Parker School Alumni Newsletter, Spring 2007
Alumni Spotlight: Jessyca Dudley '02

As a Parker graduate, Jessyca Dudley '02 certainly knows the value of a good education. Even more important, having been educated to become a citizen of the world who can make a difference, she has tried to help improve educational opportunities for others.

In 2004, Jessyca spent two months as a volunteer teacher in Ghana, West Africa at the Tuskegee International School. "On my first day at the school I was struck by the condition of the classrooms. The walls were bare, the floors were made of dirt, there were barely enough seats for the students, barely enough classrooms, no running water and the only books were the government-issued workbooks that all students in Ghana receive. There were no toys in the preschooler's rooms, no reading books or posters or any of the things that I had grown so used to seeing in every classroom that I have ever been in".

Once recovering from her initial shock, Jessyca drew upon her internal resources and made the best of her circumstances, developing special relationships with her class and colleagues. "My students were facing great adversity and, in spite of this, they are still some of the most interesting and brightest children I have ever meet."

Upon returning home, she knew there was more she could do than just volunteer at the school. After months of research and phone calls, she began work on founding what became, in 2004, The Building Fund.

As a charitable foundation, The Building Fund works to create and sustain opportunities in education by ensuring that resources in the form of classes, schools, scholarships, volunteer opportunities and educational funding is available to as many children as the foundation is capable of reaching.

Currently the Fund is working to complete construction of the Tuskegee International School and provide scholarships for its orphaned and needy students, fund additional teacher training and provide opportunities for volunteers to work with the students and teachers at the school.

Not surprisingly, the Francis W. Parker school played a role in leading Jessyca down this path. "While at Parker I had the opportunity to travel with Marsha Wagner to both Spain and Costa Rica, and since then I have had a love for travel and discovering new people and places. Additionally, the support of my former teacher, Beverly Greenberg, has made The Building Fund possible. After telling Greenie about my experience and the needs of the school, she was eager to help and has since made two trips to the Tuskegee School. She has become an instrumental part of The Building Fund and our efforts."

Jessyca hopes the organization will continue to grow and provide more opportunities in education in more locations. "It is my sincere hope that the organization will be able to contribute to the creation and sustenance of education," she said