Jackson Free Press

When Abe Schewel isn't carrying his briefcase through the halls of Murrah High School or wearing a whistle around his neck on the soccer field, it's easy to mistake him for a student, which may be why so many of his students relate to him. A native of Durham, N.C., Schewel, 23, is a history teacher and soccer coach at Murrah who is committed to empowering his students and keeping them in school.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008 with a degree in religious studies, Schewel moved to Mississippi to join the Mississippi Teacher Corps—a two-year master's degree program through the University of Mississippi that recruits college graduates to teach in low-income schools throughout the state.

"I didn't know what I wanted to do after college, so I applied to different teaching programs. A lot of things attracted me to Mississippi," Schewel says. "I come from a privileged home, and I believe everyone should have the same opportunity to be successful. I want to encourage kids (to) make the world a better place."

Schewel is committed to changing the state's high dropout rate through involvement with his students.

"I feel like school shouldn't be a place where kids hate being in the classroom and can't wait to leave," he says. "If you can make a kid feel accepted in school and engage them in learning, which is very rare in school systems, they are more likely to put a personal stake in it."

On the soccer field, Schewel is focused on coaching young players and considers all of them his kids because he relates to them on their level.

"There are so many students not getting enough personal attention, and young males have a higher risk for dropping out of school," he says. "Sports play a huge role in keeping kids in school because it provides an incentive for them to be there."

Even in his free time, Schewel is an active role model for teenagers. He works with the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Club at Murrah, which is an organization run by the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation to provide a forum for students to raise awareness about racial issues and civil rights. He also helps high-school juniors and seniors through "Books, Bibles and Basketball," a youth mentoring program at Broadmeadow United Methodist Church, where he coaches basketball games and tutors players.

Schewel also enjoys spending time with friends, playing sports, cheering for UNC basketball and visiting his parents back home in Durham.