Lorea Barturen first got to see the everyday work, mission, and life of a Teach For America corps member through her roommate's experiences. After visiting her roommate's classroom, cheering for the marching band, and meeting other corps members, Lorea was ready for a career switch.

Lorea traded in her consulting job at Accenture and joined the 2009 corps. She taught high school Spanish in Colorado, an experience that would lead to a purpose-driven career as a brand manager at Starbucks.

She shares how this has experience shaped her career path.

What were some of the major lessons you learned during your time in the corps?

I learned how to fail fast and iterate. Turns out, this is how some of the most innovative companies structure themselves to adapt to changing market demands and consumer trends. I also learned to check my ego at the door. Like most people, students come to the classroom with all kinds of stressors and emotional experiences, and your job is to focus on their needs and help them.

What has your route been after the corps?

Since leaving the classroom, I have served as the director of talent at the Brooke Charter School Network through the Education Pioneers Analyst Fellowship, a program that offers hands-on training and experience for aspiring education leaders. I earned my M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and just celebrated my five-year anniversary at Starbucks, where I’m now a brand manager.

How do you use the skills and beliefs you developed in the corps?

I use the skills I developed in the corps in a variety of ways. For instance, from a communications perspective, I often lead cross-functional teams of people with diverging interests to achieve one shared goal.

Maggie Chapman made a big decision in the spring of 2018.

She left her job as an engineer at Amazon, packed up her car, and moved from Boston to rural Idaho to begin a new career in the classroom, as a Teach For America corps member.

Maggie is originally from St. Louis and studied computer science at Tufts University. She landed a role at Amazon on a team that developed software used in fulfillment centers to help manage and fix equipment. While she enjoyed the fast pace, constant learning, and problem-solving, she felt that something was missing.

"I realized that I was much more passionate about education," Maggie says. "I wanted to increase equity and access to the technology field."

After joining corps, Maggie now teaches math and computer science at Caldwell High School in Idaho. A self-described nerd, she loves applying her technical experience and problem-solving skills in the classroom.

She also sees an urgent need for more computer science college graduates, especially those from rural communities. While students in more affluent schools are being taught computer science at a young age, students in low-income communities don't always have the same opportunities.

“A lack of access to computer science education is tied to the systematic poverty that our communities face," Maggie says. "Students are ill-equipped for modern-day jobs and industries because our schools are not able to adequately prepare them."

Motivated by a desire to close this gap for her students, Maggie created a day-long program called “Caldwell Codes,” with support from local tech experts. She invited panelists from HP, Micron, and Boise State University to share their experiences with students.

All of the panelists shared similar backgrounds to that of the 50 students who attended the event, including Juan Flores-Estrada, a first-generation Mexican-American who graduated from Caldwell High School in 2008 and now works at Micron.

Maggie says the most rewarding part of teaching is seeing her students realize that they are capable of learning anything. She wants her students to feel empowered to take charge of their education, and have access to future opportunities.

"I believe that every student has the right to a high-quality education," Maggie says. "I am passionate about being a part of the movement to realize that vision."