"They don't need us to save them. They just need us to believe in them," Jonathan Santos Silva (South Dakota '10) says in this powerful video, which follows three Teach For America South Dakota alumni as they reflect on their experiences in the corps and the years since. Having made a lifelong commitment to their students, they came to Pine Ridge to have an impact, but also found themselves changed by the sense of community they found and the potential they saw in their students.  "It's changed my DNA. I am going to be doing this work for the rest of my life," Drew Madson (South Dakota '10) says in the video.

This video was produced by Universe Creative in partnership with Teach For America South Dakota.

• Directed by Scott Faris & Meg Griffiths
• Produced by Meg Griffiths
• Shot and cut by Scott Faris