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Louise Baigelman

Founder and CEO

Massachusetts '09

"Story Shares allows me to channel my training and passion to address challenges that are near and dear to my heart. When I think of what we are doing with Story Shares, I still think of individual students. And then I think of the potential to reach millions more of them."

Louise Baigelman is the co-founder and executive director of Story Shares. Louise started Story Shares in 2014 to address the literacy needs of struggling readers in middle school, high school, and beyond. Today, Story Shares is being used by students and teachers in all 50 states and more than 80 countries.

Louise has been passionate about literacy education for most of her life. She has been a literacy coach to underserved youth in Brooklyn, a writing teacher in the Bay Area, and a program manager at the education-focused Poses Family Foundation. Louise worked at KIPP Academy in Lynn, Massachusetts as a corps member. There she led the English Language Learner (ELL) program and taught reading and writing to middle school students.

In September 2015, Louise was named to the International Literacy Association’s inaugural roster of 30 Under 30 in Literacy. In 2017, she was named to the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30, and Story Shares was honored by the Library of Congress for being among the “best practices in literacy.”

Louise earned her B.A. in English and psychology from Cornell University and M.A. in education from Boston University.

Q & A

What led you to apply to Teach For America?

After tutoring and student teaching in undergrad, I knew I wanted to work in education in some capacity. I was drawn to the unique challenges in underserved communities, so the mission and path to teaching appealed to me.

What do you do today?

I saw how demotivating and embarrassing it was for a student to be 12-years-old but reading books written for 7-year-olds. There weren’t enough books that were compelling for my students while also being readable. This is why I co-founded Story Shares, a literacy hub with a new collection of books dedicated to inspiring reading practice for teens and young adults who read below grade-level.

How has TFA prepared you for your current career?

As a corps member, I learned how to set goals and plan effectively in order to achieve them. These are fundamental skills for building and running an organization. As a teacher, it was key to invest others in achieving the desired results. As an entrepreneur, I also rely on this skill. We have been able to build Story Shares to this point because of the relationships we have built along the way.

How was the corps a catalyst for your personal transformation?

I learned perspective and perseverance, most of all. My corps experience opened my eyes to the realities of my students’ lives. It also made me feel deeply committed to them; I was not willing to let them down, and so I did more than I thought I was able to do. I developed confidence, purpose, and a sense of urgency as a result.