In 2017, three Teach For America Alumni were newly elected or re-elected to the Atlanta Board of Education, the governing body of Atlanta Public Schools. Kandis Wood Jackson (Metro Atlanta '08), one of the newest Board of Education members, serves as the At-Large Seat 7 Representative and also as an Employment & Labor attorney with Alston & Bird LLP.

Kandis recently shared a story about her time in the classroom and how this influenced her desire to impact education and the Metro Atlanta community:

"From 2008 to 2010, I taught Sixth Grade Social Studies in a low-resource area of Atlanta. I had one student who was struggling academically and emotionally. One day, I told her 'challenges are opportunities for growth,' and asked her to share some of the issues she was facing with me. She did and we started to build a relationship of trust and respect. Over the next several months, she began to perform better in my class and her attitude improved. By the next year, she almost seemed like a new person. By the time she graduated from high school, she was a highly-accomplished scholar who used the phrase 'challenges are opportunities for growth' as her senior quote. Now, nearly 10 years later, she is a sophomore in college and still my mentee."

Kandis's journey impacting the City of Atlanta continues today in her new role and it all began in the classroom. 

Kandis Wood Jackson

Attorney - Alston & Bird LLP

At-Large Seat 7 Representative - Atlanta School Board

I joined Teach For America because I wanted to make a difference in education on the ground - and it doesn't get more “on the ground” than teaching. Teachers are on the frontline every day, and I wanted to put my education and passion to great use by stepping up and teaching students from underprivileged communities.

After the corps, I attended and graduated from Harvard Law School, took the Georgia Bar, and began practicing

law in Atlanta, focusing on labor & employment work. I was also recently elected to the Atlanta Board of Education. In my role, I will focus on - Leadership: retaining effective, excellence-driven, entrepreneurial leaders; Literacy: implementing strategies proven to increase literacy rates; Learning: minimizing external barriers to a child’s ability to learn; Life: preparing students from cradle to college and career; and Love: approach students,

teachers, and schools with love. According to Kandis, "I am proud and honored to have the opportunity to serve Atlanta's students, their parents and guardians, and the broader Atlanta Public Schools community. My goal is to provide excellent public education to every child in this city."