Forget hustle culture and lifeless leadership. If you’re pouring your blood, sweat, and tears into a mission, it’s got to uplift you and the communities you care about. For these six TFA alumni, teaching was the blueprint for how they lead today. Now, they’re bringing that same urgency and empathy to hospitals, nonprofits, and museums. See how the classroom prepared them to be the frontline of change.

Start Building the Future You Want to See

Brandis Haugabrook and Aliemma Kanu show that when society feels stacked against you, you don’t wait around to make things shake. You take action so the next generation doesn’t hit the same walls as you did.

​Brandis Haugabrook, MAT (Greater Chicago-Northwest Indiana ’20)

“I’ve always been drawn to education and working with young people, even before I fully understood what that could look like as a career. At Spelman, that feeling deepened. Being in a community rooted in service pushed me to think deeply about impact, especially within the Black community. Volunteering in Atlanta Public Schools made the access gap real for me, and my internship with the Mayor’s Office showed me how systems shape opportunity.

When I graduated in 2020, I knew I wanted to focus on increasing holistic, accessible, and excellent education. I just wasn’t sure how. Joining Teach For America became the turning point. Teaching elementary special education on Chicago’s West Side during COVID was challenging and transformative. I learned how profoundly students’ environments shape their learning, confidence, and well‑being. I built individualized supports, helped students develop critical life skills, and saw firsthand how gaps in technology, resources, and basic needs affected their ability to thrive. School was their safe space for stability and connection.

Today, I get to apply everything I learned in the classroom on a much larger scale. As Director of Partnerships and Engagement at Hope Chicago, I build career‑exposure pipelines that didn’t exist before. I plan corporate field trips, professional development workshops, and a full summer internship program that brings students into real workplaces. I also co‑lead our policy and advocacy work, strengthening relationships with Illinois legislators to secure state funding and elevate the needs of first‑generation college students. And because our model includes parents as postsecondary degree earners as well, I support communications and engagement for hundreds of adults returning to school. It’s rare to influence partnerships, policy, and multigenerational education all at once—but that’s the work our communities deserve.”

​Aliemma Kanu, M.Ed (Baltimore ’21)

“I grew up never quite fitting into a box. As a first‑generation, biracial kid in New Hampshire in a predominantly white state, I was constantly misread by adults in the education system. Teachers constantly assumed that I didn’t care about learning when, in reality, I was struggling with real-life challenges. I was dealing with mental health and chronic illness. The very systems meant to support me were trying to dim my light. I didn’t like that. That stuck with me. That pushed me toward Teach For America. I saw TFA from the get‑go as being a resource for me to help grow into an educator and advocate for under‑resourced communities.

When I entered the classroom as a special educator in West Baltimore, all those experiences came rushing back. I saw the same predetermined labels placed on the students that once held me down. But I also saw brilliance everywhere. Every single year, my kids have met their learning goals. They are growing into amazing, tiny little humans. I became a warm demander—holding my students close, honoring their stories, and still pushing them toward the high expectations I knew they could reach.

Teaching showed me how deeply systems shape who gets seen as capable. Now, in addition to teaching, I focus on increasing access to disability‑focused work. I’m committed to breaking down those barriers at scale. I train teachers to recognize access points, challenge low expectations, and understand that students don’t have to meet a system. The system has to meet the students. Through my PhD in Social Justice Education at the University of San Diego, my work on the TFA Baltimore Alumni Council, and initiatives like building West Baltimore’s first STEAM lab, I’m creating structures that honor brilliance in all its forms. Everything I do now is about ensuring no child is ever misread the way I was."

Create Safe Spaces for People to Fail and Grow

Jonathan Nevarez and Briauna Williams prove that belonging isn’t about an aesthetic. It sets the foundation to connect with students so they can lock in, get creative, and keep it pushing even after a setback.

Jonathan Nevarez (Phoenix ’24)

“Growing up in Chicago, I was surrounded by conversations about education and accessibility. My dad was a principal, my mom was a special education teacher, and their stories shaped how I understood opportunity. Spending time with family in Mexico and Puerto Rico deepened that awareness, showing me how dramatically access to resources can shift across communities. Experiencing the contrast between an inner‑city school and a suburban district pushed me to think about how I could become a bridge for students who deserved more.

During Teach For America, I taught second grade at Quentin STEM Academy in Phoenix, where I focused on building a classroom rooted in curiosity and belonging. I introduced 3D printers as a way to spark creativity, and students quickly transformed the space into a hub of design and problem‑solving. At the same time, I built a culture grounded in the idea that “We are a family,” helping students support one another, take risks, and see mistakes as part of learning. Those moments—students arriving early to talk, collaborate, or simply feel seen—showed me how powerful a classroom community can be.

Today, I still teach at Quentin STEM Academy, and I’ve let my classrooms become the foundation for system‑level change. My classroom doubles as a creative lab. My 3D‑printing work led the district to invite me to join the District Technology Committee. There, I support teachers across schools, create training videos, and help design systems that make advanced tools accessible to kids who’ve never had them. I also serve on our school’s Problem Solving Team, meeting with every grade level to understand student needs and identify barriers to learning. Outside the classroom, I bring my students into the Arizona Science Center community, giving them direct access to scientists and spaces they’d never experienced before. These roles help me bridge classrooms, communities, and systems to ensure students feel equipped to shape their futures.”

Briauna Williams (Greater Baton Rouge ’23)

“I grew up in under-resourced schools and a community shaped by instability. My dad was incarcerated, and many relatives were cycling through the system. I carried a lot of anger, even while doing well academically. School didn’t feel meaningful until two teachers—one in third grade, another in sixth—saw potential in me and refused to let me shrink. Their mix of care and accountability changed my trajectory. Their example led me to Teach For America after my senior year of college. I’m happy it did!

TFA placed me in Baton Rouge, where I taught kindergarten. I quickly realized my students were already forming stories about what they could and couldn’t do, shaped entirely by their environment. Kids would shut down over drawing a square because they feared being wrong. I made belief‑building part of my daily practice, and over time, I watched them take risks, speak up, and advocate for themselves in ways they never imagined.

Teaching showed me how much students’ lives outside the classroom shape their confidence. That’s exactly what I address now as a School Partner Outreach Specialist at Baton Rouge General Medical Center. I oversee a first‑of‑its‑kind partnership with three schools in Mid City, one of Baton Rouge’s most underserved areas. We connect students to the full ecosystem of a community hospital. We provide healthcare exposure, paid internships, and even medical assistant certifications that students can earn by 12th grade. We also have healthcare career pathways from 6th–12th grade, experts who visit classrooms, and a medical showcase tied to what students are learning. My entire story led me to TFA. The organization I work for is based on the mere fact that all kids deserve access to a quality education. That's what I strive for, but I do it differently.”

Don’t Gatekeep Opportunities. Make Them.

Advocacy hits different when you’re able to shape real-world opportunities for the communities you’re fighting for. That’s why Sara Mahjoobi and Palmer Beldy create avenues so that every student feels like the main character in their success story.

​Sara Mahjoobi (Bay Area ’24)

“As a first‑generation Iranian immigrant, my earliest experiences with education were shaped by language barriers and community support. I learned English sitting beside my mom in free library classes she attended every weekend. Seeing how access—or the lack of it—shaped our opportunities influenced how I understood the importance of access to resources long before I had the vocabulary for it.

That understanding deepened when I joined Teach For America and became a special education teacher. In the classroom, I quickly realized that my students’ challenges rarely started with academics. As I taught English, history, and English-language development to sixth through eighth graders, I saw how immigration fears, bullying, and inconsistent housing shaped their ability to learn. As a first‑generation college graduate diagnosed with ADHD late in college, I knew how transformative the right supports could be. I focused on helping students understand and advocate for their needs. I wanted them to see their strengths. Many were from families navigating instability and fear, so building trust with families and creating a safe, affirming environment became central to my work.

Today, I teach in a self‑contained special education program at a newcomer middle school in Oakland. My class sizes stay small, so students navigating disabilities rights, immigration trauma, and unstable housing can get the individualized support they deserve. But the heart of my work is advocacy. I teach students how to understand their rights and claim the services they’re legally entitled to as they transition to high school and beyond. I’m also the school’s LGBTQ+ student liaison, supporting students who’ve been bullied or outed, coordinating with restorative counselors to rebuild safety. I try to ensure our students have a safe, supportive environment where they can be their true selves. Through my master’s research at Loyola Marymount University on family engagement in special education, I’m working to strengthen the systems that support them, not just in the classroom.”

​Palmer Beldy (DC & Virginia ’22)

“Growing up, I moved constantly up and down the coast of California and then to Lexington, Kentucky. Even schools just two miles apart could offer completely different experiences. My teachers made sure I felt like I belonged when I started at each new school, which fueled my love of learning. They made the lessons feel relevant to who I was. When I started at Southern Methodist University for college, I wanted to create that same sense of connection in the public sphere. So I gravitated toward communications and creative advertising. I used my storytelling skills to support nonprofits and mission‑driven work, creating campaigns that helped people understand issues shaping their communities. I also became a TFA ambassador, which showed me how intersectional education is to every part of society and how essential it is that all kids have access to an excellent learning experience. That led me to apply to Teach For America early. After graduation, I joined TFA DC & Virginia.

As a second‑grade math and science teacher, I saw how students lit up when learning felt connected to their world. I remember redesigning a math lesson into a “Math Market,” where students used the concept of coin values to “save” their favorite class store. They were running around with fake money, fully invested, and solving problems they might have been intimidated to approach otherwise. Cultural relevance unlocked joy and confidence, especially for students who needed that extra academic support.

In my role at the National Geographic Society, I provide creative direction, ideate content, and write for the National Geographic Museum of Exploration (MOE) in D.C. My work is always rooted in accessibility and inclusion. From bilingual exhibits and low‑vision–friendly layouts to sensory‑adjusted programming, I'm excited for all students to fully explore in their own way when they visit the MOE. In my work, I'm always asking: Who is this for, and how do we ensure they see themselves in it? It feels like scaling the heart of teaching into a public space.”

No one is “too young” to lead when the world can’t wait.

These Teach For America alumni show that becoming a leader in your 20s is about turning frustration into fuel that helps communities drive their own destinies. Titles are just a bonus. If you’ve ever wondered how to make an impact early in your career, start where change is real: the classroom.