Each year, Teach For America conducts a national alumni survey to determine where our alumni are living, in what ways they are contributing toward educational equity and how they are feeling supported as members of our network. This year, we received responses from 304 individuals, more than half of our Miami alumni base. Here are six things we learned about our alumni network:

1. Our alumni network is diverse.

More than 64 percent of our alumni share the ethnic background of the students we serve in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, giving them unique insight into the systemic issues our students face and a personal passion to create change.

Racial and Ethnic Diversity

• African American (24%)

• American Indian, Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian (1%)

• Another race/ethnicity (2%)

• AAPI (3%)

• Prefer not to say (2%)

• Latinx (25%)

• Multi-racial (7%)

• White (36%)

2. Women believe in One Day and are at the forefront of the movement toward educational equity, making up 73 percent of Miami's alumni leadership.

• Female (73%)

• Male (26%)

• Another gender/Transgender/Gender-queer (1%)

3. Our alumni are addressing educational inequity in a variety of the most urgent leadership pathways in Miami-Dade.

Our alumni are working as excellent teachers, transformational school leaders, mission-aligned organization leaders, civic leaders, and social innovators, as well as other fields. Here's how it breaks down by industry:

Alumni Impact in Miami-Dade

Of the 69% of Miami-Dade alumni working directly within education:

• 5% are working as college faculty/staff

• 2% are full-time graduate students pursuing education degrees

• 21% are staff in education-related nonprofits

• 55% are pre/K- 12 teachers

• 5%  principals/assistant principals

• 12% another role in education

4. 91 Alumni are interested in starting a social venture and 27 alumni have already started their own social ventures. Some of these include:

• Achieve Miami
• BUILD Philippines
• Caribu
• Center for Multilingual and Multicultural Education
• Engage Miami
• FitLit
• Guitars Over Guns
• Island Valley Organic Foods
• KlickEngage
• Knowledge of Careers
• My Student Blueprint
• P.S.305
• Pre-K Points
• Project Grapple
• Projects for Haiti
• Radical Partners
• Slay
• The LAB Miami
• Unicoin
• UP! Music

5. Alumni staying engaged, but are eager for more opportunities to connect and collaborate:

• Since completing the corps, 69% alumni said they found value in being part of TFA alumni network

• 57% said it is easy for them to find and connect with fellow alumni

• 64% said they formed personal or professional relationships with other alumni after their two year corps commitment

• 43% said when they have a professional challenge, they turn to their alumni network for partnership, support, and collaboration.

• 49% said they turn to their fellow alumni network to identify opportunities when considering career changes.

• 52% said they have collaborated with fellow alumni in a professional context to expand opportunities for children.

• 42% said they worked with fellow alumni in civic engagement contexts to expand opportunities for children.

• 48% said a story about the work and impact of fellow alumni has inspired me to take action.

• 83% said they are proud to be a member of the TFA network of corps members and alumni

6. We have a broad and diverse network of transformational leaders who have a shared purpose to fight for educational equity:

​"I currently manage a network of over 100 smallholder farmers in Haiti via my nonprofit, Life Help, Inc. that I am helping to distribute organic food products internationally." - Milca Pierre (Atlanta '05)

"Currently in my 7th year teaching STILL in my placement school!!" -Renee O'Connor (Miami-Dade '11)

"This year, my wife and I will launch an initiative in the Philippines that addresses access and ensures students in rural communities have the resources they need to support an excellent and relevant education. We are doing this as a family where our kids, broader family and those in our network are involved in making access to an excellent education possible for more students." -Scott Richards (Bay Area '09)

"I recently accepted a full public interest scholarship to the University of Miami School of Law, where I'll focus on the intersection of social justice, government, and entrepreneurship. This summer, I will be working for a Federal judge in the Southern District of Florida." -Wilfredo Fernandez (D.C '09)

"I've recently founded UP! Music, which is an after-school music program at 3 elementary school sites that serves ~100 children. Our program critically reflects on how music and arts programming in schools can best achieve equity through reflecting and honoring the cultural heritage, rich music history and diverse identities present within the communities we serve. UP! Music seeks to 'Unlock the Power' of Music for every child." -Trevor Ditzler (Miami-Dade '11)

"My experiences as an educator in Miami, which is thanks to TFA, have prompted me to run for Miami-Dade County School Board to continue the fight for One Day." -Brandon Alfred (Miami-Dade '13)

"In January, I took on the role as Director of WIN Lab Miami, a Babson College 8 month accelerator for female entrepreneurs." -Michelle Abbs (Miami-Dade '06)

"As a first-generation college student, I thought success would be law school. I've found success by seeing my students succeed. It's this mindset that allowed me to be named an Afterschool Ambassador by the Afterschool Alliance for the state of Florida." -Justin Pinn (Miami-Dade '13)

"My skills as an educator continue to develop and strengthen. As I round my 5th year in the classroom, having served 2 schools/communities across three grade levels and reaching 300+ students, I love who I am becoming! My students, their families, and education have caused me to develop a more worldly view and amplified my love for learning and building positive connections in the field. Thanks to my students, I have been able to sharpen my craft and push my students to score within the top 30 percent in the state for the last two years in a row!" -Candace Morris (Miami-Dade '13)

4 Ways to Stay Connected to Our TFA Network:

1. Attend our new Network Miami Series: We're launching a new series of events aimed at connecting members of our network by industry and interest! The first event will kick off on August 17th and will be centered around the teaching leadership pathway. Expect to network with other alumni educators from South Florida, connect with cool partners and hear about new teaching resources created by fellow TFA corps members and alumni. RSVP here, and stay tuned for the second and third events which will follow on October 12th and February 2nd!
2. Sign up for TFA Connect: TFA has launched a new online platform for connecting alumni and sharing exciting new opportunities such as jobs, conferences and graduate school opportunities. Log in on www.TeachForAmerica.org. At the top right side, under “TFA Apps,” click the TFA Connect BETA icon, create a personal profile and start connecting.
3. Attend our Miami MeetUp Series: We're re-launching our MeetUp Series! We will come together as a collective community to develop our leadership, expand our impact, and pursue our mission. Our first event will kick off on September 8th. RSVP here. Stay tuned for the Mid-Year and End of Year Meetup events later this year! 
4. Check Your Email and Social Media: Make sure you're up to date with the latest news and events by reading our monthly Regional Rundown Newsletter, which is sent out the last week of each month. This blast features stories, updates, events, jobs, fellowships, teacher resources, perks and more! These opportunities are also shared regularly on our social media pages (@TFAMiamiDade). Email SocialMediaMIA@TeachForAmerica.org if you are not receiving the newsletter!