Eddy Hernandez Perez believes education is the field in which he can put his talents to their best use. Though he no longer leads a classroom, he plans to use his law degree to continue to facilitate childhood learning.

Originally from Rio Grande Valley, Fernando joined Teach For America in Houston after graduating from Yale University. After his two year commitment, he attended the University of Texas Law School and began practicing law in Dallas and internationally. Today, Fernando serves as a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Brownsville.

TFA prepared Aisha to be a successful attorney. The experience gave her a deep connection to high-needs communities, taught her how to build relationships, and made her a better advocate.

As an associate counsel at The White House, Matthew credits his ability to embrace the challenge to his time teaching 9th grade math as a corps member.

The Teach For America corps experience can lead to diverse careers in education and beyond. Brandi Pikes, associate attorney at law and Jacksonville 2013 alum, shares how her experience led her from teacher to lawyer.

Ben Maddox joined Teach For America in the Rio Grande Valley and taught ninth grade special education algebra in Donna ISD. Ben oversaw a pilot credit retrieval program for failing students, coached the football team to an undefeated record, and was selected as a Leadership for Educational Equity School Board Fellow with Harlingen ISD. As a Navy JAG and military officer, Ben has served in San Diego, Japan, and Washington, D.C. He is currently assigned to the staff of the Commandant, Naval District Washington as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate. 

Mackenzie "Mac" Woods always dreamed of being an education lawyer. His experience as a middle school teacher in Memphis confirmed his belief that all students deserve equal opportunities and gave him the hands-on experience he needed to fight for it as a lawyer.

Julie always knew she’d be a lawyer—she was drawn to the problem-solving aspect of the law. She honed that skill through figuring out how to get her students to succeed, and it prepared her to excel as a lawyer and to advocate for students.

Teaching special education in NY as a TFA corps member gave Max Lesser the proximity he needed to keenly identify educational inequity and the systemic factors that feed into it. Since his days in the classroom, Max has leveraged his teaching experience and legal knowledge to advance criminal justice reform, policies that could greatly improve the lives of the community he once served. Learn more about his journey.