Raman deferred a Ph.D. program in physical chemistry to teach high school math. He shared his love of math with students by establishing a calculus program and motivating them to pursue STEM degrees. 

As an independent consultant, Raman works with organizations to improve their operations. His corps experience increased his desire to use his technical ability to improve things for less fortunate people.

Q & A

What would you consider your biggest success as a teacher? What achievement are you most proud of?

I lobbied for the first calculus offering at my school in several decades. I taught at a large neighborhood high school with brilliant kids with STEM interests who hoped to attend college. Yet, many students would be severely unprepared for college courses without calculus. A TFA colleague and I designed and taught calculus and a pre-calculus summer course to help ramp our kids up. One of my star students graduated with a college degree in math.

What role has TFA has played in the development of your career?

The resilience demanded by a low-income classroom has emboldened me to go far out of my comfort zone. Without my corps experience, I couldn't have imagined my current self-employed status given the straight-and-narrow culture of academia and corporations I’ve mostly encountered outside of the classroom.

How did being a corps member impact your life?

Those 65 high-stress hours a week in front of disadvantaged kids, fighting institutions that constantly undermined me, permanently changed my moral compass.