Q&A

Why did you join the corps?

The reason I chose to join the corps is twofold; The school system I was a part of was determined by where my parents decided to rent or buy a house. That wasn’t the case for a lot of the students that I was volunteering for after school. I never really figured that out until a little bit later in my life. Teach For America’s mission is to make sure every child has a quality education. To be a part of that movement is something that spoke to me. 

How did your corps experience help you develop leadership skills?

The corps experience in Memphis was absolutely incredible. Leadership is a huge focus—making sure you are a leader in the classroom, and outside of the classroom as well. Memphis did an incredible job of cultivating that leadership and making sure that we felt like a part of that community.

What’s one big takeaway from your corps experience that you’ve carried with you?

At the end of two years—for people like myself who decided not to stay in the classroom—it’s important that we share our experience with people in the corporate world. One of the most surprising things that I found when I came back into the corporate world was the ignorance to what’s really happening in our cities across this country. It is my privilege and obligation to share those experiences with the people I work with.