A Network of Movers/Shakers

I've been overwhelmed lately with getting my law school applications out the door (or through the Web, as the case may be) and have not updated in a while. Right now, I am like many of the second-year corps members in Houston--working hard to set up opportunities for the year following the end of my TFA commitment.

I had a conversation with a TFA friend tonight (thanks Carmen!) that was really inspiring as we talked about all the anxiety in going through the admissions process of graduate/law schools. One of the main points we kept coming back to was how we are very confident that TFA has prepared us to excel in our graduate studies--it'll be a relief to be the student again!

We also talked about how exciting it will be to become a part of the TFA Alumni network, as sad as it will be to say goodbye to our close TFA friends in Houston. Whether in education or another sector, TFA alumni have repeatedly gone on to be movers and shakers in their fields of work. Just recently, the mayor of DC appointed a TFA alumna as the first chancellor of his realigned school system (Michelle Rhee - as reported by the Washington Post). Rumor has it that Obama's education advisor is a former TFA corps member. Hillary has a TFA alumna working on her staff as well. It's only a matter of time before a former corps member runs for office. Point being, it's an exciting time to be a part of the TFA movement, even if we are ending our official commitment to the program.

TFA as an organization is gaining immense "street cred" (as my students would say) lately that only helps propel its former corps members to excel. Time recently ran two articles calling for mandatory national service, mentioning TFA as an example of worthy efforts.

I mention all this because it makes me really excited to think about how many former TFA corps members will be spread across this great country working for change for many years to come. The more time that passes, the bigger the network becomes. Surely the tipping point of change is coming soon.