Joining Teach For America before law school will make your professional career more meaningful and focused. By committing two years to teach in an urban or rural community, you will have a significant impact on the lives of children facing the challenges of poverty. At the same time, you will gain real-world insight into many of the social issues that our country’s laws and public policies must address. From the first day of law school, Teach For America alumni recognize the value of knowing firsthand how abstract legal concepts and policies impact children and families in low-income communities. Additionally, the rigor of the corps experience inspires deep personal strength that fuels our alumni’s drive for excellence in their legal careers. Further, alumni say that managing a classroom of students—leading them toward ambitious goals—provided the confidence, maturity, unique level of credibility, and practical skills that enable them to make a huge impact in their legal career.
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My father is an attorney, but before he went to law school, he was a public school teacher. I was always fascinated by his stories about being a prosecutor, and I knew that I would go to law school. But I also knew that I wanted to get some real-world experience. I thought of teaching because of what my dad had done.
Honestly, before I joined Teach For America, I didn’t realize to what extent the education system was in need of change. But after I’d been teaching for a bit, I realized there were structural and systemic issues in public education that had to be addressed, aside from what I was doing in the classroom. When I went for my master’s in education, I focused on policy so that I could look at the bigger, overlying questions that were affecting our kids.
In law school, I definitely drew on the practical skills I gained from teaching: organization, how to hold people’s attention, and how to explain a complicated topic and make it seem simple. And the amount of responsibility I had as a first-year teacher I wouldn’t have gotten until my fifth or sixth year working at a large law firm. Most importantly, my teaching experience gave me perspective and maturity. I knew there were bigger things in life than whether I got an A or a B on my Constitutional Law final.
My experience in the corps also helped prepare me professionally. During law school, I got a very competitive internship in the civil rights division of the Department of Justice. They had hired another Teach For America alumna a couple of years before who really impressed them, so that was the first thing they asked me about in the interview.
My ultimate goal is to work at a legal defense fund for an organization like the NAACP, or possibly for a government organization involved in education. There’s a lot of pressure in law school to find the highest-paying job without considering the requirements and what the job will allow you to accomplish. Teach For America gave me the ability to step back and think about what I really wanted to do with my law degree, instead of just being funneled into the highest-paying job. My corps experience honed my interest in law and public service and helped me realize I want to have a career where I can make a difference in the lives of children today.
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I knew before going to college that I wanted to attend law school. I felt that I had worked very hard in college to achieve success, but I was not prepared to go straight to law school or to take the LSATs. Teach For America was the only program I applied to as a college senior. Once accepted, I realized that by becoming a teacher I now had the unique opportunity to be a role model for students of all different backgrounds, particularly those from disadvantaged communities. Moreover, I truly believe that my Teach For America experience was instrumental in my being accepted at top law schools—schools I may not have gotten into had I applied during my undergraduate years.
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The high school I attended had a 50 percent graduation rate, so I understood the achievement gap before I heard of Teach For America. Joining the corps was a chance to have an impact at a school like the ones I’d attended and to contribute to a community like mine.
I really appreciate Teach For America’s core belief that each and every student has the ability to achieve, and I saw it confirmed in my classroom. After immersing myself in the summer institute, I took advantage of every professional development opportunity I could. At our monthly corps meetings, we had breakout sessions to share strategies and lesson plans with those teaching the same grade level. I watched great teachers and emulated them, and I saw my students gain skills and attain the state standards.
I joined Teach For America knowing that good teachers make a difference. I still feel that way, but now I understand that larger structural forces also have to be changed so we can end educational inequity for good. That has motivated me to pursue a career in civil rights law. At the ACLU, I engage in work related to domestic violence, low-wage immigrant women workers, affirmative action, and sex-segregated education. My legal career is about shaping what my students experience outside of the classroom, so they can succeed inside the classroom.
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Before committing to Teach for America, I had concerns about whether teaching would sidetrack me from becoming a lawyer. I now realize the experience shaped my future as an attorney.
The challenges of law school seemed like nothing compared to the challenges of being responsible for the education of 20 students. Moreover, the skills I developed in the classroom are equally applicable in the courtroom. As a teacher, I learned to be a quick thinker, adapt to any situation, and break down complex issues into bite-size chunks—all necessary skills for a litigator. The program enjoys a strong reputation, and potential employers viewed my years teaching as a worthwhile and unique experience. Without a doubt, joining Teach for America was the best thing I did to prepare me for my legal career.
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The main impact Teach For America had on me was to solidify my plans to do public service. It really confirmed my interest in working in the field on a practical level rather than on a more abstract level. For me, that meant going to law school and applying that education to help make our society better. I honestly believe that, for me, going straight to law school from college would have been a mistake. I needed to learn more about the world, and about myself. Teach For America gave me that opportunity and helped me gain a deeper understanding of a host of issues-not just education but economic inequity, housing inequity, and familial issues. Working with people and seeing how laws and policies affect them every day gives you incomparable insight that will make your law school and professional experience that much more worthwhile.
Learn more about alumni effecting fundamental change
Click here to hear from alumni in law about how Teach For America has impacted their decisions and perspectives.
At Harvard Law School, we look for passion, energy, and social awareness in our students, and we’ve found these qualities consistently in Teach For America alumni. They share our commitment to law as public service, and we’re confident that they’ll use the resources and opportunities available here to go out and change the world. 
- Elena Kagan
Dean and Charles Hamilton Houston Professor
Harvard Law School
Many law schools, including the country’s top 10, partner with Teach For America, recognizing that alumni have gone through a highly selective process and have engaged in a challenging professional experience. These partners offer special benefits for corps members and alumni, such as two-year deferrals, application fee waivers, and scholarships.
Click here to browse our complete database of graduate school partnerships.
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