Since Teach For America started in 1990, more than 17,000 dedicated college graduates have committed to teaching for two years in low-income urban and rural communities across the United States. Their experience as Teach For America corps members inspires them to continue seeking ways to effect the fundamental changes necessary to ensure that all children have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.

New York City teacher Leyla Bravo is committed to leveling the playing field for students in low-income communities. She is one of the 4,400 Teach For America corps members who are making a difference in classrooms around the country—including some 250 in North Carolina alone.

When Leyla was a child, her family moved from Nicaragua to Miami. In the public schools she attended, evidence of the achievement gap wasn’t hard to find. "I was in a lot of advanced classes, and there were very few other Latinos or black students even though the majority of my school was black and Latino," she says. "I felt out of place."

That feeling intensified when she entered Harvard. "I struggled a lot the first two years. I had a lot of catching up to do," she recalls.

Eventually, Leyla not only caught up but became a campus leader. She rebuilt the pan-Latino student organization Fuerza Latina, created a Latino guide to Harvard, and started a salsa dance troupe. After she earned her B.A. in government/political science, her passion for helping the Latino community led her to join Teach For America. She completed Teach For America's rigorous summer training institute and began teaching bilingual education at C.E.S. 70 in the South Bronx.

In Leyla’s first year, she was the sole teacher for a class of 33 fifth graders. Ten of her students had yet to master the alphabet. Unfazed, Leyla rolled up her sleeves and got to work. "Because I wanted to get my kids where they needed to be as quickly as possible, I used every resource," she says. "I tapped into more experienced teachers and got advice from them, and then I discovered what fit in my classroom."

She found herself completely engaged in the task at hand. "I didn’t realize just how intellectually challenging teaching could be," she says. "It takes every single skill in your power. You have to be a psychologist, an actor, everything in one. That’s what people really don’t know. You have to be on your feet at all times."

By the end of the school year, Leyla’s students had advanced 1.5 grade levels in reading and reached 79 percent content mastery in everyday math.

This success had an impact on Leyla as well as on her students. Instead of attending law school after the corps, as she originally planned, Leyla will continue teaching. Her ultimate goal is a school leadership role. "These kids changed my entire trajectory in life," she says. "I know there’s potential to make the school system so much better that I can’t just sit around and see that not happen."