Timothy Ware was 29 years old, doing work he loved as a hospital administrator working with a high-needs community in Indianapolis, when his younger sister told him about Teach For America (TFA).

“They believe what you believe,” he remembers her saying.

He left his job and joined the TFA corps in Memphis. He taught social studies at Frayser High School, which was then one of the most violent schools in Memphis. He remembers the school was on lockdown six times in his first three weeks. He also remembers standing in front of a classroom of eighth graders who were reading as if they were in third or fourth grade.

“Students were unable to read and comprehend basic sentences,” he said. “It was mind blowing to me.”

Despite the challenges he faced, Ware said TFA inspired him.

“TFA cemented in my mind in a very concrete, tangible way that while these issues have persisted for decades, we can make a meaningful difference,” he said. “Public education can provide all children with what they need to lead lives of purpose and destiny.”

Ware left the classroom to become a fellow with Building Excellent Schools, where he developed plans for a new Memphis middle school, which he led from 2010 until 2013. He then ran New Leaders Memphis, where he helped to develop strong principals to lead Memphis schools. Starting this year, Ware is the executive director of the Achievement School District in Frayser, where he oversees a network of five community schools in the district where he first taught.

He credits TFA for motivating and preparing him — and others like him — to help students, families, and communities.

“I see Teach For America as an organization that is galvanizing legions of civic-minded, social justice-oriented people to engage in this fight for justice. I see them as recruiting, training, and supporting soldiers in this war in which we’re fighting for the lives of our most vulnerable children.”