Beyond two years: How Teach for America alumni are reshaping Louisiana
For 35 years, Teach for America has brought thousands of college graduates to Louisiana classrooms with the promise of a two-year commitment. But the organization’s most lasting impact may come from what happens afterward.
By Jay Holden | Published in NOLA.com Dec 8, 2025
Of the 4,004 corps members who have served in Louisiana over 35 years, more than 1,300 alumni have stayed. They plant roots. They lead schools, run nonprofits, start businesses, shape policy and build programs that endure long after their corps terms end.
Lucas Spielfogel graduated from Yale and came to Louisiana in 2010 as a social studies teacher at Baker Middle School. Since 2012, he’s been leading the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition. He’s help the organization grow from supporting 50 high school students to serving nearly 500 eighth through 12th graders and 920 alumni.
Spielfogel has led a partnership with East Baton Rouge Parish Schools to launch an in-school program serving 183 juniors and seniors through ACT preparation classes and 150 seniors through their in-school advising program.
Teach for America alumni, Dan Kahn and Sam Joel, had started the organization in 2008 with the goal of helping driven students from difficult backgrounds get into college and succeed there. Through these Teach for America alumni’s leadership, more than 900 Baton Rouge students have pursued their dreams of a four-year university education.
