To create seismic, sustainable change in education in Greater New Orleans, we need to study and learn from the leadership paradigm that has emerged in India and apply our findings to our context. This trip will be the initial catalyst to shift the leadership paradigm in GNO from rapid advancement and individual accomplishments to one where the voices of our community are at the forefront, driving the change, and we are leading from behind. This trip will push us to redefine corps member and alumni leadership.

As Teach For America human capital plays a pivotal role in shaping the education landscape across multiple sectors, we need to be deliberate in the type of leader we are developing. In order to create enduring change that is community centered, we must shift our paradigm from one of rugged individualism and competition to one of selfless service and collective change.

Through traveling to India to study a vastly different leadership paradigm centered on serving others and bettering humanity, we will return changed and ready to apply our findings to the broader GNO context. We will be poised to lead together with reverence and humility, operating within the cultural specificity of our community.