Erica had studied linguistics at Georgetown and taught ESL, but her move to New York City was fueled by a desire to get even more involved in education. She found a home at Princeton Review, teaching SAT and ACT around the city with organizations like Harlem Children’s Zone. The gaps she saw in her students’ skills were glaring, and she knew they were more than one prep course could close. She had to help on the ground floor. So Erica found Achievement First through a friend from college, starting out as a principal’s assistant at AF East New York Middle and beginning her journey supporting AF academics. Now, when she’s working on academic operations and strategy, she feels confident that students are getting the preparation that they need to succeed, both now and in their futures.