Teach For America Houston

The Houston East End Chamber of Commerce Education Symposium was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when communities come together for students.

Teach For America Houston was proud to sponsor the event alongside EMERGE and Math Circles of Houston as we celebrated students, educators, and community leaders creating opportunity across Houston.

Our Executive Director, Tiffany Cuellar Needham, was honored to introduce keynote speaker Elisa Villanueva Beard, CEO of the Houston Endowment, whose leadership and commitment to opportunity continue to inspire communities across Houston.

Perhaps the most moving part of the day was seeing so many high school seniors recognized as they pursue their college dreams. At least 10 of the scholarship recipients were also members of EMERGE Fellowship. In the audience was also the older brother of one of the recipients, himself an EMERGE fellow, a recent graduate of The University of Texas at Austin (Hook ’em), and a member of the 2026 Teach For America Houston corps.

That’s the full-circle nature of Teach For America’s work. We enlist some of our nation’s most promising young people to serve in classrooms today, and over time, we see those same leaders shaping careers, communities, and systems in pursuit of opportunity for all kids.

Thank you to the Houston East End Chamber of Commerce team for an inspiring day.

More love from Alumni Induction!

Join us in celebrating some Houston wins at the 2026 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards.

James Sheridan (Houston '00) was nominated for the H-E-B Excellence in Education Award Secondary Lifetime Achievement. 👏

Representing Houston ISD’s Milby High School, Ruth Peña received the 2026 H-E-B Excellence in Education Award for Secondary Principal. 🎉

We love seeing the impact of alumni celebrated, especially by our friends at H-E-B.

Join us in celebrating our newest group of alumni, the 2024 corps! We were proud to welcome them at Alumni Induction, celebrating the impact they’ve already made in classrooms and the promise of all they will go on to do.

James T. Sheridan (Houston ’00), a longtime teacher at YES Prep East End Secondary and TFA alum, is in the running for America’s Favorite Teacher! 🎉

Checking out the AP English Lit-inspired video on YES Prep East End Secondary’s Instagram () to see the joy and creativity his students experience every day.

Vote once a day at americasfavteacher.org/2026/james-t-sheridan

Last week, Accenture Houston volunteers rolled up their sleeves during their Day of Service to assemble 100+ welcome boxes for our incoming corps members! A special thank you to our Board Member, Sacha Abinader, for bringing this effort to life and rallying his colleagues in such meaningful service. Accenture also generously sponsored the supplies for the welcome boxes, helping us warmly welcome our newest corps members as they begin training in Houston before they enter classrooms this fall.

We’re so grateful for this partnership and the heart behind it.