For Sarah Ahmed, joining Breakthrough New York as a Teaching Fellow was an opportunity to put her studies into practice while contributing to a mission that felt deeply personal.

Sarah is a senior at the CUNY College of Staten Island, where she is pursuing a degree in English Education for grades 7-12. She plans to become a high school English teacher. Having attended an under-resourced middle school on Staten Island’s North Shore, Sarah understood firsthand why targeted academic guidance and encouragement can be so meaningful for students.

“I saw firsthand how overwhelmed my teachers were and how few resources we had when it came to test preparation or even understanding the high school application process,” Sarah shared. “That’s part of why Breakthrough’s mission meant so much to me.”

As a Writing Instructor during BTNY’s Summer 2026 program, Sarah had the chance to lead a classroom before reaching the student-teaching portion of her college program. The experience allowed her to apply the teaching strategies she had studied while learning how to adapt them to meet her students’ needs.

When students needed additional support with a concept, Sarah adjusted her pacing, spent more time on group discussion, and added examples to future lessons. She also learned how small, proactive changes could make the classroom run more smoothly, from changing seating arrangements to assigning which student would speak first during partner work.

One of Sarah’s favorite parts of the summer was teaching a Creative Writing elective. Students developed their own characters and original short stories, with horror and thriller emerging as popular genres. To celebrate their work, Sarah designed personalized covers and had each story printed as a mini-book.

The finished stories quickly drew the attention of other students.

“They would walk around asking when someone was finished with a book so they could read it next,” Sarah recalled. “I felt that the elective students themselves were really proud of how their stories turned out.”

Sarah also saw meaningful growth in her writing students throughout the summer. Students who initially struggled began producing longer, more thoughtful responses and demonstrating stronger analytical reasoning in their final essays.

Building relationships was an important part of that progress. Sarah used time during lunch, homeroom, and class trips to get to know her students beyond their academic work. She incorporated their interests into lessons, including using a student’s pet in a model paragraph and asking about the World Cup to spark conversation.

“I think having a good relationship with students helps create a more engaged and friendly classroom environment where students feel comfortable interacting with and connecting with one another,” she said.

The summer also strengthened Sarah’s confidence in her own future as an educator. With guidance from her Instructional Coach, she refined her approach to lesson planning, classroom management, and responding to students in the moment.

“After actually stepping into a classroom and standing in front of students, I feel like I have a much stronger sense that I’m capable of doing this in the future,” Sarah shared.

Sarah believes confidence is also one of the most important outcomes BTNY provides for its students. By introducing students to the material they will encounter during the upcoming school year, BTNY helps them build academically while strengthening their belief in their own ability to succeed.

“Breakthrough students enter the school year with a strong foundation—and the confidence to see themselves as capable, hardworking individuals.”