From TFA to Rocketship: A Career That Came Full Circle

When Hilary Nguyen joined Teach For America in the Bay Area in 2012, her placement brought her to Rocketship Alma—and set her on a career path that would eventually take her from the classroom to school leadership, business school, management consulting, and back to Rocketship.

Hilary began as a kindergarten STEM teacher at Alma before teaching second-grade humanities and later becoming a school leader. She describes her early experience with TFA and Rocketship as challenging, rewarding, and invaluable. Most importantly, the experience had a lasting impact: “TFA and being placed at Rocketship changed the trajectory of my career and life.”

Through TFA, Hilary developed skills that would continue to serve her throughout her career, including perseverance, backwards planning, and empathy.
After serving as a school leader, Hilary stepped away from Rocketship to attend business school and work in management consulting, expanding her business toolkit. She later returned to Rocketship and today serves as Senior Director of Strategy & Growth.

While her work today looks very different from her first days in a kindergarten classroom, Hilary continues to find fulfillment in tackling complex challenges on behalf of Rocketship students.

“The types of problems our team is responsible for structuring and solving are some of the most thorny and complex,” Hilary says. “It is so rewarding to know that this work, which is so intellectually interesting, is all to do right by our current and future Rocketeers.”

Hilary’s career path has spanned teaching, school leadership, business, consulting, and strategy, demonstrating the range of opportunities that can grow from an early career in education.

For current TFA corps members considering what comes next, Hilary offers a simple piece of advice: “Think about what energizes you, and try to do more of that!”

Published on September 15, 2026