Shaping Educational Change: David Sall’s Journey from Teach For America to Minerva’s MDA

David Sall always knew he wanted firsthand classroom teaching experience before trying to improve the education system at a broader level. While pursuing his undergraduate degrees in political science and music, he took a pivotal course on education law and policy that changed his trajectory.

“I knew that if I was going to work on educational reform, I needed the day-to-day teaching experience.” he explains.

That conviction led him to join Teach For America (TFA)—an organization with the mission to develop and support a diverse network of leaders, working together to end educational inequity, transform education, and expand opportunity for all children— where he spent two years teaching middle school social studies in Chicago.

Reflecting on those years, David highlights the supportive community TFA offered, yet during that time, he also came to understand how demanding and complex the teaching profession can be.

“It was just wonderful to be around that community—people who all shared a deep interest in education. I had no idea how many unseen challenges teachers face, from curriculum decisions to classroom logistics.”

His favorite memory comes from a lunchtime visit by a few curious students. They had been learning about the solar system in their science class and David decided to show them a simple, yet captivating, website his friend had introduced to him.

“The site scales the entire solar system so that Earth is just one pixel. They were so fascinated by it, and seeing their excitement was just a reminder that tapping into curiosity can make a big difference.”

Those spontaneous moments underscored a lesson David holds close: meaningful learning often happens when students feel the freedom to explore their own questions. He soon realized TFA and Minerva share many key values, especially around structured learning goals and high educational expectations.

“TFA emphasizes the importance of clarity in lesson objectives. Minerva does that too, but it goes a step further by reimagining the entire learning environment—from platform to pedagogy.”

As someone keen to address systemic challenges, David appreciates how Minerva’s global and interdisciplinary lens pushes students to examine real-world issues.

“My TFA experience showed me how the system works, while Minerva gave me tools and a framework to think about how we might build better models from the ground up.”

Today, David channels what he has learned—both in the classroom and through his graduate studies at Minerva—into the realm of education technology, where he remains driven by a conviction that every student deserves the chance to be captivated by learning.

Looking back, he sees his TFA service as the perfect foundation for Minerva’s MDA program.

“From what I’ve observed, many of those in my MDA cohort who truly thrived in the program were often the ones who had spent time reflecting on education,” he shares. “Starting the program with that kind of critical perspective can make a big difference. For me, it definitely gave me the confidence of knowing I had some insight into the work that happens behind the scenes.”