Theo Ossei-Anto, how an educator uses Backrs to stay connected to former students

Meet one of our amazing backrs, Theo 👋🏿

Theo lives in Los Angeles and works for a charter school network with 25 schools in 3 states. He is founding and leading their national mentoring program to ensure each of their 14,000 students has a mentor. 🤩

Giving back to others and to his community has always been in Theo’s DNA. These values, along with the importance Theo’s family placed on education led him to Teach for America after graduating from Notre Dame. Starting as a first-grade teacher, Theo was then fortunate to move into roles that allowed him to teach many of his former students in third grade and then again in middle school. “I tell people, I'm like Mr. Feeny from that TV show, Boy Meets World. Remember how Mr. Feeny is the teacher, no matter what grade they're in. That’s how I felt moving up with my students year after year.”

What brought Theo to Backrs was the virtual platform and opportunity to continue to provide mentorship specifically for the students he has known since they were six years old. “With Backrs, I have the opportunity to give back to the first student to talk to me on my first day as a first-grade teacher. When she was in middle school years ago, we would have lunch together every Wednesday. Back then, I just wanted to give her my time. And now with Backrs, I have the opportunity to continue to back her in her first year at college.”

“I think the difference Backrs is making for my protege is that she feels comfortable and empowered to step out of her comfort zone. With her team behind her, she has confidence to apply for opportunities in her college community. She really doesn't feel alone in this first year away from home. 

Through Backrs, Theo can continue to invest in his former students, even when they no longer live in the same city. “I have always been committed to supporting my students or the kids that I love in any way that they need.” When Theo’s students were younger and physically proximate that was easy to do. But as they grew older and Theo moved, it was more difficult. “Every time I come to Memphis, I'll try to connect with them and sometimes it'll work and sometimes it won't. But having Backers as an ongoing connector is something that we never had.”