Sahithi Mantri

I attribute our success to the students who inspire us every day and to the staff who share that passion with me. Because we don’t see each other in person daily, the culture we’ve built can’t come from a top‑down approach. It has to be shared, lived, and sustained by all of us.

Together, we’ve created a culture that flows between staff and leadership, and between students and staff—it exists at a different level. Any progress or positive outcome we celebrate comes from this collective effort, never from one person alone.

We commit ourselves to learning from one another every day. That mindset—growing together—is something we truly believe in as a team.

The best career advice I’ve ever received came from two important people in my life.

The first was my principal during my second teaching job, who became a true mentor. He reminded me that change doesn’t happen overnight. I started that job by replacing a teacher who had built an incredible classroom culture and strong relationships with students. Stepping into that space, I quickly learned that earning trust doesn’t happen instantly. There were moments when students challenged me, and he helped me understand that they were simply testing someone new—trying to see who I was and whether I was committed to them. He taught me the daily, practical ways to build connection, and that advice has shaped how I approach every relationship in education.

The second piece of advice came from my father, and it applies to both personal and professional life: focus on what you can control, and put your best foot forward every single day. You can control your effort, your attitude, and your actions—but not the outcomes. I carry that with me, and it’s something I share with my staff as well: do your best with what you can control, and don’t stress over what you cannot.

I work with staff who are fresh out of college, and I’ve also worked with people who entered the role without really knowing what they wanted to do—they were simply exploring. Because my own path into education happened unexpectedly, I never want to discourage anyone from discovering their calling the same way.

I tell young people all the time: It’s okay not to have it all figured out right now. You don’t need to decide your entire future today. Instead, start with what you genuinely enjoy, because your career will take up a third of your life. If you don’t like the work, the passion won’t follow.

You can take time to explore and “hypothesize” about what you want, but while you’re exploring, you need to give the work your full effort—out of passion, out of curiosity, and out of respect for the opportunity.

This is the same guidance I give to my younger staff. For example, one of my interns graduated from our program just last year. I tell them: You’re learning the best skills this job can offer you right now. Whether you stay in this field long‑term is a question for later. But today, you have opportunities in front of you—what are you doing with them? And that message is the same one I share with my students.

One of our biggest challenges—more than what many in‑person schools face—is retention. Because we don’t see students every day, we don’t have the advantage of daily, in‑person interactions that naturally build relationships. Our connections happen almost entirely virtually, which means they can be created with one click—and broken just as easily. For example, if a student blocks your number, that connection disappears instantly.

We also respect students’ choice to remain anonymous during virtual interactions. We don’t require cameras on, so many times we are building relationships through Teams messages or phone calls without ever seeing each other. They don’t always know what we look like, and we don’t always know what they look like—yet we’re trying to form meaningful connections across a screen.

Most of our students come to this program because reality has already forced them to make adult decisions. Many are working one or two jobs, have experienced bullying or trauma in traditional school settings, or are young parents with limited support systems. When students arrive carrying that weight—and life becomes harder—school can understandably fall to the bottom of their priority list. This makes retention a real challenge.

To help counter this, we focus on connection through storytelling and community building. We highlight a monthly Showcase Student so students can see examples of peers who faced similar struggles and still found success. Because our students don’t interact with each other daily like they would in a traditional classroom, these stories give them a chance to feel seen, inspired, and connected. We want them to know they’re not alone on this journey.

To me—both personally and professionally—you must believe in what you're doing and believe in your own practices. Sometimes people preach things they themselves are not willing to do, and I am completely against that.

As I mentioned earlier, I believe in getting my feet dirty. If I expect my staff to do something, I am always willing to step in and do it myself. That’s the foundation of authentic leadership.

So my philosophy is simple:

Don’t preach something you’re not willing to do, and don’t do something you don’t truly believe in.