For many, the path to a career in education is a straight line. For Sam Brown, one of Fifth Avenue Committee’s (FAC) dedicated staff members, it was a winding road paved with music, acting, and a life-changing realization about social equity.
The Moment it “Clicked”
Before joining FAC, Sam a musician and performer by training—spent years navigating the gig economy and working in childcare. However, a jarring encounter while working as a nanny served as a wake-up call. After being let go with a comment about her racial privilege—“Don’t worry, you’ll get another job. You’re white”—she began to look at the world through the lens of intersectionality.
“That really cemented this feeling of… okay, there’s a lot of inequity,” she recalls. “I grew up very low income, but there’s a whole intersection of privilege within that. That set the tone for my values.”
A “Happy Accident” in the Classroom
After returning to college in her mid-30s—an experience she describes as life-altering—she found herself at a crossroads during the pandemic. Through a fellow musician, Sam heard about an opening teaching a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) permit prep class.
What started as a “random” application turned into a profound career shift. As an instructor, she wasn’t just teaching a curriculum; she was helping students bridge the gap between their current reality and a stable career. Teaching remotely, she became a master of accessibility, ensuring that her students could stay engaged with technical, industry-specific material from their own homes.
From Instructor to Advocate
Two years later, Sam transitioned from the front of the virtual classroom to a more holistic role as a Case Manager & Career Navigator for the Sunset Park Bridge program. While she occasionally misses the rhythm of a classroom, she has found that her teaching background is her greatest asset in one-on-one advocacy.
Today, her work is about removing the barriers that prevent education from taking root. As a Case Manager & Career Navigator, she steps into the gaps that the system often ignores—helping students navigate the complexities of HRA benefits, securing childcare vouchers, and stabilizing housing.
“Adult Ed is not just teaching,” she explains. “It’s making sure students are in a stable enough position that they can attend class and be present when they are there. I get to still teach in a sense, but I also get to do the other things that help students learn.”
Why Adult Education Matters
As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Month, her story reminds us that adult education is a critical tool for community stability. Because she knows the CDL permit prep inside and out, she can offer specialized tutoring to a student struggling with an exam, while simultaneously helping them fight for the public benefits they need to keep their family afloat.
“The reason education is so bad in this country is by design. If people can’t access education, they can’t access a lot of things. If I can contribute to a space where someone can achieve upward mobility who normally wouldn’t, that’s the heart of it.”
The Impact of Gratitude
When asked why she loves this work, she points to the students. Unlike her years of working with children, working with adults offers a unique level of mutual respect. She remembers a student who was “everyone’s cheerleader,” whose gratitude upon passing his tests stayed with her.
“It was the first time in my life anyone over the age of 10 expressed gratitude for something I was offering them. Seeing students succeed—that is such a driving force. It’s really gratifying.”
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