Two Years of Service, Sixteen Years of Impact

Brittany Sachs, Principal, Cornelia Connelly Center

By Cora Davis, Communications Director

When Brittany first arrived at the Cornelia Connelly Center (CCC) in New York City as an NDMV Volunteer in 2010, she never imagined she would still be there sixteen years later—now serving as the school’s principal.

“I quickly fell in love with the place,” Brittany said. She remembers thinking she would do whatever it took to stay. 

Brittany’s decision to sign up for a year of service with NDMV would shape not only her career, but her understanding of community, leadership, and service.

After earning her teaching degree, she was searching for jobs when a friend serving with NDMV at CCC connected her to the opportunity. Although a year of service is different than a fulltime job, it can open the door to other opportunities. Brittany served with NDMV from 2010-2012, beginning what she describes as a “beautiful start” to her career in education. 

“What was amazing was the way I got started—in a really supported and intentional way,” she said. “Even for myself, who was educated as an educator, it was hard at first. But my values were equally important and nurtured as a strength. That set me up for success.” 

Brittany (middle right) with Head of School and CCC students

For Brittany, one of the most transformative parts of her experience was living in the community while serving. CCC’s unique model includes housing for fellows and young teachers directly above the school building itself.

“The first four floors are the school, and the fifth floor is the residence,” she explained. “It’s really truly living in community.” Living, working, and serving together wasn’t always easy—but it was formative.

“I don’t know if I understood how important it was at the time,” Brittany reflected. “First-year teaching can be hard and isolating. It was great to have a support team to go through it with.”

That experience also helped her better understand the students and families she served.

“I was a white girl from the suburbs of New Jersey serving a [predominantly] Dominican population,” Brittany shared. “Now I go to the same grocery stores, the same parks, the same church”. That closeness, she says, is central to CCC’s success.

Brittany (middle) with CCC students

Over the years, Brittany continued stepping into whatever role the school needed.

“At the end of my NDMV years, they needed a teacher. Then they needed an administrator,” she said. “I always wanted to be at CCC and was willing and ready to step up any way they needed me.”

Looking back, she isn’t sure her path would have unfolded the same way at a different school . “Would I be a principal anywhere else? I’m not sure,” Brittany admitted.

“What draws me to education is the students and the families,” she said. “We’re so small, so even though I’m in a higher position, I’m still involved with what I love.” That focus on the community is a foundational part of CCC’s and NDMV’s missions. 

That makes us a great match! For decades, the partnership between NDMV and CCC has shaped the school’s identity. In fact, CCC has welcomed NDMV volunteers since the school first opened nearly thirty years ago.

“For CCC, the teacher fellow program has been foundational,” Brittany explained. As a small school serving young women from all over NYC, but predominantly girls with ties to the LES (Lower East Side). CCC depends deeply on relationships, mentorship, and community support. NDMV volunteers have become an essential part of that mission.

Brittany (back left) on a field trip with CCC Students

“To be able to have these young, energized, passionate people year after year—it breathes life into the place,” Brittany said. “[NDMV Volunteers] come in with an attitude of, ‘I’ll do whatever I can to better the place.’”

That spirit of service has created a lasting impact on the school community. Nearly two-thirds of CCC’s staff are former NDMV volunteers, and half of the school’s leadership team are NDMV alumni themselves.

“NDMV develops leaders,” Brittany said. “That’s a big deal.”

“You don’t get many opportunities in life like a year of service,” she said. “It takes you out of your comfort zone and recenters your focus away from yourself and toward serving others.”

Again and again, she has watched volunteers discover unexpected passions and purpose through their experience.

“I can’t tell you the amount of volunteers who shift their plans based on their experience,” Brittany shared. “People who never thought they’d become teachers go into education. Others pursue law school or education policy. It opens a lot of doors.”

“Being an NDMV volunteer, you’re going to get more out of it than you can give—and you’re going to give a lot,” she said. “Your eyes will be opened.”

For Brittany, community has never simply been a program model or a buzzword. It has been the thread connecting every chapter of her journey—from volunteer to teacher to principal.

And sixteen years later, it is still what keeps her there.