In last Tuesday’s State of the Union, President Obama referred to education as a top national priority, even going so far as to making its reformation part of our generation’s “Sputnik Moment.”

Nationwide, members of last year’s graduating class recognized the necessity of educational equality and a fair chance at the American dream for every child, applying to Teach for America in record numbers – more than 46,000 applicants for 4,500 Teach For America teaching positions across the country.

As an SMU alum, former Student Body President and a Teach For America corps member teaching in San Antonio, I am proud and excited that interest in Teach For America continues to grow among SMU’s class of 2011. Serving our country by serving our nation’s most high need schools and students is, after all, something that seems to be a logical next step for a Mustang; one who is of the utmost talent in leadership and intellect, yet believes in the vocation of serving others.

Teach For America’s national corps is attracting the best and brightest from public and private universities nationwide, from business majors to theater majors, from recent graduates to those looking for a career change. Though from differing backgrounds and of differing interests, those selected for Teach for America are all united in the cause to bring educational equality to our great nation.

This talented, diverse crowd signs on to do something challenging and inspiring (yet another trait of a Mustang): to teach for two years—and often longer—in some of America’s highest-need classrooms and go on to be leaders in the movement to end educational inequity.

I am now part of this groundswell of new educators, and I could not be more humbled.

This year, 1,000 Teach For America corps members like myself are impacting more than 76,000 students in four Texas regions: Dallas, Houston, the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio.

When applying to Teach For America, I was, admittedly, wary of the idea that I could change the life path of another. Though I love a challenge, this feat seemed daunting.

I wake up everyday ready to change the world but through this process I realized it was my job to change the world of my students. This was recently realized when a student of mine who was recruited to play football at UT brought his new coach, Mack Brown, to meet me in my classroom. Coach Brown informed me that my student wanted to introduce me to him because I was someone who positively impacted his life and encouraged his decision to go to college.

The fact that I had a role in changing someone’s life, in impacting his decision to go to college and better himself; that is something that no amount of money can buy. Experiences such as the one I just described happen daily when you Teach For America, as you work for a cause greater than yourself.

While Teach For America is a two-year commitment, it is an experience that will have a lasting impact. My fellow corps members and I have already become part of our schools’ communities, bringing together parents, administrators and community members in the pursuit of excellence for our students.

Two-thirds of Teach For America’s alumni are still involved with education; some of this country’s biggest education innovators got their start in Teach For America. They include the founders of successful charter school networks like IDEA Public Schools, YES Prep, and KIPP. Teach For America alumni lead 98 schools across the state, including some of our nation’s highest-performing schools in low-income communities. Others have gone onto become leaders in fields like health, law, and government. The experience has impacted and will continue to impact how I look at the world.

Seniors, it is without question that you will be graduating into a world of challenge that you probably did not foresee when you arrived at SMU. But I implore you to look at challenge as opportunity, specifically, an opportunity to give back and serve. Lead our generation’s “Sputnik Moment” because that is what SMU graduates are taught to do. One simple choice in a sea of options can make a world of difference. For me, choosing to join Teach For America was the best decision I could have made.

Patrick Kobler is a 2010 Teach For America corps member and the former Student Body President of SMU. For more information about Teach For America, please visit www.teachforamerica.org.