As Democracy Prep celebrates 20 years of educating responsible citizen scholars, we are also celebrating the people whose stories have grown alongside our own.
Through our Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself series, we are highlighting members of the Democracy Prep community whose connection to our mission spans multiple chapters.
For Karl, that story is especially full circle.
His first chapter with Democracy Prep began in 2014, when he entered the community as a seventh grade scholar. He later became an alumnus, stayed connected throughout college, and ultimately returned to Democracy Prep as a professional. Today, as a Talent Acquisition Manager, Karl helps identify and bring in the very people who will shape the experiences of the next generation of Democracy Prep scholars.
We sat down with Karl to talk about growing up at Democracy Prep, seeing the organization from an entirely new perspective, and what it means to return to a community that helped shape who he is today.
Q: If you were reintroducing yourself to the Democracy Prep community today, what would you want scholars, families, staff, and alumni to know about you beyond your role?
A: Beyond my role, I would want the Democracy Prep community to know that I am someone who has experienced this community from several different perspectives.
I was once a scholar sitting in the classroom, then an alumnus trying to find my place in the world, and now I am a professional helping build the teams that serve our scholars.
I am deeply grateful for what Democracy Prep gave me, but I am also excited to be part of the work of making sure the experience continues to evolve for the scholars and families coming after us.
Q: What was your first chapter with Democracy Prep, and what do you remember most about that time?
A: My first chapter with Democracy Prep began in 2014, when I joined the community as a seventh grader. That chapter was marked by challenge, change, and a level of rigor that I was not accustomed to.
I went from attending a public school two blocks from my home to commuting nearly an hour each way to Democracy Prep. I remember having to be on the bus by 6:15 in the morning just to make the right train and get to school before 7:35.
At the time, I questioned the decision my parents had made for me. But that experience taught me a level of discipline and accountability that I had not been challenged with before.
The academic rigor was equally transformative. I was constantly being pushed to think differently and meet a higher bar. At the time, it was new, scary, and sometimes frustrating. Looking back, it was exactly what I needed.
Q: When you left Democracy Prep, what experiences, relationships, or lessons from your time here stayed with you?
A: I vividly remember the international trips I had the opportunity to take and what they meant to me. Democracy Prep is an institution that believes deeply in empowering scholars to change the world, and there is something powerful about actually getting to experience that world firsthand.
I also remember educators who were not afraid to encourage me to take a different path when the one I was on was not serving me. They partnered with my parents and advocated for me when I needed additional support.
That experience has stayed with me professionally. I try to approach the people I work with in the same way by meeting them where they are, challenging them when necessary, and making sure they have the support they need to be successful.
Q: What did you learn or experience during your time away that shaped the person and professional who returned?
A: One of the biggest things I learned during my time away was the importance of being open to different experiences and perspectives. After six years of doing things the Democracy Prep way, I was ready to explore something different.
At Baruch, I explored several career paths, including event planning and Marketing and Communications, before ultimately realizing that Human Resources was where I wanted to build my career.
Those experiences gave me a broader perspective that I was able to bring back to Democracy Prep.
Something as simple as scheduling an interview, for example, requires elements of event planning, communication, coordination, and relationship management. Exploring those different areas helped me return with a much broader understanding of what it means to set people up for success.
Q: What made you want to come back to Democracy Prep for another chapter?
A: Candidly, I knew my time at Democracy Prep was not over when I crossed the proverbial stage over Zoom in 2020.
I stayed connected to my peers and teachers throughout college and served as an Alumni Captain, checking in with alumni about how they were doing academically and socially.
In the summer of 2024, I was finishing my second Human Resources internship when I saw that the People team was hiring for my current role. I read the job description and realized it checked so many of the boxes I was looking for professionally.
The opportunity to bring the knowledge and experience I had gained in college and through my internships back to the community that shaped me felt almost too good to be true.
Ultimately, the people and mission kept me connected, but my belief in the power of education is what made coming back feel like the right next chapter.
Q: When you returned, what immediately felt familiar, and what felt different from the Democracy Prep you remembered?
A: Different people, same mission is the best way I can describe my first year back.
I reconnected with some familiar faces, but there were also so many people I had never met before. The systems, structures, and organization had evolved, but the underlying commitment to scholars was still very recognizable.
What felt most different was my own perspective.
As a scholar, I primarily experienced Democracy Prep as someone receiving the investment. Coming back as an employee allowed me to see just how much work happens behind the scenes to create that experience for scholars.
That shift in perspective has probably been one of the most meaningful parts of returning.
Q: How has your relationship with the Democracy Prep mission evolved since your first chapter here?
A: My relationship with the mission has completely evolved.
I went from being a disgruntled scholar who left my first day of Prep Academy with my arms crossed because I had gotten detention for forgetting a period on my homework, to now having the responsibility and privilege of helping lead hiring across our campuses.
That is honestly still a little mind boggling to me.
As a scholar, I did not always understand why we did what we did. I understood the expectations, but I did not always understand the vision behind them. Now, sitting on the other side of that experience, the vision is much clearer.
Coming back to the community that supported me and helped prepare me for college, and now helping put passionate educators in classrooms with today’s scholars, is incredibly humbling.
I get to contribute to the same mission that once benefited me.
Q: What has made your return feel like a true homecoming?
A: During my time as a scholar at Democracy Prep Endurance High School, I actually sat in the classrooms of a few people who were prospective employees at the time, and some of them eventually became my teachers.
I remember watching their demo lessons and then eagerly emailing my principal afterward with my thoughts from a student’s perspective. I did not realize it at the time, but I was getting an early glimpse into the work I would eventually do professionally.
Now, as a Talent Acquisition Manager, that same excitement comes back whenever I am interviewing someone I am really excited about and they move forward to meet with school leaders.
It is not lost on me that something I did almost a decade ago as a curious student became a version of the work I now do every day.
That is what makes this feel like a homecoming. The work has changed, but in a lot of ways, I am still thinking about the same question: Who are the people we want in front of our scholars?
Q: What would you say to a former Democracy Prep staff member or alumnus who is considering coming back?
A: I would tell them that the experiences that shaped us are now shaping the next generation. So why not become part of shaping them?
Coming back does not mean recreating the Democracy Prep experience we had. It means bringing what we learned from that experience, along with everything we have learned since, and using it to help build what comes next.
There is something really powerful about being able to stand in front of a future class and say, “I was once where you are, and look where I am now.”
I think that is one of the most meaningful things alumni can give back.
Q: As Democracy Prep celebrates its 20th anniversary, what do you hope to contribute during this chapter, and what are you most excited about as we look ahead?
A: As Democracy Prep enters its 20th year, I hope to contribute as someone who understands the organization from both sides of the table.
I have experienced the mission as a scholar, stayed connected to it as an alumnus, and now have the opportunity to help shape the people who carry that mission forward.
I am especially excited about what it means to build a stronger bridge between Democracy Prep’s past and its future. There are thousands of alumni who have been shaped by this community, and I think there is an incredible opportunity to bring more of that experience back into the organization.
Personally, I want my contribution to be about people. I want to help us attract, develop, and retain the educators and staff who will give today’s scholars the same kind of investment that I received.
Twenty years from now, I hope we can look back and say that we did not just celebrate the legacy of Democracy Prep. We built on it.
Karl’s story captures something particularly special about reaching Democracy Prep’s 20th anniversary. The scholars who once experienced the mission from inside our classrooms are now returning as professionals, leaders, and advocates who have the opportunity to shape what that mission looks like for the next generation.
His journey from scholar, to alumnus, to Talent Acquisition Manager is a reminder that the impact of a Democracy Prep education does not end at graduation. Sometimes, it comes full circle.
This is Karl Sefordzi, reintroduced. And this is what it looks like when one generation of Democracy Prep helps build the next.