Until Vicksburg native Farrah Martin took two years off after college to participate in the Teach for America program, she was on track to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor.

Instead, her dream became a passion — teaching — and Martin has never looked back.

Now Martin, 31, has been named an NBC-TV Education Champion. On Saturday she’ll board a plane for New York City to be honored with hundreds of American teachers in the network’s weeklong “Education Nation” special reports, and could be chosen to be featured Monday night on “Dateline” teaching a lesson on camera.