Anamika joined Teach For America after college and spent two years teaching in Prince George's County Public Schools — an experience that deepened her commitment to equity and shaped the career that followed. After leaving the classroom, she channeled that same drive into criminal legal system reform, working in public policy and social justice. Like every Maryland public school teacher, 7% of each paycheck had gone straight to the state pension fund — money she never had a choice about contributing.
When she left teaching in 2013, nobody mentioned she could get that money back.
The money she couldn't stop thinking about
Anamika first learned about her unclaimed pension contributions in 2015, two years after leaving the district. At first, it wasn't a priority. She was building a new career, moving cities, doing all the things former teachers do when they leave the classroom. But the knowledge that she had thousands of dollars sitting somewhere she couldn't reach quietly ate at her.
"I think about this $10,000 all the time. It's in my soul that I have money randomly somewhere."
In 2019, she decided to do something about it. She spent two hours on the phone with multiple representatives at the Maryland State Retirement Agency just to find out how much she had. Then she tracked down the withdrawal form — a 20-page packet full of tax language, multiple refund choices with different implications, and a requirement that made everything grind to a halt: notarization.
Anamika was living in Manhattan at the time. Finding a notary, making the trip, and then still having to mail physical documents to Baltimore was more friction than the money felt worth in the moment. She gave up.
"When it came to getting it notarized, I gave up. I was living in Manhattan and it was going to be time consuming, not to mention there were several remaining steps that required trips to the post office. Finding the time to navigate all that bureaucracy was daunting to say the least."
For the next six years, she carried the low-grade guilt of knowing there was money out there with her name on it that she just couldn't get to.
Under an hour, start to finish
Anamika connected with Recess through a mutual friend in early 2026. On a single phone call, she and Recess founder Shawn Basak walked through the entire process together: they confirmed her balance online with the state (it turned out to be over $11,000 — more than she expected), opened a Traditional IRA with Vanguard to receive the funds, filled out the withdrawal form, completed a remote notarization session, and emailed the completed package to the Maryland State Retirement Agency.
The whole thing took 56 minutes.
"Oh my goodness, it was so painless. But even better, it was also fun. Shawn eliminated both the financial literacy barrier and the bureaucratic barrier by doing all the homework to understand the steps and forms we'd need. He came so prepared — he even pre-drafted the email I used to send my materials when we had everything ready. The process was foolproof."
What happens next
Maryland allows up to 90 days to process withdrawal requests. Once approved, the state will mail Anamika a check made payable to her and Vanguard, which she'll deposit into her new Traditional IRA. From there, her money will finally be working for her future — tax-free, penalty-free, and no longer collecting dust in a state pension system she left over a decade ago.
"It was so nice to end the call with Recess and feel a sense of accomplishment and financial responsibility after years of neglect."
When asked what she'd tell other former teachers in the same situation, Anamika didn't hesitate: "Get your money!"
Sound familiar?
Anamika is one of thousands of former teachers with pension contributions sitting unclaimed in state retirement systems across the country. If you left teaching before vesting — and most Teach For America alumni did — there's a good chance you have money waiting too.
Find out what's yours — free.
Recess handles the forms, the notary, and the follow-up. You just sign.
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