. >> rasheed silvera has been a successful teacher for three decades, challenging generations of highl students to take on the world with passion, purpose, and style. >> i wanted to become the teacher that i didn't have. and i'm talking about earlier on in life when as a chocolatino, as a young brother, i was often times in environments where i was one of few. >> this scarsdale, new york educator is not only considered a model teacher but was one of the first african-american supermodels to grace covers and commercials in the early '70s and '80s. a fashion flair he credits to his jamaican roots and boston upbringing. >> i grew up with folks who had the most incredible sense of style. if you would drop certain people in a room and cover them with rags, they would have emerged ready for any formal attire based on their personal creativity. >> silvera channeled that creativity in college at colgate, bennington, and harvard. he was further benefited by meeting fierce black female models also breaking barriers. >> these were strong women who would not suffer weak beauty. so they literally