In the face of increasing student enrollment in CS1 and CS2 classes, high undergraduate teaching assistant (UTA) retention rates are necessary for a strong and sustainable teaching assistant (TA) program. However, the motivation for UTAs to ascend to harder, more rigorous courses and the onset of boredom through fulfilling monotonous UTA responsibilities disincentive UTAs from staying with an introductory course for more than a few semesters. This paper reports on a unique approach to a UTA-led management of UTA teams that prioritizes professional growth, facilitates leadership development, and fosters a strong community with a central TA identity—all while enhancing the student educational experience. UTAs are encouraged to meaningfully contribute to a cross-functional, operational, and efficient team, and they benefit from developing professional, managerial, and organizational skills before formally transitioning to the workforce. A mentorship structure is naturally developed, and a strong sense of solidarity is built through proactive bonding events and a prioritization of TA well-being. A UTA team that is enabled to express creativity and aptitude to impact instructional efficiency and course management results in positive student experiences. An improved relationship between students and UTAs is directly observed, and the efficient transfer of knowledge between generations of UTAs results in consistency of student interactions in office hours and recitations. The UTA team is given the opportunity to blossom, and mutual relationships between the course instructors, UTAs, and students benefit the course experience and incentives UTAs to stay.