Meet Our 2019–20 Essentials Cohort!
Meet the 85 innovative teams selected for our Essentials Fellowship who will be working on a diversity of ideas with their communities.
Today, we are overjoyed to announce the newest cohort of 4.0’s Essentials Fellowship! Our staff and alumni had reviewed over 200 applications and held 130 interviews for Essentials this year. We cannot be more proud of the 85 innovative teams we’ve selected from that process who are working on a diversity of ideas with their communities.
The Essentials Fellowship will take these aspiring founders from ideas in their heads to running small-scape pop up experiences in their communities with the families, educators, and students they want to serve. They’ll receive coaching from experienced founders on how to test their idea, an up to $600 grant, and a community of peers nationwide. By the end of the Essentials Fellowship, they’ll have critical feedback from the people you want to work with and the skills you need to continue refining your idea.
If you have an idea for how to build a more equitable future of education, 4.0 is here to help you start. Our applications for the Tiny and Essentials Fellowships will open again in Fall 2020. Visit our website for more information and to sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know.
For now, join us in welcoming the 2019–20 Essentials Fellows to the 4.0 community!
Meet The 2019–20 Essentials Cohort
Adam Flores | Dallas TX
About Adam: Born to Joseph & Betsy Flores, Adam spent most of his youth in Minneapolis, MN, going to school, working, volunteering, and trekking up north for long backpacking trips. From a young age, he was taught to value hard work, giving back, and the natural world. The outcome: several summers leading programs at the YMCA in Estes Park, CO & a 13+ year career in education — 5 years as a classroom teacher and 8 as an administrator following graduate school. Adam spent 6 years with EL Education (an offshoot of Outward Bound) and has recently joined with Dallas Independent School District.
About Their Idea: Roam is about connecting to self, others, and the environment. Roam creates self-confident young leaders, builds bridges across lines of difference, and ignites environmental responsibility in the ultimate classroom, the great outdoors.
Aidan Cadley | New Orleans, LA
About Aidan: Aidan Cadley is a Teach For America Alum and Tulane University Graduate. He is currently an admissions counselor at Tulane University, becoming one of the nation’s first admission counselors with Cerebral Palsy.
About Their Idea: To often do school put aside students with disadvantages and focus on scores. Schools should be harnessing students abilities and pushing them down a path of success. My goal is to give students the resources that they need to do so.
Aisha Ford | Fairfield, CA
About Aisha: Aisha Ford is an elementary school administrator who works with teachers, families and students to support educational equity. Aisha is deeply committed to ensuring all children have access to opportunities that allow them to go, to and through college debt free. To help accomplish this goal, Aisha believes in providing administrators with leadership, identity and academic coaching. Aisha began teaching as a Teacher for America Corps Member and since has been a founding Assistant Principal. She is currently the Assistant Principal at ChangeMakers Academy and holds a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from Johns Hopkins University.
About Their Idea: The Middle Ground is a Professional Development Program for middle managers (i.e. assistant principals, deans and instructional coaches) to develop skills in the areas of Leadership, Management, Instruction and Therapeutic Rapport. TMG tools, resources and partnerships allow middle managers to create strong coaching practices that eliminate the achievement gap.
Alejandro Gutierrez-Chavez & Jorge Zatarain | San Bernardino, CA
About Alejandro: Alejandro is a first-generation Chicano and former educator who is currently working for First5SanBernardino as Research and Evaluation Analyst. In 2017, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration Entrepreneurship and Supply Chain Management. While attending CSUSB, he was named one of the area’s 30 Most Influential Leaders Under 30 by Assemblywomen Eloise Reyes for his transformational leadership to the San Bernardino community as ASI President. After his tenure at CSUSB, he taught 6th-grade math for two years in Jacksonville, Florida with Teach For America.
About Jorge: Jorge is a co-founder and will be serving as Vice-President for L.O.S. Academy. Jorge is a first generation chicano and an organizational development enthusiast. His organizational skills have taken him to 35 different states in the country representing one of the largest automotive companies in the world. His commitment to development, his community, and philanthropy earned him recognition from the California Senate and Assembly, and the House of Representatives. Jorge’s undergraduate work garnered him recognition from Superintendent of San Bernardino county schools as a first generation student at his graduation.
About Their Idea: Lifting Our Stories (L.O.S.) Academy seeks to inspire and empower male youth of color, ages 14–17 with the intention to close the achievement gap. L.O.S. academy provides leadership development, mentorship, and civic engagement opportunities to boys of color that delivers a pathway to a 4-year university.
Amanda LaPlaca | New Orleans, LA
About Amanda: Amanda LaPlaca is an AMS certified Early Childhood (EC) Montessori teacher at New Orleans public school (Audubon Charter School). Her originally degree/background is in art and design. She did a career change when moving to New Orleans, LA from NYC in 2011. She’s worked in local museums, non-profits, and a variety of schools. Once trained/certified through Houston Montessori Center, she started working as a lead teacher in 2015. She’s also fundraised over $15,000 for her classroom and school through grants and DonorsChoose. Amanda is also an EC coordinator and instructor of a newly formed AMS-MACTE approved Montessori training center.
About Their Idea: Amanda’s goal is to start the first Wildflower Montessori school in New Orleans and form a decentralized Montessori school network by following the 9 Wildflower School Principles: teacher-lead; easily replicated; small/decentralized network; community focused; grass-roots; shop-front; equitable and accessible Montessori education; and aim for it to be free and/or affordable.
Amanuel Seife | Atlanta, GA
About Amanuel: Amanuel is originally from Atlanta, GA and graduated from Boston University majoring in business administration with a concentration in finance in 2017. After graduating, Amanuel went back to Atlanta to work as a consultant with Accenture. His goal in applying for an Essentials Fellowship, among other things, is to help students and young people embrace their diversity and realize the benefits they can derive from it. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, trying new foods, and rooting on all Atlanta sports teams!
About Their Idea: Amanuel wants to empower each student to bring their authentic selves to school each day, building each student’s self esteem and reducing bullying. He hopes to do this by using design thinking methods to teach students of all ages about the importance of inclusion and the value of diversity.
Andrew Lee | Phoenix, AZ
About Andrew: Andrew is a young entrepreneur, professional artist, former teacher, ex-rocket scientist, and educational professional from Phoenix, AZ. He received his M.Ed. in Secondary Education and B.S.E. in Aerospace Engineering. Andrew has experience with Teach for America, Boy Scouts of America (Eagle Scout), Kiwanis International, fluent in Cantonese and Spanish. His purpose in life is to revolutionize the education system to directly help students achieve their goals in life.
About Their Idea: A high school with a holistic curriculum providing students the tools to discover and apply their passions after graduation as professionals while developing their socio-emotional skills, practical life skills, professional network, providing hands-on leadership experience, and preparing them for college.
Angelica Jackson | Charles County, MD
About Angelica: Angelica Jackson is an educational entrepreneur working advocating for working millennial moms and global and arts education.
About Their Idea: PISOTA (Southern Maryland) is an inquiry-based, global arts charter school that leverages a whole child approach to cultivating rural 7–12 grade scholars to be curious, confident, collaborative, & purpose-driven global artists and leaders.
Anna Marschalk-Burns | New Orleans, LA
About Anna: Anna is a writer and educator, with over eight years of experience in the field of K-12 education. As a teacher in Detroit and Brooklyn, she raised the reading achievement of her students, coached other teachers, and piloted social-emotional learning in her classrooms. She has an M.Ed in Educational Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an M.A. in Elementary Education from the Relay Graduate School of Education.
About Their Idea: Read by Three NOLA is a summer ELA intensive for struggling readers grades K-3 led by highly qualified teachers who foster joy, community, and challenge and lead students to transformative summer reading gains.
Annette Dawson Owens | Henderson, Nevada
About Annette: Annette Dawson Owens has a history of advocating for students inside and outside of the classroom. She enthusiastically enjoys being an educator and taught students in Pre-K through middle school. She realizes many students do not have access to a high quality education and this became her mission.Annette serves on a Community Education Advisory Board, Title 1 Committee, School Organizational Teams, and the Education Equity Committee through My Brother’s Keeper. She holds a B.S. in Zoology, two M.Ed’s` in Curriculum and Instruction, and Administration, and has a certificate in Educational Leadership from Georgetown University.
About Their Idea: Change the Trajectory or T² (T squared)’s mission is to make use of students’ natural curiosity to connect with their world and offer an innovative STREAMS Pre-K experience. We work to provide early access for every scholar to gain foundational skills and knowledge necessary to successfully navigate life.
Anthony Oliver | Birmingham, AL
About Anthony: A middle school principal and native of Birmingham, Alabama, Anthony spent six years as a mathematics teacher and coach two years an assistant principal. Before becoming a school leader, he served as Executive Director at Breakthrough Birmingham, an education non-profit dedicated to providing high quality academic programming to underserved students and preparing the next generation of teachers. Anthony holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the Virginia Military Institute, an M.A.E. from UAB, and an Ed. M in School Leadership from Harvard. He is currently pursuing an Ed.D in Leading and Learning in Organizations at Vanderbilt University.
About Their Idea: An open enrollment, high-quality middle school that challenges students academically while developing their social, emotional, coping, and leadership skills.
Arlane Gordon-Bray | Rocky Mount, NC
About Arlane: Arlane is the Director of Special Projects for Aerosafe Risk Management LLC. She has provided strategic management and strategic planning consulting to the Attorney General’s Department of South Australia, the East African Community, and Pittsburgh community organizations. Arlane is now bringing her professional expertise to Rocky Mount, North Carolina transitioning her career to facing the challenges presented by the Future of Work and exploring how we can use this period of disruption for inclusive economic and social change. Arlane holds a B.A. from Virginia Tech and MSPPM from Carnegie Mellon University as a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow.
About Their Idea: Open Innovation Station: A casual open innovation space for youth 15–30 to build 21st century skills, interact with latest tech, incubate, and design their future.
Arlene Perez | Pico Rivera, CA
About Arlene: Raised by two immigrants, Arlene knows the true value of a great education by being a first-generation college graduate. After college, she joined Teach for America as a math teacher. She always advocated for students through math class, robotics, coding and running for school board. She quickly witnessed the lack of teacher input in ed-tech. After teaching, she decided to learn coding through a Facebook Scholarship at Dev Bootcamp in SF. She now works as a software developer for NBCUniversal. Her dream is to bring her tech skills and create technology that helps students and teachers like herself.
About Their Idea: CoCo My College Counselor serves as a personal college counselor. The app keeps underrepresented high school students and their guardians informed about college and events and provides a direct line of communication between families and their counselors in their native language.
Arnecia “LeShea” Newton | Birmingham, AL
About LeShea: Arnecia “LeShea” Newton is a Manager for Teacher Leadership Development with Teach For America. She has worked in education for over 6 years- specifically with students from low-income communities in high needs schools. Originally from Savannah, Ga, LeShea relocated to Alabama after obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Behavior Analysis and Masters in Clinical Social Work. During her time in Alabama LeShea also obtained her Masters in Education and Certifications in Instructional Leadership and School Management. LeShea’s mission is to support and develop opportunities that create transformational career exposure and economic mobility for our future leaders and communities.
About Their Idea: Disengaged learners in Birmingham City’s title-one middle schools need a way to engage with academic learning that is relevant, relatable, rigorous, and responsive. Kreative Schools accomplishes this by providing students with social and career interest-based classes that develop their core content knowledge, hands-on skills, and dispositions necessary to succeed.
Bianca Johnson | Atlanta, GA
About Bianca: Bianca is from Atlanta, Georgia where she currently resides. She is the single mother of one nad is currently a 6th Grade Title 1 Math Teacher. She holds a B.A. in Middle Level Education (Math & ELA) from Georgia State University and is working on her last six weeks of her Master in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University. She has been told that she’s a very optimistic individual that’s willing to take the initiative involving any vision that occurs.
About Their Idea: Jackson Academy is centered around building a school and using educational equity to bridge the gap among students and their educational transitions, teachers, and leadership.
Blanca Ontiveros | Las Cruces, New Mexico
About Blanca: Blanca is an educator and organizer with experience in education and immigration policy. She is a first generation immigrant from Mexico and college graduate. Blanca holds a dual Master’s degree from Northwestern University and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico. In addition, she holds a k-12 Special Education Teaching License. Blanca has dedicated the last 14 years of her life to supporting the equal access to higher education for immigrant and refugee communities in the state of New Mexico and across the country. Her theories of change are grounded on popular education, constructivism and culturally responsive pedagogy.
About Their Idea: “La Tanda Academica” is a system of peer to peer economic support established by the community for university students with economic needs.
Brandon Lee & Mike Marcacci | Los Altos, CA
About Brandon: Brandon has worked in education for 9 years as a teacher and administrator. Throughout that time, he has devoted himself to providing science and engineering education to underserved communities. In Boston, he launched the city’s first elementary engineering program. Afterwards, he launched the engineering program at High Tech Elementary in San Diego. Currently, he works at Khan Lab School, where he runs the curriculum and project development for the whole school. In his free time, Brandon likes to rock climb, bake extravagant cakes, and teach his dog and cat to love each other.
About Mike: Mike is an experienced software engineer, business leader, and an avid adventurer. A biologist and chemist by training, he worked with the Biologos Foundation to promote scientific thinking in communities that are frequently skeptical of the process and often resistant to its findings. With a portfolio of ambitious technical projects, he is passionate about finding problems that can be at least partly addressed with thoughtfully constructed technology.
About Their Idea: By kindergarten, low income and minority students are already lagging behind in science achievement. Brandon and Mike’s goal is to provide parents resources to engage with their students in science in the early childhood and early elementary stages.
Bresean Jenkins & Lucinda Kent | Washington D.C.
About Bresean: Bresean is a Design Educator and community leader in Washington DC. As a Fashion and Costume Designer, he has worked styling and designing clothes for Walt Disney Entertainment, Ebony Magazine, and for numerous entertainment companies across the nation. Bresean has taught fashion and costume design for Hampton University, Coppin State University, and premiered the fashion design program at Baltimore Design School (A Design High School in Baltimore, MD). He currently teaches Art and Design with D.C. Public Schools, where he is the Department Chair at West Education Campus.
About Lucinda: Lucinda “Cindy” M. Kent is a finance and operations strategist for non-profit organizations. A former Certified Public Accountant, Cindy has helped corporations and non profits to be financially viable and sustainable. Her experience as Chief Financial Officer will be invaluable to this educational venture. Her expertise to iDEA team will allow this school to grow steadily and expand appropriately.
About Their Idea: Imagination Design Education Academy (iDEA) will produce design scholars who will create innovative pathways in a global marketplace. This project is a career academy focusing on teaching design thinking as the educational platform. Our goal is to encourage young women and students of color to become leaders in design industry.
Bunmi Esho | Oakland, CA
About Bunmi: Bunmi is the California Executive Director of Techbridge Girls. Prior to TBG, Bunmi lived in Cambodia, leading education programs and managing teams for local nonprofits and schools. Bunmi has 20 years of experience in corporate, nonprofit and education sectors and is an active philanthropist, with past leadership roles with the Urban League of San Diego County, Women Give San Diego and Mission Valley Sunset Rotary Club. She is a member of the San Francisco-based Full Circle Fund. Bunmi holds degrees in chemical engineering and education. She loves road trips and has traveled cross-country through the US and abroad.
About Their Idea: CareerPath is a software tool that helps students gain a positive, first-hand experience into the STEM industry by matching STEM companies with schools that are looking to engage STEM professionals in the classroom or on a field trip.
Cam Perdido & Olivia Gardner | Boulder, CO
About Cam: Cam is a future FilipinX educator, strategist, and activist. As a queer, second-generation FilipinX-Texan, Cam pursues education equity through intersectional antiracism. Through local Colorado and international nonprofits, Cam gained experience in nonprofit management, facilitation, youth community organizing, fundraising, and cultivating equity-centered leaders. In May 2020, Cam graduates from the University of Colorado Boulder with a B.A. in Psychology and Leadership Studies minor. After graduation, Cam will continue as a Special Education teacher and co-founder of Transformative Teach. Cam is committed to building alliances between underrepresented folx and influential decision-makers, cultivating youth agency, and shaping the legacy of education equity.
About Olivia: Olivia is a collaborator, organizer, and writer. Olivia is dedicated to the work of intersectional justice. Through leadership in student-led movements to working with local nonprofits, Olivia has learned the importance of facilitation, dialogue, youth organizing, strength-based leading, and community engagement. Olivia graduates from the University of Colorado — Boulder, in Spring 2020, with a B.A. in Ethnic Studies and Women & Gender Studies and Leadership Studies minor. Upon graduation, Olivia will seek to enroll in law school and continue with the work of Transformative Teach
About Their Idea: Transformative Teach (TT) believes that every young person and equitable leader has a place in the classroom, not in a prison. TT is an online, module-format platform that equips education stakeholders to unpack implicit bias and practice School-to-Prison-Pipeline prevention strategies.
Carly Highsmith | Secaucus, NJ
About Carly: Carly has over 14 plus years of education nonprofit experience. Most recently Carly oversaw program implementation for iMentor NYC as Program Director. Prior to that she spent 4 ½ years as the Director of Leadership and Management on the national Learning and Development team at Teach For America where she successfully managed the design, planning and execution of professional development programs for staff. Her experience also includes two school leadership positions as the Director of Human Resources for a Philadelphia charter school and Director of Operations for a Harlem Village Academies in NYC. Carly has Master of Public Administration from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service with a concentration in Nonprofit Management.
About Their Idea: Passport For Change creates opportunities and experiences for youth living in poverty to emerge as public service leaders. Youth explore their purpose, build leadership skills and identify pathways to create change by engaging in service learning, workshops and travel experiences in the United States and abroad.
Cescily Phillips | Kansas City, MO
About Cescily: Originally from Chicago, IL, Cescily is a passionate wife, mother, and educator. Growing up, Cescily experienced first hand the impact that amazing people and programs could have on your life. An alumna of the University of Missouri, Cescily holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education. Having taught both middle and high school English and Theatre, Cescily is in her tenth year in education. Currently serving as Dean of Students at a charter school in Kansas City, MO, Cescily believes that with the right tools and experiences, young people are capable of anything.
About Their Idea: Inspired Aesthetics provides free after school arts programming and mentoring for high school students. Our programs meet five days a week and are taught by professional artists. Providing a safe space, high quality creative and performing arts training, and the opportunity for teens to tell their stories through art.
Chrissie Vroome Knous | Denver, CO
About Chrissie: Chrissie Vroome Knous is a middle school educator from Philadelphia, PA. She has a B.A. in English and an M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania and is a certified Mindfulness teacher. She currently serves as a Student Support Specialist at the International School of Denver, a PK-8 language immersion school. Chrissie met her husband and co-founder, Bill, while crossing a street called Gran Via in Spain in 2008. Since then, they have lived and taught together in Spain, the U.S.A., and Colombia, adding on a few family members — a son, Liam, and dog, Paz — along the way.
About Their Idea: Gran Via Education brings Mindfulness to middle schoolers through experiential learning. By interacting with nature, culture, and each other, youth will develop the social and emotional skills needed to succeed in school and beyond.
Corrie Price | Asheville, NC
About Corrie: Corrie intentionally weaves lived experiences into innovative early learning solutions. Her teaching and coaching experience led her to specialize in 21st-Century Learning, instructional technology, and personalized self-development through play and passions. She champions social learning, transformative justice, identity-safe classrooms, and community and parental engagement. She is a Starting Bloc Fellow and the Directress of Evolve Early Learning CommUnity Preschool. Dedicated to closing the opportunity gap, she partners with families, schools, and allies to create a network of care. She plans to leverage the power of intentional technology, natural learning, and gratitude to create a compassionate, peaceful, and sustainable world.
About Their Idea: Evolve Aftercare partners with families, students, schools and the community to develop meaningful and transformational experiences and relationships during out-of-school times. Together we smooth transitions to ensure all children are able to avoid the gaps. Together we build bridges across the opportunity gap.
Danica Richards | Philadelphia, PA
About Danica: Danica is a licensed social worker (LSW), currently working as a Program Associate for a think tank, where she works on projects related to Social Determinants of Health (ex. education, trauma, housing). She recently completed her Masters of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania School for Social Policy & Practice. Danica completed her undergraduate degree at Amherst College. She was also an Education Pioneer Fellow in Summer 2018 at Christina Seix Academy, in Trenton, NJ.
About Their Idea: a person-centered, trauma-informed education that focuses explicitly on racial identity, mental health, and resiliency.
David Street | Washington, D.C.
About David: David is a native of Washington, D.C. and serves as the Director of Grassroots Organizing for the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) where he works with community leaders, policymakers and financial institutions to champion fairness in banking, housing and business. Street also serves as the Executive Director for P.E.N. (Promote, Enrich and Nurture) DMV, a non-profit that specializes in mentoring and social media training for middle and high school youth living in Washington, D.C. Street received his Bachelors in Political Science from North Carolina A & T State University and holds a Masters in Theology from Wesley Theological Seminary.
About Their Idea: Our work here in Washington, D.C. promotes “digital citizenship” among students and teachers. We use social media platforms as a lens to teach students soft skills such as: leadership, decision making, conflict resolution. We work with teachers to highlight best practices when using social media in the classroom.
Debbie Lin | Seattle, WA
About Debbie: Debbie is an IT Professional in the Seattle area who had the good luck to grow up in Hawaii. For the past few years she had several ideas about how we might improve our education and political systems buzzing around in her head, but she hasn't known how to go about implementing them — She is really looking forward to the process and experience around implementing one of these ideas and eventually gaining momentum toward implementing some of the other ideas.
About Their Idea: MoneyLit interactively teaches the basics of financial literacy and money management to people of all ages, from understanding Needs vs Wants, to unit/sale pricing, to compounding interest, and to credit & loans.
Derrick Bass | Houston, TX
About Derrick: Derrick is a ten-year urban educator, who is passionate about the academic and social-emotional development of black children. Derrick obtained his undergraduate degree from Chicago State University in Criminal Justice. He then went on to earn three master’s degrees in Business Administration, Teaching, and Educational Leadership. He is a life-long learner who has participated in various leadership development programs to help enhance his professional toolset and network. Derrick has participated in the Harvard University Graduate School of Education Academy of Urban School Leadership, YES Prep Public Schools Leading Excellence Development program, and New Leaders: Emerging Leaders Program.
About Their Idea: Dream to Inspire Academy is a dynamic charter school, that will build and expand the academic, athletic, and fine art skills of its students through a rigorous academic and cultivating program
DeShaunya Ware | New Orleans, LA
About DeShaunya: DeShaunya grew up in central St. Louis, Missouri and attended high-poverty public schools. DeShaunya is a graduate of the University of Missouri in Columbia. She is a founder and leader of Concerned Student 1950, a student movement whose peaceful protest brought down the University of Missouri System President. During this turmoil, she was featured in documentaries and quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education as the leading voice and advocate for the organization. DeShaunya enjoys teaching and learning. She taught 5th and 6th grade as well as early childhood and high school settings.
About Their Idea: Renee’s Academy of Learning works to provide all families with affordable, equitable, and high-quality instruction for children ages 0–5 years old. We strengthen our community by using literacy as the cornerstone of freedom and empowering children to reach their full potential upon entrance into kindergarten.
Domini Bryant | Houston, TX
About Domini: Domini is the Program Director of Inspired Learning Institute at Gregg Street. She is an award-winning social service professional with over 20 years of experience and a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Indiana University. As a recipient of the William M Plater Civic Engagement Medallion for Excellence, Domini has a long-standing commitment to advocating for and empowering vulnerable communities.
About Their Idea: Trained 2 Go!, powered by Inspired Learning Institute, specializes in providing an experiential learning environment that focuses on the learning style and social emotional needs of the youth. Youth ages 13–24 have access to a customized learning plan, a hands on skills training plan and a paid apprenticeship
Donna Lewis | Granada Hills, CA
About Donna: Donna has served as a K-12 Teacher of Entrepreneurship, Computer Software Applications & Law within a system that has marginalized, ostracized and oftentimes left-behind kids across a wide swath of the socio-economic spectrum. Further, as an Advisor/Administrator, Donna thought deeply about designing more equitable and accessible educational experiences for K-12 students using Entrepreneurship along English, World and Technical Languages as a backdrop. Donna wants to employ her B.S. in Business Administration/Information Systems; J.D.; M.A. in Education-Pedagogy; and EdD in Educational Leadership-Educational Psychology to usher kids into a 21st century landscape where they can compete with global peers using ETHOS Schools to transform their trajectory.
About Their Idea: ETHOS Trip Prep will serve as a transformative educational model/system that removes racial isolation and socio-economic class to prepare/empower students to compete with their global peers using an entrepreneurial mindset to drive innovative thinking coupled with English, World and Technical Languages as pillars to support project based multidisciplinary inquiry-driven learning.
Ed Stanford | Hyannis, MA
About Ed: Ed has always been fascinated by what engages (and doesn’t engage) each individual’s interest because learning and enjoyment begin when we focus all our senses and faculties. In that moment, you can see learning and enjoyment happening. The sparks that ignites these moments are diverse and unpredictable. Over the past 25 years Ed has enjoyed exploring content as varied as visual art, chemistry, woodworking, communication skills, and the Montessori curriculum with children of every age from 13 months to 18 years in settings as varied as tutoring, day camps, summer camps, preschools, private and public schools on four continents.
About Their Idea: Sage Montessori strives to make Montessori education a realistic option for all families.
Elana Jenkins | Bowie, Maryland
About Elana: Elana is a life-long learner, educator, and youth development professional committed to empowering and enriching the lives of her students and community through education. She is a wife, mother, and graduate of Howard University. In her free time she enjoys reading, organizing community events, and relaxing at the beach.
About Their Idea: KTS Learning Center is an educational enrichment center which increases the self-awareness, critical-thinking, problem solving skills, and academic resilience in communities of color by providing dynamic, experiential, and culturally relevant learning experiences for students.
Eliza Harris | Belmont, MA
About Eliza: Eliza is originally from San Antonio, TX and is a proud Teach for America San Antonio alumna. She taught 7th and 8th grade reading in the same public school district that served her family for generations. Eliza was selected as an inaugural Master Teacher in San Antonio ISD and lead the English Language Arts department as Department Chair. Her hope is to influence change in new teachers and shape their dispositions toward critically conscious pedagogy. She is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Language and Literacy with an emphasis on literacy coaching at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
About Their Idea: Our team develops high-quality, culturally responsive curricula that is openly-licenced and freely accessible. We also facilitate learning for teachers to implement our materials and become culturally responsive practitioners.
Elston Bell, Jr. | Brooklyn, NY
About Elston: Elston is a New York native and Brooklyn born and raised. He attended a boarding high school in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire and recently graduated from UCLA. Elston is extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to live and learn in various places. Education is one of his many passions. He loves to learn and believes everyone should have access to quality education. Elston is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, which is a historically black Greek-letter organization and his Myers Briggs is INTJ.
About Their Idea: In a world where media creates, controls and perpetuates a narrow perception of the Black male experience, Black.Boys.Lit allows Black boys to explore and unpack their triumphs and traumas, reflect on life lessons, assert their values and aspirations, and discuss how they have learned to navigate this world.
Felicia Freeman | Greensboro, NC
About Felicia: Felicia has been working in the field of education since 2005. She has a B.S. in Elementary Education, a Lower Elementary Montessori Certification, and a Masters in School Administration. She is currently working on a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Felicia has primarily worked in Title I schools, and has spent one year in a charter school.
About Their Idea: Felicia’s goal is to create a problem-based STEMSSORI lab, using Montessori and natural materials, in which students and families use real world problems (world hunger, access to clean water, lack of electricity, providing clean food at affordable prices) to discover gifts, empower their learning, and engage in critical thinking processes.
Gabriel Reyes | New York, NY
About Gabriel: Gabriel is a recent first-generation college graduate from Brown University with an Sc.B. in Cognitive Neuroscience, and a current student at Columbia University studying Neuroscience & Education. Born in an immigrant household and reared in poverty, Gabriel is interested in exploring how socioeconomic status impacts brain development and how this impacts neural learning mechanisms. He hopes his scientific discoveries influence schools to better teach low-income students of color while also tackling systemic forces that prohibit marginalized students from progression socially, academically, and professionally. Currently living in NYC, I enjoy reading, writing, and finding the best Hispanic food in Harlem.
About Their Idea: Gabriel’s goal is to train undocumented, queer, low-income students of color from under-resourced schools to become our next data scientists!
Hai Truong | Orange, CA
About Hai: Hai is a marketer and writer by day, and podcast producer by night. He spent many years in higher-ed, working with hundreds of students grades 7–12 and in jobs ranging from construction to recruiting. When not with family, Hai mentors students and engages his community through creative projects. Raised by a single mom who raised two sons as a Vietnamese-refugee, Hai has experienced many of same the challenges of my students. Graduating into the recession taught him to navigate access, acceptance, and resources for the communities he serves. NPR, RuPaul, D’Angelo, Foo Fighters, Ella Fitzgerald, and Missy Elliott give him life.
About Their Idea: Journeymxn podcast is a podcast series to explore skilled trades and careers you may have heard of. We show you how to get started as a professional through conversations with experts from all walks of life breaking it down step by step.
Hannah Imberman | New Orleans, LA
About Hannah: Hannah was born and raised outside of Miami Beach, Florida in a low-income home. After beginning as a Daisy in Girl Scouts, she never looked back from a life of service. Since coming to New Orleans in 2012, Hannah has fallen in love with the city. She has been all over the world, as an au pair in China and running a makeshift school in rural Honduras, but something always calls her home. Hannah is in her last year of college at Tulane, hoping to get a B.A. and teaching certification.
About Their Idea: The A.C.H.I.E.V.E. Collective — The idea is to strengthen and empower New Orleans youth by designing and implementing enrichment programs that provide hands-on learning experiences and community involvement. The initial programs is an ACHIEVE winter/summer camp. The camp is centered on STEAM education through the lens of community service.
Harriette Gibbs & Norris Goode Jr. | Baltimore, MD
About Harriette: Harriette is a 25-year veteran special educator, currently serving as IEP Chairperson for Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Baltimore, Maryland. She is also the founder and CEO of The Howard and Elizabeth Caldwell Foundation. Harriette is extremely passionate about creating equity within the school system for students with and without disabilities. She is here to disrupt the school to prison pipeline by helping disenfranchised youth in the inner city of Baltimore see their potential, graduate high school, and pursue a career or higher education.
About Norris: Norris is a man who loves God, his family, sports and impacting the many lives of youth that he interacts with daily. He works full time as a PRP (Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program) Counselor for an Outpatient Mental Health Center named “A Better Tomorrow Starts Today”. He is currently studying to get his Masters in Social Work and planning with his non-profit organization to provide resources and assistance to the youth of Baltimore.
About Their Idea: The Goode Supply Closet aims to improve student attendance and academic performance by partnering with schools and parents to remove personal and educational barriers.
Jamilah Shakir | Atlanta, GA
About Jamilah: With professional experience, education, training, and certificates in Alcohol and Drug Prevention and Education, Darkness to Light, coping skills, life skills, counseling, and yoga, Jamilah supports in the personal transformation of individuals, families, and communities worldwide. Sacred Health Movement is on a mission to make yoga, meditation, and coping skills accessible, affordable, and attainable to marginalized communities. We experience 30+ years of service worldwide. We are committed to keeping yoga as simple and beautiful as it is intended by providing service in schools, community organizations, retreats, one on one yoga sessions, and healing circles worldwide.
About Their Idea: Genius Sparks is a program for middle/high school students. We address untreated mental health disorders that interfere with their ability to receive education. Our comprehensive program supports the whole child through yoga, meditation, coping skills, and relationship building with school staff, family, and community.
Jamilla Webb | New Orleans, LA
About Jamilla: Jamilla Webb, BSN, RN is a Public Health Nurse, certified doula and writer based in New Orleans. She serves as a Clinical Nursing Associate at the Crescent Care Sexual Health Center and is the founder of HER Health Nurse, LLC. As a recurring contributor to ANTIGRAVITY Magazine and various other outlets, her writing centers the intersection of women’s health, reproductive rights and social justice. She values compassion, empathy and equity and passionately pours each of these values into every article she writes and client she serves.
About Their Idea: HER Health Nurse empowers girls and young women to protect and maintain their reproductive health. HER stands for “health” “education” and “reproductive justice.” By providing evidence-based health education, my clients are empowered to make reproductive health choices with confidence.
Jennifer Larino | New Orleans, LA
About Jennifer: Jennifer is a journalist with a decade of experience covering news in New Orleans. She most recently served as a lead reporter at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune where she covered business and helped manage the newsroom’s 14-person breaking news team. Previously, she worked as managing editor at New Orleans CityBusiness. Her work has appeared in national and local media outlets, including Entrepreneur Magazine, American City Business Journals, and the Orlando Sentinel. She is a 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, where she studied journalism, and a Dow Jones News Fund Business Reporting program alumna.
About Their Idea: Lede New Orleans — We bring journalists and young people in New Orleans together to create media that is equitable, impactful and distinctly local. Our big goal? To build a local journalism community that looks like and reflects the community it serves.
Jessica Falkenthal | San Francisco
About Jessica: Jessica leads community-building and growth marketing for education ventures, schools and nonprofits. She currently serves on the SXSWEDU Launch Advisory Board and CUE San Francisco Board. For the past six years, Jessica has been building communities that bring together educators and entrepreneurs in San Francisco. Jessica coaches early-stage education entrepreneurs, has managed more than a dozen online learning communities, led growth of the Startup Weekend Education program worldwide, led PD workshops for hundreds of educators, and designed technology programs for BGCA and 4-H Youth Development. She is a community organizer for 4-H and Startup Weekend Education SF.
About Their Idea: Collab Club is a local gathering of energetic educators, parents and fellow innovators who are sharing, caring, collaborating and co-designing education innovation with the San Francisco education community. We provide community, cohort, educational programming.
Joanie Lamb | Asheville, NC
About Joanie: Currently the Director of the Center for Inspired Education, Joanie has devoted her professional life to working with neurodiverse students, their parents and teachers. The purpose of CIE is to inspire students, teachers, and parents who are neurodiverse, or work with the neurodiverse, to live an inspired life. Joanie received her Master’s in Special Education (K-12) from Boston College, and her undergraduate degrees in Elementary Education, Special Education (K-6), and Philosophy from Boston College. She has taught in public and private settings for over 27 years. Two of her three boys have dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD.
About Their Idea: The Middle Way School is a school that will meet the needs of ALL students who learn differently in our area. Right now in our community those parents who can pay get the help their learners need. This is not just. All students should be able to receive this level of quality.
JohnMark Edwards | Birmingham, Alabama
About JohnMark: JohnMark split his childhood between Oak Park, Illinois and Costa Rica. In 2003, he moved to Birmingham to attend Samford. While at Samford, he developed a passion for education, history, and cross-cultural experiences. For the past decade, JohnMark has been teaching and coaching middle schoolers at Phillips Academy in Birmingham, honing the art and science of teaching and learning. For the 2017–2018 school year, he worked as a Teacher-Resident for Samford, getting the opportunity to teach teachers. Most recently, JohnMark graduated from Vanderbilt with an EdD in Educational Leadership and is currently the STEAM Coordinator for Birmingham’s first STEAM school.
About Their Idea:The core of schools should be learning and relationships. Why then does our district cling to the old authoritarian model of discipline? Restorative Justice for All is a charter school centered around a restorative justice model — one that seeks to heal and restore rather than shame and punish.
Karen Ravago-Ballaret | Oxnard, CA
About Karen: Karen has worked with diverse, first-generation college students at a number of universities throughout the country. She has a background in career counseling, graduate/professional school admissions, alumni affairs, and project management. The youngest daughter of immigrants from the Philippines, she was born in Hawaii and grew up on Navy bases around the world. She is passionate about issues related to education and mental health for first-generation students. Karen holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Southern California (USC), an MA in Higher Education Administration from Boston College, and an EdD in Educational Leadership from USC.
About Their Idea: We are connecting first-generation high school and college students for mentoring opportunities. College students will serve as role models to share their experiences with high school students and improve their college and career outcomes.
Kayisha Edwards | Baltimore, MD
About Kayisha: Kayisha is a woman evolving into her purpose-driven life. Born and raised in Baltimore City, Kayisha has worked in the education field over the past 10 years in a myriad of positions. Using the experiences gained as an undergrad at Notre Dame of MD University, a graduate student at Towson University, and many other invaluable experiences as an instructional aide, assistant teacher, special educator and mother of 2 boisterous boys, Kayisha is on her way to making even more of an impact in the lives of the youth and families in Baltimore.
About Their Idea: Achieve Your Purpose Academy (AYPA) — AYPA exposes youth to opportunities to analyze experiences from the inside out, not just externally. AYPA students explore purpose, access literacy as a guide, establish purposeful relationships, function within a values-based classroom, manage conflict within themselves and with others, set and respect others’ boundaries and increase self-efficacy.
Keyla Marte | Manhattan (East Harlem), New York
About Keyla: Strong, empowering, inspiring are some of the words to characterize, Keyla Marte. She is a proud Latina, single-parent raised, first-generation college graduate, who strives to redefine societal norms. Keyla has always been a rebel. It began in high school when she learned her High School was among the several throughout New York City to shut down. Her community organizing efforts against school closures, gain successful media attention and she was featured in The New York Times SchoolBook, Democracy Now, CW11 and NY1. This experience helped cultivate her passion for education reform.
About Their Idea: Gettin’ Free — My idea is to develop a hub called “Gettin’ Free” whose vision is a world in which everyone is truly free. The mission is to provide school, organizations and community foundations with training that challenge racial bias, promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
Kyle Kenan & Pamela Williams — Houston, TX
About Kyle: Kyle received his B.S in Mathematics at Moorehouse College in Atlanta, GA, and his M.S in Educational Leadership at Columbia University in New York. Currently, he serves as a Dean of Students at Yes Prep Southside in Houston, Texas. As a teacher, he loved introducing students to the world of science and technology. He pioneered the school’s first robotics team and led the charge for Engineering and Computer Science courses to be implemented district-wide. His love for STEM and students has led him to create a space for students to create and develop college-ready skills.
About Pamela: Pamela Williams graduated with a B.S in Biology at Baylor University and an M.S in Educational Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Currently, she serves as the Computer Science Content Lead at KIPP Texas Public Schools — Houston. In her tenure at KIPP, she has worked hard to promote the Computer Science for All initiative and has double the enrollment of females in Engineering and Computer Science courses. She is a robotics coach and trains teachers from various Houston schools.
About Their Idea: Amanitore Collaborative Makerspace is a haven for students in low-income areas. ACM bridges the diversity gap in STEM fields while promoting identity awareness. By using culturally relevant pedagogy and data-driven instruction, ACM aims to change the trajectory for every student that joins the tribe.
LaKisha Hawkins | Missouri City, Texas
About LaKisha: LaKisha is currently an elementary school curriculum specialist and a doctoral student at the University of Houston. She has served in the field of K-12 education for 14 years, and Higher Ed for 9 years.
About Their Idea: Learning Through Play Professional Development is a program to go into childcare centers that operate in low-income neighborhoods and train the directors and teachers in a simple curriculum of learning through play that would allow for learning emergent literacy skills through play and discovery in everyday dramatic play centers and small groups.
LaShaune Stitt | Baltimore, MD
About LaShaune: LaShaune is a former middle and high school literacy teacher in urban public schools throughout New York and Richmond. She was an AP in a Baltimore alternative high and Pre K-8 school. Her past five years have been spent as a Developmental Literacy and College Readiness professor. With almost 23 years in various educational capacities, LaShaune’s most treasured accomplishment was serving as a proposal writer, presenter, and curriculum writer for an all-male high school in the Bronx, NY. Her passion for education is driven by the communities she serves and creating a culturally responsive environment for critical thinkers and change agents.
About Their Idea: Kings Academy of Leadership and Civic Duty is a learning environment centered around equitably and emotionally educating black and brown young men. It is a school grounded in a culture of excellence in academics, an increased self-awareness, and providing an environment to foster meaningful relationships in the home and community.
Lauren Jordan | Washington, D.C.
About Lauren: Lauren envisions a world where people have an awareness of themselves, their identities, and their communities; hope that the world can improve; and confidence to be a part of that change. She enacts this vision in her work as the Program Director for Seeding Social Innovation at LearnServe, a non-profit that equips youth in social entrepreneurship. Her path includes, the University of Michigan, Paolo Freire, City Year, NYU, Ashinaga, and Robofest. These experiences have catalyzed her questions to those who would rather complain about the world: what are you going to do about it and how can I help?
About Their Idea: This program aims to help youth to increase their hope and trust in their community through leadership development and social action.
Lee Pruett | San Jose, CA
About Lee: Lee is a former science teacher and current school psychologist who is a mom to a student with a learning disability. Lee believes passionately in the power of educational institutions to respond to and uplift communities. Her role in her school district is to advocate for the most vulnerable students and ensure that their educational needs are being met. When Lee is not thinking about special education and working on building partnerships between the school and community, she like to do crafty things and watch movies.
About Their Idea: Home Rapport is an app to improve parents’ capacity to implement academic and behavioral interventions at home. This app will be able to push out evidence-based interventions and behavioral strategies based on a student’s area of need. This information will be supported training at school sites for parents to ask questions, or share data.
Martha Castillo | Los Angeles, CA
About Martha: Martha is an Educational Consultant and owner at Seeds of Grit Educational Services. Prior to launching her consulting business, she served as a special education teacher in the Bronx New York and later moved back to her native Los Angeles to work at a local non-profit as a College Counselor, helping foster youth make a successful transition to college. As a first-generation college student, diagnosed with a learning disability while attending community college, she is familiar with the challenges first-generation students face when transitioning to college. Martha has dedicated her career to closing the equity gap in education.
About Their Idea: Research-based virtual group advising solutions for students of color from experienced first-generation college advisor of color to create an inclusive learning environment for marginalized youth using a strength-based advising and group counseling framework.
Max Smith | Atlanta, GA
About Max: Max is a 12th Grade Economics Teacher at Carver High School in Atlanta Public Schools. He serves as the Grade Level Chair and sits on the school’s GO Team (the district’s version of a local school board). Max started his career in education as a 2012 Teach For America Corps Member at the school where he continues teaching today. He holds a Master’s in School Leadership with a concentration in School Development from Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is passionate about reimagining high school for the 21st century.
About Their Idea: The Iterative School is a collaborative, responsive, student-centered learning community. Through iterative learning cycles, students develop agency, self-knowledge, and the 21st century skills necessary to have a thriving future and advance our community
Megan Stevens | Indianapolis, Indiana
About Megan: In November of 2014, Megan Stevens founded Always Making Progress (AMP), Inc. Through AMP, Megan has had the privilege and opportunity to impact the lives of over 350 students. Through programming that teaches academic enrichment and entrepreneurship, AMP seeks to promote, encourage, and enhance youth. Megan continues to work to grow and expand the reach of AMP throughout the city of Indianapolis by fulfilling the organizational mission. She strives to be exhibit her mantra of “In everything I do, I must always make progress” in both her personal and professional endeavors
About Their Idea: This idea combines academics and entrepreneurship while promoting creativity and ingenuity to inspire students to be change-makers. The Meraki Studio is a redesign on the shared work space. This studio is designed specifically for middle and high school students to explore the concept of entrepreneurship while integrating their every day academic concepts.
Meghna Sohoni | Minneapolis, Minnesota
About Meghna: After graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in political science from the University of Minnesota, Meghna joined Teach For America. During that time, she was recognized by Teach For America for excellence in teaching and selected as a Legislative Advocacy Fellow with Educators 4 Excellence. Currently, Meghna serves as the Director of Systems Impact with Teach For America where she curates lessons learned about what drives progress in systems change across the nation. Outside of work, Meghna is the Co-Chair of a Teach For America alumni of color association board and enjoys running, listening to podcasts, and reading.
About Their Idea: Empower Beyond activates and empowers the voices of marginalized and disenfranchised collegiate students to navigate college bureaucracy, advocate with policy makers, and challenge existing college systems while providing programming to succeed in college and beyond.
Miriam Moore | Chelsea, AL
About Miriam: Miriam is a dedicated educator committed to ensuring students and families have positive school experiences. A native of Mobile, AL, Miriam left corporate America in exchange for the classroom. Her goal was to end the epidemic of producing mathematically injured students. With the help of some amazing fellow educators, Miriam has seen success in changing the course of several failing schools. During her tenure as a math teacher she earned her Master of Arts in Education and Educational Specialist degrees in Educational Leadership from the UAB. Miriam currently serves at the 11th grade administrator at Hoover High School.
About Their Idea: Everyone doesn’t go to college or play a sport. This educational opportunity marries entrepreneurship and industry credentials. Become the master of your own destiny. Turn your passion into your career and never have to work a day in your life.
Mirla Urzua | Long Beach, California
About Mirla: In 2007, Mirla started her career as a 2nd grade teacher in Los Angeles. After graduating from Harvard University, she decided to join Teach For America to reconnect with her community and provide the same educational opportunities for other low-income students that were provided to her growing up as a Mexican immigrant attending public schools. Eventually, she transitioned to a career in talent acquisition within education where she found her passion selecting the strongest educators for our children. She also has a M.A. in Education and an MBA and I am not done growing as an education professional.
About Their Idea: ForwardEd move STEM education forward by creating larger pipelines of STEM educators to lead our classrooms. ForwardEd finds content experts in STEM and supports them to be able to legally teach in California.
Natasha Lopez | Cambridge, MA
About Natasha: Natasha is the Manager of College Counseling and Programs for a Boston Public School (BPS). As an educator, Natasha is experienced in helping underserved middle school, high school and college students navigate college access opportunities. As a first generation student from New York City, Natasha’s passion is to increase college graduation rates among students from low income backgrounds. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a concentration in Global and Regional studies from Babson College (cum laude) and a Master of Education degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
About Their Idea: CollegeConnect is a mobile application that provides a comprehensive and individualized college counseling curriculum, serves as a single location for organizing and storing college application materials, and creates a collaborative space for a student’s support network to monitor their progress and provide feedback and support on their college application process.
Nathaniel Turner, J.D. | Indianapolis, IN
About Nathaniel: Nathaniel is the author of multiple books, including the history-making Raising Supaman. Turner’s books, videos, speeches (including TED Talk), and workshops empower countless people. Nate holds numerous degrees: Accounting (Bachelors), History & Theology (Masters), and Juris Doctor. The diversity of his education, combined with a wide range of personal experiences and professions make him a modern-day renaissance man. Nate’s been privileged to speak at some of America’s top universities and corporations. Business, government, and community leaders value his out-the-box perspective. Parents and guardians count on him for genuine and timely counsel.
About Their Idea: The Life Template AKA Khan Academy meets Google Maps is a transformative approach to child-rearing and early childhood education. The Life Template because every child deserves super first teachers and is entitled to a great head start.
Nathaniel Gurland | Westfield, NJ
About Nathaniel: Nathaniel is a freshman in high school, but is a kid who gets a lot done. He built a brick path to his front door (literally) brick by brick. No one said a kid his age could do it, but he watched videos on how, asked and tried until he got the job done. Nathaniel is not a superstar in school, but he has big dreams and when he set my mind to something, it’s as good as done.
About Their Idea: An egalitarian eating club — a lunch table with table cloths and good food where students and teachers sit in mutual respect and practice the social and emotional skills that allow for sharing values, and learning to see each other as connected, caring partners in building shared community.
Neetal Parekh | San Francisco, CA
About Neetal: Neetal is a social impact ecosystem builder with training in law, storytelling, digital strategy, curriculum development, and social enterprise. She is the author of “51 Questions on Social Entrepreneurship,” host of The Impact Podcast by Innov8social, facilitator, and convener of social impact events.
About Their Idea: Sure, you’ve heard of hackathons for adults…but what about a unique, fun, empowering hackathon-style experience for kids aged 3–5? Through play, teamwork, and brainstorming– we are empowering our youngest learners with a problemsolving mindset.
Nia DeCoux | New Orleans, LA
About Nia: Nia is a writer, educator, and activist who believes that when done well, storytelling and teaching become the same practice. Her work has been honored by both the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and the National Black Arts Festival. She is a native of rural Louisiana, and her work has taken her all over the world, including Atlanta, Detroit, Oakland, New York, Belize, and Honduras. She’s excited to help shape and be shaped by the 4.0 community. Nia loves secondhand shops, trying new foods, and those unexpectedly fascinating conversations you have with strangers on a bus.
About Their Idea: The Untold Project pairs young writers with an elder from their neighborhood. With the help of a writing coach, the team works to create a book-length biography of the elder.
Zachary Patton & Nneka Gigi | Los Angeles, California
About Zach: Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Zach is a designer and photographer currently residing in Los Angeles. He launched his career as a creative entrepreneur in 2009 when he founded the first black owned skateboarding company and retail space in Western New York. Since then, he’s left his mark on a handful of other industries such as hip hop, education and technology. Additionally, Zach is an advocate for financial literacy, black ownership, K-5 education, prison reform and mental health in the digital era.
About Nneka: Nneka Gigi is a Nigerian Multimedia Visual Artist out of Los Angeles, CA. Her work utilizes themes such as Afrofuturism and 90s Nostalgia with a particular focus on her Nigerian identity and Cultural Pride. One of the aims of her work is to reverse negative stigmas and redefine what it means to be a Black Woman and an agent of sustainable change in today’s systematically oppressive socio political environment. As a hair sculpturist, painter, and educator, Gigi constantly seeks out ways to impact local and global communities and inspire future generations. She’s currently curating Kwenu; a summer program for elementary kids of color in South L.A. It launches Summer 2020 with the help of her partner, Zach Patton.
About Their Idea: Kwenu is a summer educational program geared towards closing the achievement and economic gap that affects the Black community by investing in the elementary learning experience while combating identity oppression in traditional educational spaces.
Noelle Carson | Atlanta, GA
About Noelle: Noelle graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelors degree in Psychology and a Masters degree in Counseling and Counselor Education. She has a background in both education and mental health as a Licensed School Counselor and LMHCA. In relation to education, Noelle has worked in school counseling, teaching, and as a School Based Mental Health Therapist. Noelle currently works for a school district in Indiana, providing behavioral interventions in schools for the Special Education Department. In creating Inception, she hopes to combine her passion for education and mental health, by delivering effective and sustainable resources to underrepresented communities.
About Their Idea: Inception provides trauma informed, educational based support to minority students, within public schools. The program will decrease the overrepresentation of minorities in special education by providing school based services to high needs schools: counseling, parent education, and intensive academic support, designed to help minority students succeed emotionally, mentally, and academically.
Norma Velasquez | Houston, TX
About Norma: Working in the community for the past 16 years, the needs of children have come first and foremost for Norma. Back in the early 80’s, she realized there was no difference between the children in schools presently and the herself. The drive started to assist children from a specific background, but through the daily interactions and widening the expanse of experience, the realization has developed that what benefits one demographic, usually benefits others. It is this alliance, that has developed from the love of all children, that has the most potential to positively impact those considered “at risk”.
About Their Idea: Working smarter AND harder by aligning existing resources to form a transitional framework between schools and early childhood is the purpose of SERA. We support strategic partnerships in a community to ensure alignment between areas of need to help children and schools be successful.
Marcela Andrés | Pflugerville, Texas
About Marcela: Marcela is an architect of dreams and one of her deepest beliefs is the power of family engagement in the life of every child. Marcela serves as the President and CEO of designEDengagement, PBC an education consulting company relentlessly dedicated to ensuring families and educators have the tools they need to support, monitor, and advocate for the hopes and dreams of their kids. Marcela is a graduate of Saint Edward’s University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Harvard Graduate School of Education with a Master’s in Education.
About Their Idea: engageUp is a two-way client relationship management (CRM) system that empowers families and educators to actively support, monitor, and advocate for the hopes and dreams of students.
Patrice Berry | Oakland, CA
About Patrice: Patrice is an Executive Advisor in Oakland’s Office of Mayor Libby Schaaf, where she is building an equity-focused postsecondary success strategy that emphasizes the importance of community-driven, cross-sector collaboration, and technology that meets young people where they are. Before the Mayor’s Office, Patrice was the Director of College Track East Palo Alto, and served Philadelphia students as a community-school director and college advisor. Patrice earned her BA from Swarthmore College and holds an MEd from the University of Pennsylvania. She currently serves on the Board for the Prison University Project and Moneythink.
About Their Idea: A virtual assistant that guides young adults to the information and resources they need to prepare for life after high school, and enables counselors and other service providers to manage responsive communication at scale.
Phan Furman | San Francisco, California
About Phan: Phan’s interest in solving inequities and the achievement gap led her to study Education Studies with a concentration in History/Policy at Brown University. During college, she interned in a New York City public school, where she found her passion for teaching when she tried to explain ratios to 5th graders. After college, Phan pursued a Master Degree in Education with a teaching credential at Stanford University. She has been teaching elementary school for six years in a variety of settings: 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade, low and high socioeconomic status schools, as well as using teacher-centered and student-centered curriculum.
About Their Idea: People think that the “new” or Common Core math is confusing, but it builds foundational skills that support algebraic thinking in middle school and beyond. It cultivates 21st century skills like defending and critiquing arguments. My idea will help families learn and do the “new” math that supports student success.
Reginald Hutchins | Washington D.C.
About Reginald: Reginald is a native of Atlanta where he attended Morehouse College and studied sociology. Reginald’s passion for education was ignited during college and afterwards he taught secondary math in Title 1 schools in Brooklyn, Houston and Washington, D.C. Reginald earned his M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Teachers College and is a candidate for his M.Ed in Education Policy from American University. Reginald currently serves as a Site Director for Saga Education, a non-profit organization that focuses on math education by partnering with school districts to bring high quality tutoring to students who have historically had poor math achievement.
About Their Idea: A program that builds both mathematical confidence and mathematical skill in black and brown boys. Through an exploratory curriculum and a facilitator model, participants will interact in skill building activities to shape their own understanding of mathematical concepts to become more confident and competent.
Rene Diaz | San Francisco, CA
About Rene: Rene earned an MBA at HULT International Business School and is passionate about cutting edge technology, business, and music. He was a dull-stack web developer for 7 years as a freelancer and for two multinational company. Recently, Rene’s passion for technology drove him to San Francisco to study English and to see how Silicon Valley works. There he absorbed its powerful diverse culture and was inspired to apply for an MBA at the HULT International Business School where he’s studying for a Dual Degree in Disruptive Innovation. Beyond his work life, Rene plays music, does sound engineering, plans concerts, which is why he’s collaborating with this project.
About Their Idea: Our revolutionary music platform and methodology has students making music from the beginning with just one-two notes on a piano, guitar or on the app. The quick results are engaging, rewarding and builds self-confidence. Combing holistic self-development and music therapy to express their feelings with the use of music.
Roman Hardgrave | Arnold, MD
About Roman: Roman has worked in online education for the past seven years, producing videos and curriculum for MRU.org (think Khan Academy, but just teaching economics). Prior to that, he was a software engineer and even produced a couple independent films (and worked for MapQuest — remember them!?). He’s excited to apply the insights from cognitive science to a new type of school, which focuses on building students’ intellectual curiosity through hands-on projects. He is also a guinea pig for experiments in learning — currently he’s learning the piano to explore how to best use deliberate practice.
About Their Idea: Turbo Brain Academy- The bar for a “good” school is too low. Students need to be prepared for a rapidly changing economy where those who continually learn thrive. Rather than focusing on test scores or college attendance, my school is encouraging curiosity, confidence, and a mastery of “learning how to learn” in students.
Russell Harris | Detroit, MI
About Russell: Russell battled through homelessness, learning disabilities, and family issues but, eventually became the first male in his family to graduate from High School and college. His experience in helping high school students discover their passions and find a path to college led him to the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in Detroit MI. Under Russell’s leadership, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy was one of the top open enrollment charter schools in the city of Detroit. In 2017, he became the Chief Dream Director for The Future Project, an organization aimed at unlocking the potential and purpose of students in Detroit.
About Their Idea: The Journey Academy for Young Men — We turn undervalued, underprepared young men into the most valued assets in their communities.- Providing a high quality learning environment in the form of an all boys boarding school, will lead to their access to the middle class, and increase economic mobility for their communities. At the Journey Academy for young men, we educated the mind, body, and spirit of young black and brown boys from the metro Detroit (Flint) area.
Sarah Barnes & Erin Sims| New Orleans, LA
About Sarah: Sarah is originally from southern Indiana and a graduate of Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. With a desire to help contribute to the rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, she moved to the city as a Teach For America Corps Member in 2009. Over the past decade, she has gained insight on a range of dynamics in New Orleans’ rapidly changing educational landscape. Moved by making meaningful connections with others and advocating for mental healthcare, Sarah received her M.Ed in Counseling from the University of New Orleans and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana.
About Their Idea: Healing for Helpers offers easily accessible mental health and wellness supports to New Orleans’ teachers, increasing their capacity to remain in the teaching profession and build lasting relationships with students and communities alike.
Sari Toplin | New Orleans, LA
About Sari: Sari has been an educator in New Orleans for 10 years. Before New Orleans, Sari taught in the Bronx, New York for 3 years, and received her Masters in Education. She has been teaching at Bricolage Academy for the past 5 years. Over her career Sari has taught 2nd and 3rd grade, been an Assistant Principal at ARISE Academy, coached teachers, established the Bridges Math Curriculum at Bricolage, and founded the math intervention program at Bricolage. Last year, Sari participated in the Personalized Learning Teacher Fellowship through New Schools for New Orleans. She has 2 kids, Edwin and Lucas.
About Their Idea: Students need more engaging math opportunities outside of the classroom. Practice & Pride is a positive, mistake-making environment to help students learn and feel good! This idea creates a tutoring model that bridges school and home, and lifts up math as a fun family activity.
Shaquann Braswell | Brooklyn, NY
About Shaquann: Shaquann Braswell is a native of Brooklyn, New York. It has always been a desire of hers to be an educator as she is passionate about effecting change within her community. She currently serves as a NYC teacher and youth mentor. Shaquann thinks of herself as an outgoing person who loves to meet new people and build relationships. The things she love most in life is spending time with family and friends, dancing and traveling to diverse countries.
About Their Idea: Youth ages of ages 14–18 are creative and innovative. MiniMogul is a program that allows youth to participate in business and finance workshops and an internship to develop their own businesses. MiniMogul transforms a community through its youth!
Sharon Randolph | Baltimore, MD
About Sharon: Sharon is an Early Childhood Special Educator with 10 years of teaching experience. Throughout her career, she has strived to focus on her students’ strengths instead of only their disability. One quote that she teaches by daily is, “Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow” — Plato. Sharon is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Johns Hopkins University School of Education. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband and twin sons.
About Their Idea: Sharon’s idea is to provide a learning center where exceptional children who are receiving special education services through an IFSP or IEP, can have those skills reinforced and practiced daily with trained professionals.
Sophia James | New York, NY
About Sophia: With 10+ years at the state and local level, Sophia has helped guide significant initiatives and policies that affect education services for children and families. She currently oversees the Office of Academic Policy’s assessment management system and coordinates collaboration and delivery of products from the Division of Instructional & Information Technology at the NYC Department of Education. She also assisted the Archdiocese of New York in strengthening school partnerships and implementation of UPK curriculum, assessments and professional development in over 60 schools. In 2013, Sophia developed Education: Unplugged to serve as a platform for education initiatives and innovation for youth.
About Their Idea: Education Unplugged is a curated platform for innovative programs in education, and accessible tools for academic enrichment and development among youth.
Tivonsheia Broussard and Desmond Peterson | New Orleans LA
About Tivonsheia and Desmond : Desmond Peterson and Tivonsheia Broussard are New Orleans natives who were also born and raised here. They attended McDonough #35 High School and met there. They have reconnected over the years and now host a podcast called “The Family Meal”. The Family Meal seeks to highlight people of and from the community and being the bridge that fills the gap that many New Orleanians are experiencing especially the youth.
About Their Idea: Meal C.H.A.M.P.S is an innovative way to introduce the urban youth of New Orleans to healthy eating and living concepts by the use of STEM practices and resources.
Vina Vo & Odelia Younge | Redwood City, CA
About Vina: Vina is an educational professional, consultant, and network builder who believes in the power of words to build bridges, heal wounds, and create new worlds. She currently works at educational non-profit Digital Promise, where she works with districts around the country to improve the opportunity to learn for students through technology and research. She is also the co-founder of Novalia Collective where she works with organizations to build spaces for community and storytelling. During her free time, she loves hiking, exploring new bookstores, and cooking tasty meals.
About Odelia: Odelia is an educator and writer based in Oakland, California. She has worked in schools and education communities most of her career. She has led work on transforming education, decolonising systems, and building out spaces for writers of color, while also organizing spaces for creative expression. She is the co-founder of Novalia Collective.
About Their Idea: An advocacy training program that works with students, grades 9–12 to advocate for change in their communities through the power of storytelling.
Wynda Azeez | New Orleans, LA
About Wynda: Wynda Azeez is am Educator and child advocate of more than 20 years, native of New Orleans, and grew up in one of the most dangerous areas of the City. She holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Morgan State University and is a Certified Special Education Teacher. Wynda returned to New Orleans 5 years ago to care for her father and later for her Gert Town Community. Currently she volunteers her tutoring services at Xavier University Community Outreach Center and recently started her own tutoring business to include mentoring single parents through literacy.
About Their Idea:To establish an academic tutoring camp to include a social and emotional learning component to assist underserved students in learning to solve their problems without the use of violence. An organization that will allow students to increase their reading skills outcome and problem-solving skills.
Yaniv Yaffe | New York, NY
About Yaniv: Yaniv is a former educator and currently a digital marketer. He started teaching high school history in 2016 because he is passionate about the power of storytelling. Then, he pivoted to digital marketing because he was curious to see how people, companies, and governments spread their ideas and stories today. Yaniv has become obsessed with the idea that the internet is the best medium for bringing people together to share their ideas and he want to harness that potential to build the best tech platform for community empowerment.
About Their Idea: Bulletin is a secure local online forum where school communities go to surface issues, brainstorm solutions, and seek action from those who have power to make change.
