EdSurge Independent Cohort: Summer 2017
A new semester, a new cohort. For our fourth iteration of the EdSurge Independent program, we have taken a huge step: almost doubling the size of the group. In doing so, we have increased the diversity of opinion and thought in our ranks, and our capacity to create great things in this publication has soared.
This summer, the cohort program will be packed into just ten weeks of deep, fast paced discussion about contentious topics in the education space. We will hear from guest speakers, get advice on writing for Medium from Jeffrey Young, a senior editor at EdSurge covering technology’s role at colleges, and, most importantly, get to know each other and create a community.
But the greatest thing about this summer cohort is it’s people. We have students from all over the world, students from Stanford, Minerva Schools, exchange years, university dropouts doing amazing things, gap year students, graduates, masters programs, and everything in between. We have students from the LGBTQ community, the disabled community, and from a variety of racial, religious and socio-economic groups. They are all united by their passion for learning, and their desire to reform the education space for the 21st century.
Introducing the Summer 2017 Cohort
Nicholas Abouzeid is a four-time founder, focused in the experiential education industry, and junior at Babson College, majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Legal Studies. He also studies as a visiting Education Scholar at Wellesley College & at Columbia University over the summers. After starting his first company in 8th grade, he launched a sold-out five-day entrepreneurial bootcamp at high school and has been teaching ever since. He’s currently launching RocketPad Ventures, a series of summer accelerators for high school students — each team in the RocketPad cohort will receive up to $1,000 in strings-free funding, access to mentors like VC Tim Draper, and six weeks of lessons focusing around design-thinking, accounting, operations, and startup law. He also serves as the CFO of Hamilton’s Bakery, a 70-seat organic bakery and coffee shop in New York City that he launched last May with his family. Nicholas is a Contributing Writer for BitcoinMagazine, the oldest cryptocurrency publication to date, and his writing been featured on multiple LinkedIn Pulse channels and HackerNoon. You can learn more about Nicholas’s work and mission on his website or by following him on Twitter, where he spends absolutely too much time.
Laney Taylor writes: Before I started writing and editing “Voices From the Front”, I never realized that as a student, I was an active stakeholder in education policy. In fact, I never realized my voice had any value in these conversations. As a first-generation college student, my voice is tempered with the many failures of trying to navigate college on my own this past year. I felt isolated. I was isolated. Many times, I still feel isolated. Students across this country need an individual to write about these struggles, these worries, and these feelings of inadequacy.
As a left handed, pigeon toed, red headed, first generation college student, female born in Eastern Kentucky, I am eager to find and celebrate the story of the right handed, webbed toed, brunette, third generation college student, male born in Southern California through EdSurge Independent.
Specifically through EdSurge Independent, I want to find a community radically dedicates themselves to attuning themselves to listening to the needs of students. I want to learn from my peers effective strategies to advocate for Student Voice. I want my voice to extend beyond a blinking word cursor. I want conversations.
Dimple Bangalore writes: Having grown up in India, I have seen closely the negative effects that weak policymaking can have in the lives of thousands of families. Affected by this, I have dedicated my efforts to contributing towards the betterment of the society by trying to gain a better ‘self-understanding’ of the issues and that ‘understanding’ driving and leading to action. I believe that the provision of high-quality education to all is the key to most of these issues. My long-term goal is to become an Education Policymaker.
Currently, I am wearing many hats. Firstly, inspired by the potential of organizations to bring change to society, I am pursuing Organizational Psychology in the Graduate School of Education and Psychology of Columbia University, New York. Striving to understand requirements of implementing ‘Sustainable Change’ through policy, I am currently doing an internship at the United Nations Global Compact in the ‘Principles for Responsible Management Education’ team. I am also the co-founder of an NGO in India called Open Doors, that looks at providing opportunities to students from the lower economic background to pursue high-quality school education.
I am an amateur Blogger, an avid CrossFitter and I believe in exploring and revolutionizing, looking to grow every day.
Seth Gordon is a composer and writer who currently studies contemporary classical composition and piano at McGill University in Montréal, Canada. His focus is in combining classical forms and structures with innovative electronic mediums, the lack of which he considers a flaw in the current music education system. He previously studied at the Minerva Schools at KGI, a start-up university based in San Francisco that tackles some of the most prescient issues in higher education today, including innovating new approaches to active learning. At Minerva, he co-engineered an initiative to engage middle school-aged youth in a workshop that aims to broaden their awareness of structural inequalities within the justice system. As a writer, he has worked in various mediums, including as playwright, journalist, essayist, and creative writer. Seth is passionate about encouraging self-learning and intellectual curiosity amongst youth, and in using technology to connect different pedagogies globally. He is particularly interested in combining the rigor of musical pedagogy with the catholic nature of a liberal education to create curious, well-rounded thinkers. He is excited to hear new perspectives and share some of his own at EdSurge!
Jonathan Skjøtt is a rising junior at Minerva Schools at KGI studying economics, data science and history. Though having grown up believing he is neither an economists or statistician at heart he enjoys battling the (education induced) math phobia giving rise to this belief.
Jonathan has, throughout his life, been on a journey through different educational spaces. In particular, the contrast between attending special needs class in 3rd grade and being accepted into very selective programs in high school and university has given him the belief that education of the right kind, if supplied at the right time, can change the life of any person.
He has extensive experience with video art and media production. He has recently put these skills to use by participating in several projects in education. His latest projects include creating a MOOC for new students at Kiron, an organisation providing higher education to refugees in Europe and the Middle East, as well as a documentary working with 8 students at his university.
Priya Mathur writes: I am a graduate student at NYU studying Digital Media Design for Learning. Before pursuing a master’s degree, I was an elementary school teacher and taught in both Canada and England. Most recently, I have worked as an Educational Technology Consultant in elementary schools across Toronto, training students and teachers on how to accommodate assistive technology to their individual learning needs. I am enthusiastic about learning how educational technology can remove barriers to learning and change the landscape of education.
Jophin Mathai writes: I am co-founder of BridgEd and based in Mumbai, India. I am deeply concerned about the future of education in the country; guarding the self from cynicism has become increasingly difficult in the current socio-political and economic climate of India. Many students and young professionals are looking to leave the country and migrate to another for better prospects, mostly due to the inconveniences of daily living that people have to manage with inefficient government machinery and welfare systems/schemes. Poor civic engagement (including mine) reflects the disillusionment with democratic structures in the country. A question I find myself asking is, given the current scenario, how will India provide a higher education that can enable youngsters to navigate the challenging times of the future? This and other related possibilities I am exploring through my work and discussions with people for whom these questions matter.
Ugnė Mikalajūnaitė writes: It is no secret that higher education has been a part of my entire life and I want EdSurge project to continue that inspiring life. Throughout my school life in Lithuania I saw my siblings struggling with their degrees, but still end up with great opportunities and connections. I learned the importance of education and networks, not the degrees. Although for the past five years I have studied in three universities, meeting the amazing individuals and professors was the most important part. I wish to meet even more aspiring people at EdSurge and collaborate with them on future project. I surely feel privileged about my educational opportunities, but I still believe that education is not about university rankings or even the degree attainment. Learning has the power to connect people, lift them out of poverty, and empower their lives. At EdSurge I am hoping to find ways to help education reach the most impoverished communities. Sometimes the benefits of a workshop or a learning group can change the lives more than another diploma on the wall. I wish to utilise my international knowledge during the project and give not only a local but also a global perspective on the topics of discussion.
Daniel Sinclair is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Dormillo, a communication platform that makes it easier to find and message anyone on campus. Students from 22 universities use Dormillo to communicate with their friends, classmates, and professors, in one place. Daniel is a recent graduate from the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he studied Computer Science and Entrepreneurship. He is a lifelong learner with a background in iOS engineering and design. His passions lie in building beautiful, intuitive experiences, and bringing those experiences to the university ecosystem. Daniel is a strong believer that traditional education needs to evolve to meet the demands of the ever-changing workplace. His work with Dormillo centers around building technology that can create a stronger sense of community on campus, with the goal of improving the student experience and outcomes. Daniel first became involved in EdTech through his work with Nibble, an organization designed around the goal of bringing STEAM education to underprivileged, urban high school students. He served as Co-director of Nibble, and President of its parent organization, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, RIT chapter.
Otto Zhen is currently a rising senior at Stanford University studying Symbolic Systems, an interdisciplinary major focusing on the relationship between computers and human minds, with a concentration in Learning. He grew up in over a dozen places throughout Canada and the United States, and his experiences with different school systems piqued his interest in education. At Stanford, he has spent time as a classroom director and tutor for DreamCatchers, an afterschool program for low-income Palo Alto students, and Ravenswood Reads, a pre-K literacy program. He has taken academic classes in education technology, which led to the creation of Post-Notes Production, an online tool for editing notes digitally; and also in mathematics education, which led to his role as a research assistant in understanding optimal math pedagogy. Outside of the classroom, he is president of the Stanford Pre-Education Society and has helped create a program for undergraduates to shadow teachers in local classrooms and planned Stanford’s only undergraduate education conference. He is especially passionate about increasing access to education through exploration of the intersection between education and technology.
Julia Thompson is a rising third year at the University of Virginia where she is studying Leadership and Public Policy with a strong interest in education. A San Francisco native, Julia has always enjoyed working with youth, but also has a passion for problem-solving, analysis, and writing. Last year, Julia learned about stereotype threats and how the mention of race can negatively impact standardized test scores. She wondered — if this is true, why are students required to check off race prior to standardized tests? Her head filled with endless questions and body teeming with frustration, this is when Julia realized her passion lay in education, especially the lack of equity within. Since then, Julia has tried to experience as much as she can within the field of education — working in a preschool, working with UVA’s Education Career Services, taking outside-of-school classes about education innovation, and choosing paper topics relating to education. As much as she loves education, Julia has other passions as well. Among other things, she enjoys cooking (a necessary life skill), training for a half-marathon (wish her luck — she needs it), and rooting for the Golden State Warriors (not a bandwagon fan).
Jake Parrish writes: I am a rising junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill currently pursuing a degree in journalism with a minor in entrepreneurship. My passion has always centered on entrepreneurship, in fact in high school I started a small business selling wooden games at local craft markets. Also this summer I will be interning at a start-up in Durham selling software to other businesses. After reading Blake Mycoskies’ Do Something that Matters I realized the immense power that my passion for entrepreneurship can have on creating a better world. I knew I wanted to start a business to make a difference but I did not know in what way. This past year I became involved in Outreach 360. Within this organization I tutored local refugees once a week and then went to the Dominican Republic during Spring Break to teach English to students. This was an eye opening experience for me that truly showed me the value of an education. I now see it as my mission to make education affordable and accessible to all around the world, as I believe it is a basic right. I will be able to do this within my passion of entrepreneurship.
Ben Gurewitz is currently a Freshman at the University of California — Davis, hoping to earn a degree in Political Science. Growing up as a student with severe learning differences (disabilities), Ben’s experienced sever challenges in school and has had to learn to develop strategies to navigate through the systems of schooling. One of the most important strategies he learned is advocacy, which has allowed him not only to advocate for himself, but also for others who have faced similar challenges. Ben prides himself on being compassionate for students who approach education from marginalized communities and work to advocate for students with diverse learning profiles.
Hannah Zwick is from the Detroit suburbs. As a child, she wanted to be a lobbyist for tuition-free education. During her undergraduate at Loyola University Chicago, she fundraised for student scholarships and supervised the Phonathon in its historic year of raising $1,000,000. Since graduating, Hannah has worked in edtech and is currently the Director of Hybrid Sales at CourseKey while also earning her Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership through the University of Denver. Having grown up in a community where a college education was not accessible, her entire adult life has been dedicated to alleviating the cost of education to make college more accessible and improving the quality of classroom instruction. At CourseKey, she leads a team that works with educators across the United States to improve student learning outcomes by co-creating effective teaching strategies through technology and transforming classroom pedagogy. Her end-goal is still to shape a world where every student has affordable access to a quality education.
Well caffeinated and goal driven, Ian Coon is a Des Moines, Iowa native. Ian is constantly tweeting about those typical Generation Z topics of school inequality, politics, race, and trendy music. Outside of the digital world, Ian is a current student at Wartburg College, a small, liberal arts school, in Waverly, Iowa.
As a freshman in high school, Ian co-founded the Iowa Student Learning Institute, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to revolutionizing student voice in Iowa. Over four years, the organization has reached over 200 high schools and 1,500 K12 students in the state.
Working on a larger scale, Ian is the Director of Public Relations for Student Voice, a national non-profit founded in 2012 to strengthen the student movement for more equitable schools. Thanks in part to his effort, Student Voice had 47 million impressions on Twitter in 2016 alone.
When Ian is not networking, traveling, or sharing he enjoys taking photos, shooting video, and venturing to find the best guacamole in the world.
Noah Adelstein writes: I’m a rising junior studying Economics and Computer Science at Washington University in St. Louis. I’m an avid sports fan, playing club soccer as well as owning a baseball blog about the St. Louis Cardinals called Cardsblog. Cardsblog has a team of 12 writers that post daily content about the Cardinals, and I oversee the tech as well as strategy for our blog. I also have a strong interest in entrepreneurship. I’m the president of WashU’s largest entrepreneurship group, Y’s Thoughts, I intern for a St. Louis startup called TopOPPS, and I will be working in San Francisco this summer as a Growth Intern for a startup called Siftery. In regards to education, I have been working with an education-technology startup called Stackup (stackup.net) that tracks and measures online reading in an exciting way. I have also been working with a new organization founded at Washington University called AlignEd that aims to promote child-centered PK-12 education by starting conversations and engaging college students. Outside of education, sports and entrepreneurship, my interests include family, the Middle East, reading, skiing & snowboarding, and exploring new cities. I love exploring new passions and getting involved in meaningful ways.
Jared Silver is an entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and software developer whose mission in life is to help foster a human capital revolution through education technology. To this end, he’s worked with various edtech companies and nonprofits, including: Codecademy, EdSurge, Quill.org (a literacy nonprofit backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, NewSchools Venture Fund, the Edwin Gould Foundation, and others), Oppia Foundation (an open-source edtech nonprofit originally founded as a 20% project at Google), and Higher Learning Technologies (the market leader in mobile study software). Jared’s writing has been published in the New York Observer and Startup Grind, and has also been featured on the front page of Medium. He is the founder of Same Classes, a web platform that connects thousands of new college students with peers in the same classes in order to help alleviate new student anxiety. You can learn more about Jared’s work and mission on his website or by following him on Twitter.
Rory Foulger is a rising junior at Minerva Schools at KGI, studying Data Science and Statistics, and Business Optimization.
After 10 years of hating traditional schooling, Rory amassed a dozen ring binders filled with print outs of articles, essays and presentations, most of which she wrote herself, arguing that schooling is not only pointless, but can also be damaging to children’s abilities to play, problem solve and create. Rory may have dialled back her views a little in the last few years, but that didn’t stop her from dropping out of her traditional British university and transferring to Minerva Schools, an innovative startup university which teaches a liberal arts curriculum based on the Science of Learning.
Rory is leading the EdSurge Independent Cohort for the third semester, and is focused on developing curriculum and program design.
The EdSurge Independent Cohort will be meeting weekly for the duration of the Summer, and publishing articles regularly. Follow this publication to receive an update when a cohort member publishes an article. Reach out to rosie.foulger@edsurge.com with any questions!
