Meet 4.0’s 2021 New Normal Fellows
We’ve selected 54 New Normal Fellows to run projects with their communities that imagine a more liberatory and equitable future.
Today, we’re thrilled to announce the second cohort of New Normal Fellows from the 4.0 community! We cannot be more proud of the 54 alumni teams we’ve selected from that process will be running projects with their communities that imagine a more liberatory and equitable future.
2020 was a year unlike any other, and The New Normal Fellowship was launched in response to challenges both new and centuries-old. As we move forward through parallel pandemics — COVID and the centuries old pandemic of racism and anti-Blackness — The New Normal Fellowship asks fellows to imagine a future where their communities are thriving, healing, and safe. In other words, how do we design education to be anti-racist and community-centered?
These New Normal Fellows will receive a $7,000 stipend and work with a coach to design a project with the goal of moving their community toward a more liberatory and equitable future.
If you have an idea for how to reimagine education, 4.0 is here to help you start. Our applications for our Fellowships will open again in Spring 2022. Visit our website for more information and to sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know.
For now, join us in congratulating the 2021 New Normal Fellows!
Aaron Scholl & David Durand | Los Angeles, CA
About Aaron Scholl: Aaron Scholl is an educator and social entrepreneur in Los Angeles, CA. He is passionate about serving marginalized youth and specializes in unleashing the positive potential of Transitional-Aged Youth (TAY) into young leaders. Aaron has served as a school leader with several workforce development charter schools, Adjunct Faculty at LA Trade Tech Community College, and has consulted with job-training, leadership, and workforce development programs across the country. As co-founder of the Education is Forever, he is focused on developing equitable and sustainable pathways for transitional aged youth to succeed in college. On his spare time, he is surfing, recording music, and loving on his family!
About David Durand: David has purposefully placed himself in positions that both benefit others and advance his abilities in making social change. David’s main focus is to enable people of color to empower themselves, especially youth of color from disadvantaged communities. His work over the past 10 years has focused on youth leadership development, anti-recidivism, gang intervention, poverty alleviation, and college access.
About Their Idea: CA Community College (CCC) Prep is a curriculum that provides college counseling to students at workforce development high schools who, because of their low-income status, are typically tracked into and trained for skilled-labor jobs. In CCC Prep, students reimagine their futures as they identify their degree objectives, apply for financial aid and college, and learn key strategies for college success.
CCC Prep is a program of Education is Forever.
Aatash Parikh | Oakland, CA
About Aatash Parikh: Aatash Parikh is an educator and engineer based in Oakland, CA. He started his education journey at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education in San Diego, where he gained a passion for student-centered approaches to learning. Most recently he has been a teacher at West Oakland Middle School, teaching computer science, while developing Inkwire–a teaching/learning app that makes it easy for students to share their learning and build portfolios. His passion is enabling schools and teachers to help students develop and showcase their best selves.
About Their Idea: Inkwire is a platform that empowers learners to share what they can do. Educators can use Inkwire to design holistic assessments and give their students an audience for their work. Students can share their work, give and receive feedback, and build a personal portfolio. Inkwire is working with West Oakland Middle School to enable each student to build a portfolio that they can use to discuss their growth and learning at student-led conferences. We believe Inkwire and its tools can help shift the culture around student achievement to one based on student assets and growth.
inkwire.co | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
Alex Owens & Diana Turner | New Orleans, LA
About Alex Owens: Alex is a dedicated educator with over 10 years of classroom experience. Throughout this time, Alex has stewarded creative schools and learning environments (i.e. a makerspace, construction sites and a radio station) that encourage hands on learning, student autonomy, and collaborative problem solving. In New Orleans, he led the Innovation program at Bricolage Academy, providing the space, tools, and resources for elementary students to design and make the projects of their dreams. Most recently, he founded and manages Be Loud Studios, a non-profit radio station dedicated to amplifying child confidence through radio and digital media production. Alex loves to make, create and produce things. Born and raised in Maryland, he now lives in New Orleans, where he can be found renovating his home, mixing new music, or playing with his adventurous toddler.
About Diana Turner: Diana Turner is an educator based in New Orleans, LA. She has worked for 12 years in New Orleans schools including being a founding member at Firstline Schools and Bricolage Academy. Diana is dedicated to advocating for anti-racist pedagogies in schools and spaces for kids to play and be heard. She founded Be Loud Studios in 2019 by creating a radio station in her school when she saw students disengaged in their traditional school work and needing more practice with digital media skills. She looks forward to building partnerships across the fellowship.
About Their Idea: Be Loud Radio is a free, extracurricular program where kid-DJs write and record radio segments. Grounded in the notion that kids should be heard by the larger community, the Be Loud DJs write, record, and mix their own radio segments to be shared on a weekly FM broadcast, the Be Loud Radio Hour. Designed to amplify their voices and experiences, kid-DJs are encouraged to believe in the strength of their words to broadcast a more equitable world.
Andrew Lee | Phoenix, AZ
About Andrew Lee: Andrew Lee is a passionate educator, Chinese-American professional artist, and entrepreneur based in Phoenix, AZ. After graduating at the top of his class in aerospace engineering, he decided to pursue his passion in education. He joined Teach for America (Phoenix 2016) and by his second year, his students were consistently scoring 80–90% averages versus the 60% school averages. Since then he has founded the Vita Education Foundation, 501(c)3, to modernize public education to empower students to prepare for life and realize their dreams now.
About Their Idea: VSI is an innovative High School model, capped at 128 students per campus, designed to empower students to prepare for life and realize their dreams now, no matter their circumstances. We do this through our 4 pillars: Purpose Curriculum, Academic Curriculum, Life Curriculum, and our Success System.
Angelica Jackson & Rickkay King | Charles County, MD
About Angelica Jackson: Angelica Jackson is an artist and educator based in Charles County, MD. She has worked in arts education for over 10 years in Pennsylvania, DC, Delaware, and New Jersey. Angelica is committed to ensuring students residing in our most vulnerable communities have access to loving learning communities cultivating them to reach their greatest potential. She founded Journey Beyond, international education and passport scholarship organization, in 2016. The nonprofit has evolved into the founding of Phoenix International School of the Arts — a 6–12 public charter school centering social innovation, international education, holistic wellness, and the arts.
About Rickkay King: Rickkay L.T. King is a Co-Founder of Phoenix International School of the Arts in Charles County Maryland. Born and raised in Chicago, IL, Rickkay’s interest surround Male Studies, Mental Health Awareness and promoting International Education to marginalized communities. At PISOTA, Rickkay will utilize his previous research and non-profit experience in international education to excel youth into the global market after high school. Utilizing his professional and educational background in Psychology and Global Leadership, Mr. King will develop and manage the international and mental health and awareness pillars for PISOTA.
About Their Idea: Phoenix International School of the Arts (PISOTA) is the first-ever public charter school to be approved in Charles County, MD. It opens fall 2022 with grades 6–7 with an intentional focus on preparing youth for careers in social innovation, the creative workforce, and global citizenship. Global Summer Arts Jam is a workshop-style summer leadership program that asks youth to examine our community’s challenges to inform the development of a healing arts experience for youth and adults to come together to heal and resolve the chosen community challenge.
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn (Angelica) | LinkedIn (Rickkay)
Anna Gabriella Casalme | Los Angeles, CA
About Anna Gabriella Casalme: Anna Gabriella Casalme is an entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, CA on a mission to amplify diverse youth voices. She brings over 5 years of experience at the intersection of child health and well-being, design thinking, and technology. She completed her MSc in Childhood Studies from the University of Edinburgh and received her B.A. in Human Biology and interdisciplinary honors in Education from Stanford University. She founded Novelly in 2018 after starting informal digital book clubs with marginalized youth, who craved a space to read, write, and talk to process a chaotic world.
About Their Idea: The Rising Voices Collective is a group of teenagers within Novelly who receive author mentorship, curriculum, and community support to publish poems and short fiction that celebrate their lived experiences and start courageous conversations around race, gender, and sexuality.
Arlane Gordon-Bray and Irese Robinson | Rocky Mount, NC
About Arlane Gordon-Bray: Arlane Gordon- Bray is an educator with Edgecombe County Public Schools and owner of ANGB LLC. She works with marginalized communities to understand the risks with the Future of Work and how to exploit the opportunities. Arlane has over 10 years of experience providing strategic consulting and risk management for Defense, private industry, and non-profits in the US and internationally. She is a committee member with the Strategic Twin Counties Education Partnership and Board Member for the Franklinton Center at Bricks.
About Irese Robinson : Irese Robinson is a CTE educator with Nash County Public Schools and founder of New Freedom Hill Media. She helps start-ups, entrepreneurs, and small businesses to create visuals that portray their message and get them noticed. Irese specializes in digital media production with a focus on digital film and photography. Her knowledge and experience provide her with the ability to lead a team of designers and to deliver quality work. She has a degree in Communication Studies and Media Production from UNC Chapel Hill. She is an Edgecombe County native.
About Their Idea: Our mission is to cultivate community led economic growth and career resilience. Twin Counties Catalyst CoLab provides a space that inspires innovation, encourages collaboration, and develops skilled workers that will thrive in competitive and growing industries. It is our belief that opportunities for play, creativity, and exploration promote a commitment to lifelong learning. This commitment leads to a community willing to learn new skills or training that produces labor market outcomes.
Arlene Perez | Pico Rivera, CA
About Arlene Perez: Arlene is a first-generation college grad who went on to teach 7th grade Mathematics through Teach for America. It was there that she grew her passion for coding and pushing more more minority representation in STEM fields. After teaching, she was awarded the Facebook scholarship to pursue a coding school and now works as a software developer for NBCUniversal working on websites and apps. Her goal is to now bring her two passions together through edtech and create technology that makes a difference in communities like the one who grew up in.
About Their Idea: Coco: My College Counselor serves as a virtual college counselor who assists high school students throughout their college prep journey as well as career readiness. Students have so much on their plate from academics to extracurricular activities, they have no time for researching what they should be to prepare for college. CoCo creates a personalized plan for students based on their grade, interests and keeps students informed about opportunities they can take advantage of.
Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
Baiyina Jihad and Kyendal Eaton | Atlanta
About Baiyina Jihad: Baiyina Jihad is a former educator and now a full-time entrepreneur with Beyond the Classroom. She has been learning throughout this process how to validate experiences and processes for students and make it better.
About Kyendal Eaton : Kyendal Eaton is a former educator and a current social worker. Her combined experience helps implement SEL learning to better support students in their social and academic life.
About Their Idea: Beyond the Classroom is an educational platform that offers virtual academic coaching to students in the Metro Atlanta area. Our diverse academic and social resources are tailored to families to serving as additional out-of-school support for students at home. Specifically, we focus on bridging the reading deficiency gap for 2nd-5th grade students by providing a quality, equitable educational experience that is personalized to each student’s unique needs. By using both quantitative and qualitative data, we gain a better understanding of the whole child’s needs.
Bianca Lorenz & Robin Noel Morales, LMFT | Oakland, CA
About Bianca Lorenz: Bianca Lorenz is an educator in Oakland, CA that focuses on youth development and holds the fundamental belief that youth are the experts of their own experiences. She has founded and managed multiple work-based learning programs and college and career readiness strategies to positively impact engagement, school culture, and uplift youth voice and power. Bianca is currently a Pathway Coach at a school in East Oakland and the co-founder of a non-profit, Lorenz Morales Consulting. She looks forward to learning from other fellows and experts across the country.
About Robin Noel Morales, LMFT: In Robin’s twenty plus years of professional experience working with youth in clinical and advocacy capacities, the focus has been to build and grow models for young people to become empowered as the experts of their own experience and create change in their environments. She has worked with underserved and vulnerable populations, incarcerated and sexually exploited minors, foster care youth and youth in transition. She has provided clinical services and advocacy in and out of detention settings and supervised a clinical team. In private practice, Robin operates from a critical psychotheraputic frame and provides holistic, strength-based, collaborative, non-diagnostic & sex-positive psychotherapy which focuses on building resilience. As a trained yoga instructor with the Niroga Institute, she believes that our most valuable tool toward wellness is remembering to breathe.
About Their Idea: Language Navigators is a school-based and youth-driven program that leverages the expertise and bilingualism of young people in the community. High school students will be Language Navigators supporting our international student population in a classroom setting to create a safe and supportive learning environment as they start their education in the United States. Language Navigators receive internship credit through this work-based learning opportunity to positively impact their community by supporting teachers in their instruction and our international students as they navigate their academic journey. Youth are the experts of their own experience and enhance access and opportunities for others.
LinkedIn (Bianca)
Brandy Williams | New Orleans, LA
About Brandy Williams: Brandy Williams is a 20 plus year educator who enjoys disrupting the status quo.
About Their Idea: Students of color in Early Elementary learn best in a self explorative environment with people who celebrate their culture.
Bresean Jenkins | Upper Marlboro, MD
About Bresean Jenkins: Bresean Jenkins and Cindy Kent are educational innovators committed to using the Arts to create community. Their venture , NeoSoul Academy is a youth and community incubator committed to making the world a better place using the arts and creativity.
About Their Idea: NeoSoul Arts Academy is an Arts Incubator that develops youth for career innovation. NeoSoul Arts focuses on closing the achievement gap using arts and creativity to shape the educational outcomes of young people. NeoSoul assists communities build strong futures, creatively.
Bridney Skipper | Clarksdale, MS
About Bridney Skipper: Bridney Skipper is an educator based in Clarksdale, MS. She has worked for 13 years in the Clarksdale Municipal School District. Bridney is an advocate for public education and creating a climate that advances students to a successful future. Bridney hopes to accomplish this through partnerships with local schools and community groups. She is the director of Shifting Rhythms afterschool STEM program that focuses on uplifting and encouraging students to think outside the box and tap into their creative mindset.
About Their Idea: Shifting Rhythms values access, opportunity, empowerment, and agency. As a space that encourages self-directed learning and self-efficacy, Shifting Rhythms aims to create experiences in which students take control of their own learning pathways. Operating at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and arts drives us to foster creativity alongside developing twenty-first century skills, which allow youth to explore their interests and creative potential.
brit Lindsey & Cody Ainey| New Orleans, LA
About brit Lindsey : Brit, an Atlantan student-athlete that found Home in New Orleans, approaches community as an educator, entrepreneur and community resource broker. They have deeply rooted relationships within a diverse spectrum of the New Orleans community. They recognized their responsibility to invest their social capital back into their community’s children. This organization began in response to single parents approaching them for guidance in Educational mapping and non-traditional career training. Their deep roots in NOLA, passion for community service, and heart for children makes them an empathetic and intentional leader.
About Cody Ainey: Cody, a New Orleans native, approaches their community advocacy and mentorship as an entrepreneur and artist. They have deeply rooted relationships within a diverse spectrum of the New Orleans community. They recognized their responsibility to invest their social capital back into their community’s children. This organization began in response to single parents approaching them for guidance in Educational mapping and non-traditional career training. Their deep roots in NOLA, passion for community service, and heart for children makes them an empathetic and intentional leader.
About Their Idea: The HUEman Development Project fosters multi generational relationships based on entrepreneurial skill building, alternative educational planning, as well as exposing our community to non-traditional career paths. The Chinese proverb, “You give a poor man a fish and you feed him for a day. You teach him to fish and you give him an occupation that will feed him for a lifetime”, explains the mission of the HUEman Development Project perfectly. The goal is to provide our community with the education, skills and resources needed to strengthen its ability to achieve and maintain economic stability.
Candice Wilson-McCain | Charlotte, NC
About Candice Wilson-McCain: Candice Wilson-McCain is a former math teacher and current professional learning consultant located in Charlotte, NC. She is the Impactful PBL Network founder, a community of project-based educators crafting memorable learning experiences for students, and the founder of Fly Math Club, a math and financially literacy-based leadership development program for girls. Regardless of the position held, her beliefs remain the same. She believes all children deserve the best education possible regardless of their background, so they can have the opportunity to pursue the career of their dreams. Candice looks forward to building relationships and collaborating with other education equity advocates.
About Their Idea: The Impactful PBL Network Fellowship will guide K-8 STEM teachers through a semester-long professional development experience that includes access to training, coaching, and connections to integrate project-based instructional practices so students can solve a real-world problem occurring in their school or community with a local partner. By the end of the fellowship, teachers will be equipped to implement equitable practices by utilizing community-based learning through instructional connections, community participation, community integration, and civic engagement. As a result, students will use critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity skills to share knowledge gained via a public showcase for an authentic audience.
Cescily Phillips | Kansas City, MO
About Cescily Phillips: Cescily Phillips is the Founder and Executive Director of Inspired Aesthetics. Originally from Chicago, IL, Cescily is a passionate wife, mother, and educator. Growing up, Cescily experienced firsthand 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. With ten years in education, Cescily has served as Dean of Students at both the middle and high school levels, as well as taught both middle and high school English and Theatre. Cescily believes that with the right tools and experiences, young people are capable of anything.
About Their Idea: Inspired Aesthetics is a free after school program for young people in grades 9–12 that provides access to top quality, year-round arts education and training, mentoring, and academic support. Inspired Aesthetics is focused on creating and providing opportunities for young people who may not have access to them otherwise. We believe that access and representation matters. We are working to fill the gap in after school programming for teens and level the playing field in arts related careers and post secondary paths.
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
David Nicolas Street | Washington, D.C.
About David Nicolas Street: My approach to life is simple, find your purpose, and live in it! I am a native of Washington, D.C., and identify as Afro-Latino (my dad immigrated here from El Salvador and my mother is African American). My faith in Christ and my deep love for my family keep me going.
I have over 10 years of grassroots organizing and community engagement experience. I have worked in multiple leadership positions in the non-profit sector and have been brought on as a consultant for organizations that are engaged in community engagement, faith outreach, or social innovation. Outside of my work in the organizing space, I serve 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 aspiring leaders and students living all around the world but most notably here in Washington, D.C., New York and Paris, France. I received my Bachelor’s in Political Science from North Carolina A & T State University (proud HBCU grad) and hold a Masters in Theology from Wesley Theological Seminary. I am an ordained minister at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church here in Washington, D.C. and in 2017 I was selected as a “National Christian Innovative Leader” by Duke University. I have been featured in Black Enterprises “100 Modern Man” series and am a former member of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Commission on African American Affairs. Last but not least, I am a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
About Their Idea: Closing the digital divide has taken on a new sense of urgency coming out of COVID-19. Black and Brown students experienced many challenges in navigating the virtual learning space. This space not only impacted them in the short term (grades, self-esteem, connection) but it could also have long term implications as many jobs will be shifting to work from home models. To that end, my project seeks to address both the short term and long term challenges of working and growing virtually.
DeShaunya Ware | New Orleans, LA
About DeShaunya Ware: DeShaunya is a mom, educator, and social justice advocated based in New Orleans, LA. She has worked in education for 7 years and is passionate about the holistic development of all children inside and outside the classroom. She works directly with local grassroots organizations as an advocate and research analyst for students and families. She believes every child deserves to live a choice filled life and founded Ase Learning Academy, a preschool devoted to build a solid foundation that ensures liberation and freedom of every student . DeShaunya is excited to build relationships and collaborate across the fellowship.
About Their Idea: Ase Learning Academy is an authentic Montessori preschool in New Orleans built on Montessori philosophy that strives to nourish the mind, body, and spirit of its students. ALA fosters multiculturalism, social responsibility, and academic excellence in their students. They provide high quality, safe, fun, and innovative learning environment that encourages children to become intrinsically motivated, independent, critical thinkers, and social justice advocates. The diverse and engaging curriculum, activities, and play at ALA are intentionally designed to build a strong foundation in academics as well as the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical wellbeing of each child.
Desiree Hunter & Jill Glassbrook | Brooklyn, NY
About Desiree Hunter: Desiree began her career as a TFA Corps Member, was the founding social worker and Dean of Students, and has served as a Principal. As the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Future Leaders Incubator, Desiree’s is committed to transforming the educational landscape to be an inclusive and empowering space. Desiree spends free time volunteering in CBO’s focused on equity and mental. Desiree looks forward to being part of this community of amazing leaders and visionaries.
About Jill Glassbrook: Jill Glassbrook is a TFA Alum having taught as a special educator in Newark, NJ before becoming a Special Education Coordinator and then Dean in Brooklyn. Jill has also served as a Middle School principal, and Chief Curriculum Officer. As a co-founder and Executive Director of FLI, Jill works with more than 17 schools in the development of an aspiring-teacher Fellowship, teacher professional development, and leadership development, which include strategic planning and robust project management to develop sustainable systems for schools and organizations. Jill is excited to dive deeper into student advocacy work which has always been her personal passion.
About Their Idea: The Future Leaders Coalition is an inter-school, student-led program aiming to institute changes in our schools by using our collective student power. Our aim is to bring together High School students and leaders with a passion and skill for social justice so that we can create meaningful change within our schools — on a governmental, administrative, and community level.
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
Domari Dickinson | Frederick, MD
About Domari Dickinson: Domari Dickinson (she/her/hers) is an educational consultant and parenting coach who works with school districts, school leaders, teachers, parents and educational companies from across the country to help increase student success. She is passionate about helping parents decolonize their practices in order to build more positive, purposeful, and peace-filled homes. Domari is also a proud unschooling mama of four and she is committed to helping Black parents create strong, positive relationships with their kids while fostering a legacy of love, honor, support and respect.
About Their Idea: The Liberatory Living program is a 4-week summer intensive that provides BIPOC parents with tools and support to help them move away from oppressive parenting practices so that they can adopt a more liberatory, love-centered, & restorative way of interacting with the young people in their lives.
Dr. Brice Miller | New Orleans, LA
About Dr. Brice Miller: Dr. Brice “Doc” Miller is a second-generation New Orleans Grammy-nominated jazz musician and award-winning educator, anthropologist and ethnomusicologist. Growing up in New Orleans culture alongside his father, saxophonist Dwight J. Miller, co-founder of the Original Pinstripe Brass Band, “Doc” began participating in the city’s brass band culture around age 11, first as a Grand Marshal, then as a cornetist/trumpeter. As a student at Andrew J. Bell Junior High School, Miller began performing in the famed French Quarter on Saturday’s and Sunday’s with the Olympia Kids Brass Band, led by trumpeter, Harold Batiste. It was during this time he also began performing with his dad’s band. As a student at the prestigious St. Augustine High School, a private catholic school for Black boys, Miller marched in the school’s world renowned Marching 100 and also formed his own Mahogany Brass Band, formerly Junior Pinstripe Brass Band. By his teens, he was attracting attention for his musical virtuosity and business savvy as well.
He attended Xavier University of Louisiana (New Orleans) where he received a Bachelor of Music Education and Master’s of Education Administration and Leadership. After the levees failed in New Orleans on August 29, 2005, Miller relocated his family to Columbus Mississippi, then Tuscaloosa Alabama, where he became an Assistant Director of Diversity and Intercultural programs for the Division of Community Engagement. While working at UA, Miller was persuaded by his mentors to pursue a doctorate degree. On December 14, 2014, Miller graduated from UA with a Interdisciplinary PhD, with an emphasis in Educational Administration, Cultural Anthropology and Ethnomusicology. In 2017 he founded ArtsNOLA, a cultural education program that partners with schools and academic programs to engage and teach young people about the wealth of indigenous cultural ecosystems in New Orleans.
About Their Idea: Dwight’s Cultural Garden will be a urban community feeder located in the New Orleans Musicians Village, in the city’s upper Ninth Ward. The purpose of this community-centric space is to provide a place to celebrate the indigenous Black cultural practices such as brass band, Black Masking Indians rituals, in conjunction with healthy lifestyle activities such as yoga, storytelling and gardening; Black activities in a Black-owned space.
Dr. LaTasha Adams and Dr. Ameerah Bello | Atlanta, GA
About Dr. LaTasha Adams: After realizing that she had been mistracked in middle school due to the predominant race and class of her elementary school, Dr. LaTasha Jones Adams vowed to be a voice for the voiceless in the fight towards ending educational inequity. She began teaching as a Teach for America corps member with the Atlanta Public Schools. Since then she has been a middle school and elementary school principal, curriculum specialist, curriculum coordinator, educational research associate, and assistant professor. Dr. Adams is also a member of several advisory boards and professional organizations all while founding Dominion Literacy, a non-profit that focuses on educational equity and advocacy through literacy. Through her service, Dr. LaTasha Adams echoes the cries of the voiceless and continues a relentless pursuit towards her life’s mission: educational equity for all.
About Dr. Ameerah Bello: The accidental expert of the J, methodological writer of ‘Kindergarten Series’ and innovator of jr.counter, Dr. Ameerah Bello has over two decades worth experiences and professional career in teaching, with extensive knowledge of child psychology, and an acute sense of understanding in designing, and learning management. She serves on various community boards and enjoys spending time with her family.
About Their Idea: Camp Blossom is a learning retreat in Atlanta, GA where K-3rd grade students explore social-emotional, math, and English learning strategies on an open-field farm. Our day is filled with play, laughter, and love as we embrace and uplift members of marginalized communities.
Dr. Patrice E. Fenton & Ade Cox | Brooklyn, NY
About Dr. Patrice E. Fenton: Brooklyn native and forever educator, Dr. Patrice E. Fenton brings a wealth of experience in educator, leadership, and organizational development along with a deep love of community. Dr. Fenton uses her own research developed, identity-responsive framework as founder and chief thought partner at the Fenton Collective (TFC). As an equity-centered change strategist she places a special emphasis on cultivating workplace well-being. Dr. Fenton is a proud mother of Jair Asad and Haile Masani and holds four degrees, including a PhD in Teaching and Learning and a BBA in business management.
About Ade Cox: Ade Cox, along with his two brothers are founders of educational technology company, ENJOYTech USA, in Brooklyn, NY. After a combined 20 years of teaching, the Cox brothers were inspired to create a tool that was directly influenced by their classroom experiences. This led to the creation of a smart bracelet that works as a classroom response system, health tracker, and scannable ID. Further, the smart bracelet engages students in their learning style and collects different data metrics to support the student’s holistic development. Ade holds two master’s degrees, with the most recent in Education Leadership from Columbia University.
About Their Idea: In the spirit of Ella Baker, we will position young people as leaders of change in their own communities. 13–18-year olds in the East New York or Brownsville sections of Brooklyn, NY need spaces and places to heal, thrive and dream toward a more liberatory and equitable future. Our aim is to help young people experience a sense of agency to address the problems they see in their communities. Using action research, young people will isolate a prevalent issue in their community and determine ways to address those issues at the grassroots level.
Instagram | LinkedIn (Patrice)
Ebony Tyler | Middletown, DE
About Ebony Tyler: Ebony Tyler is a Brooklyn, New York native, who resides in Delaware. Ebony’s career spans 20 years in public education with the New York State Education Department and the New York City Department of Education, where she supported students with disabilities, families, and schools in the transition process from high school to adulthood. In 2020 Ebony founded Liberated Success, a Brooklyn, based youth career development nonprofit; to provide young people with the tools to make a liberated career choice. Ebony is looking forward to growing as a leader and making meaningful connections throughout the fellowship.
About Their Idea: Liberated Problem Solvers reimagines the workplace challenge to offer students an opportunity to explore careers by developing a solution to a real-life workplace problem. Liberated Problem Solvers is 6 weeks paid virtual internship. Students will learn about an industry of interest, participate in leadership development workshops to close the soft skills gap, and receive one on one career counseling sessions to develop their career blueprint. Students build community with their peers, mentor, and guest speakers to begin building their social capital to launch their careers.
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
Ellie Adelman | Denver, CO
About Ellie Adelman: Ellie Adelman founded The Village Institute — a live/learn/work center designed with and for refugee women and their families in Aurora, Colorado — after over a decade working in international community development, peace-building, gender equality advocacy and trauma therapy. She has started and run multiple women’s leadership and family development initiatives around the world. As a white, Jewish American woman with a family history of forced migration, Ellie sees her work with refugee families as a birthright — a way to pay forward the privilege of safety and comfort she was given by her immigrant family.
About Their Idea: The Village Institute’s Essential Careers Pathway Program provides refugee youth and women with training in peer mental health facilitation and healthcare navigation. Through partnerships with local health and mental health agencies, we will pave the way for refugees and immigrants to fill needed linguistic and cultural gaps in the health and mental health fields, while also helping them build critical job skills in facilitation, navigation and case management.
Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
Genevieve Backer & Colby Heckedorn| St. Louis, MO
About Genevieve Backer and Colby Heckedorn: Colby Heckendorn and Genevieve Backer are the co-founders of Atlas Public Schools. They have fifteen years of collective experience both as teachers and leaders. Before co-founding Atlas, Colby spent the past five years as the school leader of Patrick Henry, a neighborhood elementary school in the St. Louis Public School District. Genevieve has been a teacher both in New Orleans and St. Louis. Colby and Genevieve are thrilled to create a school in the city of St. Louis that will meet the needs of all children while instilling the skills needed to thrive in the 21st century.
About Their Idea: Atlas is a new elementary school opening this fall in the City of St. Louis with kindergarten and first grade. As an alternative to traditional homework, Atlas provides its students with self-paced, thematic at-home learning kits that are full of hands-on activities, high quality texts, and opportunities for expeditions that are directly tied to what students are learning in class.
Hannah Imberman | New Orleans, LA
About Hannah Imberman: Hannah Imberman is a lover of all things creative and curious. She has worked in various roles in education for over 10 years and all over the world. She is dedicated to creating experiences that are accessible to all students, leading with an open ear and heart, and advocating for her students in every room she enters. Her project, Tackle, is the culmination of years of watching students be shuffled through an educational system that isn’t designed for them to succeed in. She is well versed in web design and is never scared to back down from a challenge.
About Their Idea: Tackle is an app that seeks to help supplement schoolwork to help students in the 3rd-5th grades prepare for their first years of standardized testing. Tackle does this through roleplaying gameplay, allowing students to practice their grade level standards through the lens of exploration and competition. Our free resource also allows parents to have one-stop access to viewing their student’s specific ELA progress, helping them to stay engaged with their child’s education, even on the busiest of schedules.
Jacob Adams | Los Angeles, CA
About Jacob Adams: Jacob is the Founder and Executive Director of STEM to the Future. Prior to founding STTF, jacob was a an educator in New York City where he was an elementary school teacher in Brooklyn and Harlem. jacob has 9+ years of experience in education and is using that experience to help students be solution-oriented individuals who use their gifts to uplift the community and create the world they want and deserve. He’s a 4.0 Essentials and Tiny Fellow, a photographer and co-host of the Make it Make Sense (MIMS) Podcast
About Their Idea: In our 2021 Freedom Summer Camp, students will work together to imagine and begin to create the type of community they wish to live in. Each day of programming consists of coding/3D design, math that exposes students to the idea of a livable wage and capitalism, photography, reading, writing, and performance arts. Through our Freedom Summer Camp, students explore their passions and how to use them for the greater good of the community. We uplift Black and Latinx students’ voices in the center of problem-solving and community change
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Jen Chiou | Irvine, CA
About Jen Chiou: Jen Chiou (she/her) is the founder of CodeSpeak Labs, a computer science education social enterprise that empowers K-12 students to use tech to build a better world. Over 12,000 students in California and New York have taken their classes, and over 500,000 kids across the country have used their curriculum. Prior to founding CodeSpeak Labs, she was the founding Executive Director of Crisis Text Line, the first nationwide SMS-based crisis hotline, an early team member at the global NGO Teach For All and a nonprofit consultant at the Bridgespan Group. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford, and she lives in Irvine with her partner and 2 sons, ages 5 and 7.
About Their Idea: The Next Step is a creative agency of BIPOC high school students from underserved communities, working with professional mentors from CodeSpeak Labs, who get real world experience creating social media content for mission-driven organizations. Student creatives are paid, gain experience to build their skills, resumes and portfolios, and receive ongoing mentorship, including college and career support.
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John Jenkins | Houston, TX
About John Jenkins: John Jenkins is a serial entrepreneur and founder of LEVERAGE Program in Houston, TX. An entrepreneurship education program designed to bridge the knowledge, accessibility, and experience gaps locking Black youth out of the innovation economy.
His work is a personal response to an overwhelming frustration of seeing the lived experiences of people of color being undervalued, overlooked and underestimated. He believes that economic empowerment is a catalyst to the change we seek as a people and is working to empower those who seek change to take on the challenge directly and immediately.
About Their Idea: For this challenge we will design and run a Human Centered Design workshop with the youth programming directors and the youth of existing 3rd Ward community agencies to develop a collaboration model with a measurable Social Return on Investment rubric. We will use this workshop to create a draft programming model and outcomes framework that can be developed into a Social Return on Investment rubric that supports youth outcome measures for Third Ward and set new benchmarks for future collaborative youth programming.
Karima L. Wilson | Houston, TX
About Karima L. Wilson: Karima Wilson is the founder of Forged Ed, an organization whose mission is to help educators build schools where students of color thrive. Prior to launching Forged Ed, Karima worked for over a decade in schools in Houston, Texas, as a bilingual teacher, assistant principal, and Principal. Karima earned her bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College in sociology & anthropology and her master’s degree in specialized studies from Harvard Graduate School of Education. In her free time, she likes to cook, work out, and play Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art, where she ranks as an Instrutora.
About Their Idea: Forged Ed CRP Curriculum PD will offer professional learning opportunities for educators to develop their ability to make their teaching relevant to their students’ cultures and communities. Our sessions will develop guides and resources that ultimately help them become teachers more connected to their students.
Kendra Denmark | Atlanta, GA
About Kendra Denmark: Kendra Denmark, M.Ed. has aspirations to change the world, one youth at a time through education and financial empowerment. With over 15 years of experience of working with students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in higher education settings, she has a proven track record of helping students create and achieve their personal, financial and academic goals. As a first generation, low income college graduate, she understands the journey and resources necessary to overcome barriers to obtain success. Kendra is a Certified Financial Life Coach who equips communities with the motivation and resources necessary to enhance their financial wellness.
About Their Idea: Clear Camp is an active, engaging, hands-on learning experience that allows high school scholars to explore topics such as financial literacy, social emotional intelligence and physical wellness. The 5 day multifaceted camp allows scholars to embark on their financial literacy building journey through financial, mental and physical wellness activities.
Laura Thomas | Washington, D.C.
About Laura Thomas: Laura Thomas is the Founder and CEO of Effective to Great Education, an education technology startup that develops social emotional learning tools geared for vulnerable black and brown students and underserved schools. Her upbringing within an education-focused, southern Black American family fostered an early interest in developing habits that would enable her to build and maintain academic achievement and strengthen her self-identity. Laura’s focus in performance and interpersonal development during her formative years cultivated her passion to support black and brown kids from underserved communities as a mentor, program designer and educational enrichment educator.
About Their Idea: The Bud to Blossom Project amplifies awareness of healthy well-being practices and identity affirming spaces within low socioeconomic black and brown school communities. The project is developing Social Emotional Wellbeing and Motivational guides based on the Black hidden figures and history of Washington, DC for DC students participating in our social emotional learning program.
Leandra & Wilson Waller| New York, NY
About Leandra: Leandra is a founder and educator currently completing her masters at MIT IDM. She’s the co-founder of Vidcode, an award-winning creative coding platform and computer science curriculum for K-12. 4.0 was her first incubator back in 2014, and it changed her life to be around so many inspiring educators solving big problems. Leandra has organized workshops around tech and art around the world, including the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit, Columbia University Teachers College, Cornell Tech, Processing Day, Creative Coding Fest, and the MIT Media Lab, and has been highlighted in Forbes, Devex, TechCrunch, and EdSurge, and has been listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education. She’s excited to facilitate top hands-on learning experiences this summer.
About Wilson Waller: Wilson Waller is an educator and producer who’s been creating programs combining art, tech, and sustainability for nearly a decade. He has built educational programs by activating outdoor spaces with state of the art technology by upcycling shipping containers into tech labs. During that time he completed a social impact startup accelerator in Memphis. He coordinated partnerships between NBA foundations, schools, and city parks to install makerspaces at outdoor basketball courts for underserved youth to create engaging learning spaces out of shipping containers from his hometown of Memphis to the Himalayas.
About Their Idea: Cyber Arts Camp is a summer technology + art camp for teens who are creative, multidisciplinary, and want to work together to make a difference in the world’s most important moonshots. The Cyber Arts team is engaging students in learning both online and in-person by connecting them with industry experts and recent graduates. Cyber Arts workshops are hands-on and open-ended, allowing students freedom to explore the future’s biggest challenges.
Lisa Quattlebaum | Philadelphia, PA
About Lisa Quattlebaum: A native Philadelphian, Lisa returned to the US after over a decade in Asia. Inspiring insight and action through storytelling, journalism, and media, education and consulting have long been Lisa Quattelbaum’s preferred approach to address intersectional issues such as racial and gender equity, sustainability, and inclusion within leadership ecosystems. She manages The Homesteadista ( digital women’s magazine) and Tall Poppies + Co (a leadership consulting company). With degrees from Sarah Lawrence, NYU/ICP, and executive certificates in values-based leadership and social impact strategy from DePaul University and the University of Pennsylvania/Ortner Center, she a bit of a nerd but not a typical academic.
About Their Idea: CitySchoolista, an online hub offering guidance and support for moms and their kids who are eager to use their city as a prompt for cultural exploration, civic engagement, and leadership development. We use creative messaging on our everyday-use product line, conversation-starter tools and place-based guides as accessible entry points to reflecting upon and engaging in critical social justice issues.
Marvin Pierre | Houston, TX
About Marvin Pierre: Marvin Pierre grew up in South Jamaica, Queens, New York. In 2017, Marvin co-founded Eight Million Stories to upend the school-to-prison. Prior to launching Eight Million Stories, Marvin served as an assistant principal at KIPP Polaris Academy for Boys. He has worked at multiple schools for over three years as a dean of students. Marvin holds a bachelors in Economics from Trinity College (Hartford, CT) and a Masters in Education from the University of Houston. He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and is currently developing a charter school called The Justice Hub School.
About Their Idea: The Sons of Promise program provides middle school boys with relevant academic and social experiences that will ensure their success academically, socially, and professionally.
Sons of Promise Pledge & Principles
We will adhere to our core principles ALL times in our dealings with our brothers, sisters, family, teachers, community and ourselves.
P — Perseverance
R — Respect
O- Opportunity
M — Manhood
I — Intelligence
S- Service
E- Empowerment
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Matt Barinholtz | Baltimore, MD
Mehreen Butt & Stephen Castaneda | Nashville, TN
About Stephen Castaneda: Stephen Castaneda is passionate full-stack developer based in Nashville, TN. Before pursuing a career in development, Stephen works as a high school music teacher for 5 years. Stephen completed the full-stack web development bootcamp through Nashville Software School in 2020. Stephen is passionate about finding ways to teach and help people that look like him pursue a tech pathway. He also has worked with Pivot Tech to write high school curriculum which has led him to build Culturally Tech. Stephen is excited about the journey ahead to help diversify the current tech landscape.
About Their Idea: Culturally Tech is an intensive, 2-week tech bootcamp that prepares underrepresented high school students with the 21st-century skills needed to be competitive for entry-level and apprenticeship roles at tech companies. Our program provides students with a summer stipend to participate, reducing the financial barrier that often exists for students to engage in academically enriching programs while also preparing them for a future, high-demand, high-paying career.
LinkedIn (Mehreen) | LinkedIn (Stephen)
Mikala Streeter | Atlanta, GA
About Mikala Streeter: Mikala Streeter is the Founding Principal of The LIFE School, an accredited, nonprofit school in Atlanta that has transformed the traditional learning experience to be more personalized, real world, and exploration-focused. Prior to founding The LIFE School, Mikala taught middle and high school computer science and math courses for 7 years, designed project-based STEAM curriculum, and coached teachers around the world. Mikala has a B.S. Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.A. Education from Stanford University.
About Their Idea: Zucchinis is a homeschool co-op in downtown Atlanta, designed to meet the needs of everyday working families, where students learn through projects, exploration and play. Students range from 3 to 13 years old, in preschool, elementary and middle school. Created in the height of the pandemic, we saw a need within our community for families to have access to affordable, quality education while keeping students as safe as possible.
Nady Persons | New Orleans, LA
About Nady Persons: Inspired by their own personal experience as a first-generation high school and college graduate, and by their experience being the big sister to someone who lives with multiple significant disabilities, Nady moved to New Orleans in 2002 to teach students in special education. They have spent nearly 20 years working in education most recently designing diversity, equity, and inclusion-focused professional development workshops and retreats for clients locally and globally through their start-up, Conscious Roots, that they founded together with Porscha Williams. In their free time, Nady plays in a couple bands, tries out new vegan recipes, works on their 140-year old home, and tends to their many cats.
About Their Idea: Conscious Roots, an organization that partners with individuals, businesses, and schools globally in the lane of liberation, inclusion, and accessibility, is designing an identity-centered development curriculum for elementary-aged students. Conscious Roots empowers students to deeply understand themselves through exploring what makes them unique in conjunction with what impact they want to have in this world. All curriculum is rooted in deepening self-love and awareness through reflection, activities, and collaboration.
Nakeyshia Kendall Williams | San Francisco, CA
About Nakeyshia Kendall Williams: Nakeyshia Kendall Williams is the Founder and CEO of MindCatcher, which helps educators shift their mindset, practices and systems to being more youth-led. Prior to founding MindCatcher, Nakeyshia led product marketing for a Pearson tablet-based, K-12 curriculum and co-led an education partnership to increase public education innovation with support from Kellogg Foundation and Gates Foundation. Nakeyshia is an EdLoC member and alum of National Equity Project’s Leading for Equity Fellowship and 4.0 Schools’ Tiny Fellowship. Before education, she spent over a decade in finance. Nakeyshia holds a BA from Columbia College and an MBA from the Wharton School.
About Their Idea: Mindset Studio and Retreat is an affinity-based venue for amplifying the thought leadership and wellness of education leaders of color. This space is designed to enable leaders to learn from each other’s leadership and engage in practices that promote connectedness, understanding and collective healing.
Naqibah Al-Kaleem & Jesse Leavitt | Boston, MA
About Naqibah Al-Kaleem and Jesse Leavitt: Jesse Leavitt is a designer, educator and facilitator, papa and hermano, nature lover, friend, and tender of hearts and soil. Naqibah Al-Kaleem is a dancer, mover, equity bridge-builder, mother, scientist of learning and love of life living, student of her own body and spiritual experiences, Bostonian, remember-er of ancestors. Together with our beloved community, we facilitate and connect members of Our Fire Collective to provide outdoor and virtual retreats and cohort experiences for educators and community organizers to heal from trauma inherent in systemic oppression in their work.
About Their Idea: We will support healing in transition “back to equity, not normal” with a cohort of 20 frontline Boston area educators with series of 3 in-person days, 2 care packages, and 3 virtual gatherings over the course of 6 months. By combining healing practices brought by OFC facilitators alongside research-based nature rehabilitation activities, cultural traditions, and mindfulness and somatic programs. We work with individuals and invite duos or trios from organizations to promote solidarity for shifts in their workplace contexts.
Natasha Lopez | Laurel, MD
About Natasha Lopez: As a first generation college graduate from New York City, Natasha’s passion is to use innovation, design thinking and entrepreneurship to improve educational outcomes for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. She is the founder of CollegeConnect, an online platform to support students in navigating the college application process. CollegeConnect was inspired by her own experience navigating the college process, coupled with her experiences advising students on developing postsecondary plans and increasing college persistence rates in the Boston area.
About Their Idea: CollegeConnect is an online platform that uses a step-by-step college counseling and financial aid curriculum along with AI-powered technology to provide students with a personalized college counseling experience.
NJ Mvondo | Davis, CA
About NJ Mvondo: NJ is a writer, artist and social entrepreneur based in Davis, CA. She is the owner of Multiculturalism Rocks and its BIPOC bookstore — two platforms that promote cultural diversity, with an emphasis on children’s literature. She is also the founder of Multicultural Press LLC, and of the Davis Network for Africa (DNA) — a grassroots organization uniting the African Diaspora and the community at large. Two of her latest initiatives are the Interactive Healing Arts Project (HAP) and the non-profit Multicultural Families Rock (free BIPOC books for underserved communities). NJ is a City of Davis Human Relations Commissioner.
About Their Idea: The Interactive Healing Arts Project (HAP) brings together students of all ages by giving them a platform to explore art as a help to the individual and collective healing journey. Participants are also encouraged to share shorts messages of encouragement with the rest of the world, and to express ideas for change that would benefit our society.
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Nneka Gigi | Los Angeles, CA
About Nneka Gigi: Nneka Gigi is a Nigerian artist, educator and doctoral student based in Los Angeles, CA. Her educational initiatives are rooted in embracing financial literacy and economic competitiveness through West African braid and natural hair culture. Using her creative identity, she uses hair adornment rituals to bring the natural hair community closer to discussing the cultural asset of braiding as an educational tool. She looks forward to building a greater sense of community in this fellowship so that everyone feels connected as they continue doing their important work to make this world more equitable.
About Their Idea: I Got Ya B.A.C. is a national book club catering to Black elementary aged girls that centers their lived experiences through the eyes of West African braid history and natural hair culture. The purpose is not only to create a shared sisterhood but an opportunity to explore financial literacy and economic competitiveness using a culturally specific asset.
Nora Seilheimer | New Orleans, LA
About Nora Seilheimer: Nora Seilheimer, MFA and CYT, is the Executive Director of Project Peaceful Warriors, a New Orleans based nonprofit that works with local schools, community centers, and organizations to build healing-centered learning spaces through the trauma-informed tools of yoga and mindfulness. A former Special Education teacher, Nora has shared yoga and mindfulness with young people for over a decade. Combining her professional experience in creative writing and providing specialized services that meet individual students’ needs, Nora roots her work in student voice and choice so that students may disrupt cycles of trauma and embody who they are on their own terms.
About Their Idea: Project Peaceful Warriors’ 1-on-1 Mindfulness Coaching is a school-based program that puts students with IEPs in charge of their own support plan as they determine which mindfulness techniques to practice and personalize, how their coach assists them, and weekly goals for integrating the techniques into their daily lives. Through workshopping these techniques, students will build a custom toolkit of coping mechanisms and social-emotional exercises that support them in self advocacy, self actualization, and in creating a community of care.
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Quanice G. Floyd | Baltimore, MD
About Quanice G. Floyd: Born and raised in NYC, Quanice Floyd has spent the past 15 years in Washington, DC where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education from Howard University and Kent State University respectively. She is currently a lobbyist and the Executive Director of Arts Education in Maryland Schools, an advocacy organization. She is also a doctoral student at Drexel University studying educational policy. Before going into advocacy, Quanice was a public-school music educator where she taught elementary and middle school general music, chorus, band, and orchestra for over a decade.
About Their Idea: The Arts educator campaign school is a leadership program that that arts educators and teaching artists to be the change they want to see — to run for political office because arts educators need a seat at the table to make critical policy and systemic change. Through this program, we want to put arts educators into positions of political power so that we can shift the power from those who have been “normally” making decisions and policies to those who are most affected by the decisions and policies that are being made.
Rebecca Gartner | Denver, Colorado
About Rebecca Gartner: Rebecca Gartner is the Founder of The Little Village, an early learning center which is part of a non-profit organization supporting refugee women and their families in Aurora, Colorado. In her role, Rebecca focuses on family inclusion, cultural exchange, dual language development, and trauma-informed practices. By collaborating with youth, parents, and a refugee committee, Rebecca co-creates programs and informs a multicultural curriculum that supports the whole family. Rebecca is committed to equity in early childhood, as well as life-long learning. Rebecca studied Speech Language Pathology as an undergrad, and holds a graduate certificate in Early Childhood Leadership.
About Their Idea: The Little Village is an early learning center serving primarily single-mother refugee families. Their school-age program brings equitable opportunities to children K-8 in a full-time program during the summer and after-school program during the school year. The participants themselves have identified learning opportunities of interest, educational field trips (both in-person locally and virtually around the world), and interesting activities that they would not otherwise have access to.
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Sari Levy | New Orleans, LA
About Sari Levy: Sari Levy is an enthusiastic educator with 14 years of teaching, coaching, and leadership experience. Most recently, Sari was a 1st-6th grade Math Interventionist at Bricolage Academy. She developed new concepts for math education as part of the fellowships with New Schools for New Orleans and 4.0 Schools. Sari is the founder of Make It Count Math Tutoring in New Orleans. She has two kids, Edwin and Lucas.
About Their Idea: Make It Count Math (MICM) provides free, meaningful math moments for students in partnership with local organizations. This math tutoring program offers academic support fueled by fun and feedback to build confidence and understanding. MICM adds an additional layer of support to families while they navigate their children’s education. By offering this through organizations where families bring their children to be enriched and learn, MICM expands their opportunity to learn and grow. Providing this experience for free makes it possible for anyone to participate, without imposing a financial barrier. MICM provides students with on-going practice that is motivating and exciting!
Sheila Barrett| Washington, D.C.
About Sheila Barrett: Sheila is an educator and visual communicator. She taught different students with significant learning gaps in DC Public schools for 14 years as a special education teacher. She discovered that the teaching materials she created can help more students outside her own classroom. Thus, she is now concentrating in creating physical and digital educational materials under her brand, V CoTeacher.
About Their Idea: Have you heard about teacher shortage in SPED and Mathematics? Worse, educators are talking about learning loss especially in Math because of the 2020 pandemic. To help solve this, V CoTeacher is creating a Math Learning Progression Toolbox. This project is led by former public school teacher who helped students bridge significant learning gaps for 14 years. She realized that she can help more students outside her classroom if she clone herself by sharing her strategies and tools to other educators as V CoTeacher.
Stephenie Aubert | Wallace, LA
About Stephenie Aubert: Stephenie Aubert is a retired educator who has has advocated for children for over 40 years. She has worked in many capacities including Speech Pathologist, Supervisor of Curriculum/Head Start, and Literacy Coach. Throughout her career, Stephenie’s emphasis has been on encouraging and supporting children who experienced difficulties academically and behaviorally. Her concern for struggling students led her to develop a way of helping them with strategies for success. It is her desire to partner with 4.0 Schools in developing a means to meet the academic needs of children as she works collaboratively with her community.
About Their Idea: The Confident Student provides coaching sessions to help students develop effective executive skills and positive habits through goal setting. We will involve parents and teachers to provide continued support and monitoring of student’s success.
Todd Wackerman | New Orleans, LA
About Todd Wackerman: Todd Wackerman is the founder and director of STEM Library Lab, an equipment share resource center in New Orleans. He taught Physics and a variety of other STEM subjects at public schools in New Orleans and Brooklyn from 2010–2016. Todd received his MBA from Tulane’s Freeman School of Business, MAT in Science Education from the University of New Orleans, and his Bachelor of Arts from Boston College in Political Science and History. Prior to teaching, he worked as a program manager and project coordinator for corporate volunteerism at two nonprofits and has extensive volunteer experience with local nonprofits.
About Their Idea: The STEM Ecosystem Database will be a new online tool for parents and teachers in the Greater New Orleans area, featuring filterable access to events, extracurricular offerings, professional development, lesson modules, field trips, and more!
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Tom McFadden | Palo Alto, CA
About Tom McFadden: Tom is in his eighth year teaching middle school science at The Nueva School (CA) . His YouTube channel, “Science With Tom,” features student-produced rap battles between Rosalind Franklin and Watson & Crick and lyrical odes to cellular respiration. He first combined his passion for music, video, science, and education while TAing biology classes at Stanford. He then received a Masters of Science Communication to study the impact of music in the science classroom thanks to a Fulbright Scholarship. His latest project, Rhymewit, supplements science and history curriculum with lyrical puzzles set to hip hop beats.
About Their Idea: Rhymewit is an Ed Tech app that provides standards-aligned lyrical puzzles for K-12 science and history lessons. Harnessing the power of music, rhyme, and interactivity, Rhymewit provides a super engaging and quick way for teachers to review, preview, and assess key vocabulary. Upcoming features will harness student creativity, helping students to contribute their own art and lyrics to write collaborative rhymequizzes.
