Meet 4.0’s 2022 Essentials Fellows
We’ve selected 66 leaders with early-stage ideas reimagining education to join the 2022 Essentials Fellowship!
Today, we are overjoyed to introduce you to the newest cohort of 4.0’s Essentials Fellowship! We cannot be more proud of the 54 innovative teams we’ve selected who are reimagining education with their communities.
The Essentials Fellowship is designed for people with early-stage ideas, who don’t yet have organizations or programs. The Fellowship takes them from the idea phase to creating an initial concept of their idea.By the end of the fellowship, fellows will run a small-scale pop-up experience for the families, educators, and students you want to work with — a first step into testing and exploring new ideas. Participants get the dedicated time, resources, and feedback they need to explore their visions, as well as coaching from experienced founders, a $300 grant to run their pop-up, up to $300 after graduation, and a community of peers cheering them on. Each Essentials Fellow spends dedicated time exploring the intersections of their identities and the work they seek to do.
If you have an idea for how to reimagine education, 4.0 is here to help you start. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on 4.0 programming.
For now, join us in welcoming the 2022 Essentials Fellows to the 4.0 community!
Alison Rini & Mydahlia Glover| Sarasota, FL
About Alison Rini: Alison Rini is a student of learning, with 20+ years in teaching and administration in NYC, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Florida. She has worked in high-achieving public, private, and charter schools, where she constantly confronts the limits of our outdated educational system. She is determined to create a joyful alternative that honors the human needs of all community members and launches students to new heights.
About Mydahlia Glover: Mydahlia Glover has worked in Montessori education for 10 years, teaching and serving as director of a preschool. Her goals is to create an environment for children and families to learn together, but she feels there is a paradox between the rapid technological development of so many industries while our educational system feels stuck in the past. Mydahlia is committed to ensuring students are receiving the quality education that they need to unlock their futures. In order to prepare students for fast-moving industries she strives to provide strong academic basics as well as flexible and critical thinking.
About Space 21: Space 21 is a learning environment where students advance through personalized academic progressions, earning play and movement breaks every hour. Students’ and families’ needs are foundational to our program; we balance autonomy and structure enabling everyone to make choices based on real-time data on student progress. Every Friday is a camp day, where students participate in project-based learning, field trips, and team-building — or take a well-deserved day off! Families are welcomed as partners, giving input into core values and celebrating achievement. Teachers are nurtured as well, with on-site preschool, doggy daycare, and frequent four-day work weeks. Come join us!
Amiri Lampley | Huntsville, AL
About Amiri Lampley: Amiri Lampley is a lawyer and former educator. She currently practices corporate litigation in Chicago, IL. Prior to law school she taught high school English in Detroit, MI. While in Detroit, she founded The Diamond Project, a mentorship program geared towards self-empowerment and socio-emotional development. She looks forward to taking your her passion for mentorship one step further through the 4.0 fellowship.
About The Diamond Project: The Diamond Project is a non-profit that provides holistic healing and personal development for young black girls through storytelling and educational support. DP will provide individualized attention to those who exhibit the resilience to succeed, but lack the access and support to dream; students whose parents desire more for them but lack the means to provide it. In particular, DP will recruit young women who are artistic, enjoy writing, reading, and desire guidance or assistance in doing the work to heal and find themselves. DP will be a global movement for young women to connect over experiences and heal through storytelling, introspection, and vulnerability.
Amy Barrios | San Antonio, TX
About Amy Barrios: Dr. Amy Barrios is a professor and consultant based in San Antonio, TX. She has nearly 20 years of experience in education, where she has taught in rural, urban, face to face, online, and hybrid formats, and has served learners in traditional, nontraditional, and community college settings. She is passionate about ensuring teachers are prepared to address the diverse needs of today’s student population, and doing so in the most compassionate, inclusive way possible. Her research interests include classroom diversity, curriculum development, teacher quality and preparation, and culturally relevant learning. Dr. Barrios is a graduate of Baylor University.
About Teachers Support Network: The Teachers Support Network is a forum for new teachers that will promote a sense of community, mentorship, and professional development for them outside of their own campuses. Having a safe space to go, opportunities to continue learning, and resources to apply in their classroom will help them counteract some of the stress, fatigue, and anxiety that comes with being a new teacher in a “post”-covid world.
Twitter | Instagram| Facebook | LinkedIn
Anna Blalock | Roswell, GA
About Anna Blalock: Anna Blalock is a multidisciplinary educator and academic coach who provides support for students of all levels. She is dedicated to bridging the gap between academic achievement and social/economic mobility. Anna started Bridge Tutoring and Education Consulting to connect students with opportunities within and outside of the traditional education model while highlighting their talents and interests.
About Four2Launch: Nearly a third of college freshmen drop out before becoming sophomores. Four2Launch is a four-year program that will provide academic coaching, college opportunities education, academic tutoring, and social-emotional learning coaching as students navigate junior and senior years in high school and the college application and admissions process, college enrollment and socialization as well as career and internship opportunities as freshman and sophomore years in college. The program will also work to re-enroll students who dropped out of college during or after their freshman year.
Twitter | Instagram| Facebook| LinkedIn
Ashraf A. Ismail | Phoenix, AZ
About Ashraf A. Ismail: Ashraf A. Ismail is a social entrepreneur and global business development professional obsessed with transforming the lives of refugees through education. He is currently attending Stanford University where he is pursuing a Master of Science in Learning, Design, and Technology and was selected as a SHARE Fellow, and holds a Master’s in Global Management with dual concentrations (Global Digital Transformation and Global Entrepreneurship) from the #1 ranked Thunderbird School of Global Management. He has 9+ years of experience in three main fields: Education (St. Andrews Refugee Services, Cairo), Technology (Microsoft), and private sector Business Development (Thomas Cook, DAL Group, and a “Top 3” management consulting firm.) The son of a political refugee whose top priority was education, Ashraf was educated in 5 countries, and speaks three languages
About Knowledge Ark (KnowArk): Knowledge Ark (KnowArk) is the first-ever online academy for refugees granting them an internationally accredited high school diploma and life skills in over 195 countries through an innovative approach to the access to education challenges refugees face. Our mission aligns with the UNHCR’s call to ensure that 15% (currently 1%) of refugees have access to tertiary learning by 2030. We aim to graduate 250,000+ students in the next 10 years who will be able to have easy access to tertiary education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
Azeez O Alimi |New York, NY
About Azeez O Alimi: Azeez Alimi is a recent graduate from CUNY Lehman College, where he studied Social Work with a concentration in Finance and Marketing. During his time in Undergrad, he worked assisting Undocumented Populations within the CUNY (City university of New York) system and the Early Childhood Center Inc at BMCC (Borough of Manhattan Community College). During his time supporting these two programs, he founded programs to support the populations he served. Azeez prides himself in his ability to educate and empower those he serves and continually seeks to cultivate the next group of change agents in their communities.
About Eyökan: Eyökan is a community Early Childhood Center that’s designed to focusing on reducing the cost of Childcare services while creating community-based networks to create advancements in the both the lives of children and parents alike.
Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
Barbie Vargo | Pittsburgh, PA
About Barbie Vargo: Barbie Vargo is an educator and writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. Beginning her career in early childhood education, she realized the importance of cultivating each child’s unique genius. As a kindergarten teacher at Propel Charter Schools, she founded The Sturdy Roots Project, a grant-funded initiative bridging the home to school connection, and The Co-Laboratory Makerspace. In 2017, she explored the road less traveled, living and working in southeast Asia. Barbie has taught learners around the world both in-person and online. Having since been certified as a meditation instructor, she writes and teaches curriculum with a focus on humanities and creativity.
About KindRGarden Mindful + Heartful Learning Solutions: KindRGarden nurtures a love of learning where awareness and compassion are foundational. Sowing seeds of hope in the field of education, we grow towards a brighter tomorrow. KindRGarden’s mindful and heartful learning solutions serve to uplift students, teachers, and communities. Evidence-based programming and resources rooted in meditation’s transformative possibilities inspire learners to heal the past, be the present, and create the future.
Brian Kayser | Fullerton, CA
About Brian Kayser: I’m a proud dad of three amazing boys and teaching at Cal State, Fullerton in the Elementary and Secondary Education programs. Before I went back for my doctorate, I taught AVID, English, and Special Education for 10 years in Charlottesville public schools. I also served as AVID Coordinator at Charlottesville High School for three years. For the past four years, I’ve been working alongside my former students in Cville 1st Gen, a program we co-founded to support first-gen students in Charlottesville as they transition from high school to college.
About Assets and Access: Assets and Access uses the entrepreneurial concept of effectuation to guide first-gen students into the right college and program while offering resources and support while in college.
Bridgette Paul | Dallas, TX
About Bridgette Paul: Bridgette Paul is a dynamic instructional leader turned charter school founder and entrepreneur. With 20 years of combined learning experiences as a public school teacher, coach, and administrator, she is a passionate educator ready to reimagine and redesign school as we know it. As an ardent education advocate for creating equity and inclusion for all students, she is building a charter school network in Dallas, TX to expand public school options for all children who need a new way of doing school. This model will focus on developing the whole child through the arts and STEM project based learning.
About Grace Performing Arts Academy: The Grace Performing Arts Academy is a school where students find their passion through visual and performing arts. We develop the whole child through a strong stem curriculum built on project and inquiry based learning supported with and intentional SEL program. At the academy we focus on creating an environment that encourages children’s curiosity and creativity allowing them to fully thrive and become their most authentic self.
Brittany Dorsey | New Orleans, LA
About Brittany Dorsey: Brittany Dorsey a native of Marrero, La. She has worked for 11 years in New Orleans school system. Brittany currently serves as the Founding Principal of Gregory Dorsey Early College for Boys. During Brittany’s educational career she has received several awards such as Teacher of the Month and Staff Member of the Year.
About The Gregory Dorsey Early College for Boys: Gregory Dorsey Early College for Boys is a private all boys institution. This institution will be liberal arts, project based learning school.
Caitlyn Wang & Mukesh Goswami | San Diego, CA
About Caitlyn Wang: Caitlyn Wang — is curaJOY’s founder and Chief Changemaker, a mother and executive business leader with global marketing, product development, and operations experience spanning a 20-year career in the professional audio and video industry. Her firsthand experience in gifted and talented education programs and as a parent to an autistic child drives her passion to create emotional wellness solutions for all families, with special attention to the most underserved communities–multicultural, Asian Pacific Islander, and third-culture. Caitlyn attended Johns Hopkins University for International Studies and Neuroscience. Connect with Caitlyn here.
About Mukesh Goswami: Mukesh Goswami, curaJOY’s co-founder, Chief Technology Officer,
is a Poet by heart and a technology geek by brain. A passionate SW Products leader, Mukesh is a strong believer in continuous improvement & simple innovation with over 26 years of experience in building enterprise & startup products. He is a servant leader who puts people first. His daughter has found her calling in behavior therapy, and inspired Mukesh to innovate and leverage his skills and technical expertise towards making positive changes in people’s lives and help make our world a better place for all.
About curaJOY Quest Depot: Quest Depot is an always-available, multilingual, omnichannel emotional wellness program that helps families connect, function and feel better. It integrates Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, conversational ai, real-life projects and rewards, and personalized social-emotional education. Participants interact with various in-game virtual mentors who deliver the best-fit content sourced from multiple evidence-based methods such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, etc., personalized based on their age, communication style, performance history, and mood. Psychologists and educators from diverse cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds have co-created our program’s inclusive content.
Instagram | Facebook | Caitlyn’s LinkedIn | Mukesh’s LinkedIn
Carla Rivera-Cruz | San Diego, CA
About Carla Rivera-Cruz: Carla Rivera-Cruz has dedicated her entire career to supporting students and teachers in the K-16 ecosystem as a teacher, instructional coach, consultant and elected school governing board member. She earned a BS from the University of Florida and an MS from the University of Central Florida, graduating with honors from both institutions. Navigating biculturalism in a country that didn’t always affirm her identity was a challenging way to grow up. As a new parent, she founded Charla to ensure her child, and the children of other Latinos living in the US, grow up loving the language and their identities.
About Charla: Charla is a venture that seeks to empower Latinx parents to teach their children Spanish at home, even if they are self-conscious about their own Spanish language proficiency, and even if they are the only Spanish speakers in the home.
Core Beliefs:
-Every parent can be an effective teacher
-Bilingualism is a gift
-Your Spanish IS good enough
-There is space for our culture in our homes
Through carefully curated products and services, Charla makes teaching children Spanish at home accessible while providing a community of like-minded Latinx peers to provide affirmation and accountability on this lifelong endeavor.
CJ Quartlbaum | New York City, NY
About CJ Quartlbaum: CJ is an educator from Brooklyn, NY. He is the founder of the organization Labor Forward. Their aim is to fix the narrative gap caused by the erasure of Black history. His work was born out of seeing just how poorly Black history is taught in schools. He is passionate about education, changing lives, and inspiring the next generation to greatness. CJ is looking forward to making new friends and partners in this fellowship.
About The Labor Forward Project: Labor Forward is a storytelling organization. They tell stories that fill in the narrative gaps of Black history. They do this through a variety of means which include curriculum, courses, calendars, and podcasts. Labor Forward wants to transform the way Black stories are told and make the ease of accessibility to said stories smoother.
Cristina Paredes-Murrell | Menlo Park
About Cristina Paredes-Murrell: Cristina has 10 years’ experience in project-based learning education. She has provided teacher professional development trainings across the US, China and Latina America. She is now on a mission to open an all girl school that will focused on developing a space-exploration curriculum that highlights current and future opportunities for teachers and students. In her school, girls will explore all types of spaces- in their homes, communities, countries, planet and outer space. They will develop their exploration skills into leadership skills. She looks forward to collaborating and creating community with all stakeholders, including the usually forgotten: students, parents and teachers.
About Future of Exploration — K-5 all women school: Future of Exploration or f(x) for short is a school that will give the opportunity to girls to explore different spaces: physical, virtual, augmented, planetary, extraterrestrial and everything in between. Starting with the scientific research and tech exposure girls at a young age will learn and be challenge in a supportive environment. F(x) is also the school where teachers are at the center. They will not teach, they will share ideas and experiences. Students will see the teachers as mentors and both will collaborate and create.
Danielle Rose Bardellini | Santa Cruz, CA
About Danielle Rose Bardellini: Danielle Rose Bardellini has found her mission: composing learning experiences for the purpose of advancing human potential. She focuses on building immersive and transformative experiences that utilize the arts and technology as vehicles for learning. As a California native, she roots in the arts of theatre and production in Los Angeles and the creative innovation of the San Francisco Bay Area.
About firefly: firefly is a K12 learning metaverse — an educational meeting space built within a visual, virtual game. It is a virtual world where teachers and students meet to go on quests that fulfill education requirements. firefly reimagines virtual school by combining video chat, curriculum and the basics of MMORPG (massive-multiplayer-online-role-playing-games).
Instagram | Facebook| LinkedIn
Derrick White | Houston, TX
About Derrick White: Derrick is a web and mobile app developer based in Houston, TX. While he has spent the last 4 years writing code, he spent almost a decade volunteering with and mentoring the youth in Atlanta, GA on topics such as financial literacy, computer skills, and leadership qualities. Derrick comes to 4.0 with his mission being to create a STEM program that changes the lives of under resourced individuals around the nation. He believes that his professional programming experience, relationships with local non-profits, and connections to the communities he wishes to serve will assist in creating a revolutionary program.
About HomeBase: HomeBase is a program focused on exposing under-resourced youth to tech literacy and developing their readiness to seek opportunities in the industries that are shaping the future. Our target market are students between the grades of 6–10 that come from the communities that have been ignored by programs strategically placed to cater to the privileged. As the students learn these new skills, we will be able to create more and more opportunities for them to have a direct effect on their own communities.
Dr. Amanda Hill-Hennie | Philadelphia, PA
About Dr. Amanda Hill-Hennie: Dr. Amanda Hill-Hennie has over 14 years of experience in the education sector working in teaching roles, school administrator roles, and central office roles. She received her B.A. from Saint Joseph’s University and her M.S. from Drexel University in Special Education before pursuing Post-Master’s credentials to earn her Reading Specialist Certification, ESL Certification, and Principal Certification. She most recently earned her doctoral degree in Education Leadership from Point Park University. She also participated in the National Institute for Urban School Leaders through Harvard University. Amanda spent the earlier part of her career with the School District of Philadelphia serving in various capacities. In her primary role as a classroom teacher, Amanda achieved her National Board Certification in the area of Early Adolescent English Language Arts. Amanda is an active member of the Pennsylvania Educators Diversity Consortium and the National Council of 100 Black Woman. In her free time, she enjoys reading, shopping, crafts, and spending time with her young son.
About Concrete Roses: The goal of Concrete Roses is to redesign teacher preparation through a lens of cultural relevance. Our services are co-created with universities to ensure participants can become socio-politically conscious and socio-culturally responsive educators.
Dr. Krista Williams | Mobile, AL
About Dr. Krista Williams: Dr. Krista Williams is an Adjunct Professor of Music at Coastal Alabama Community Colleges and fine arts coordinator/administrator/head band director for the Mobile County Public School System. She has over seven years of public-school teaching experience as a general music teacher, choral director, and head band director. She holds a BM in Music Education from the University of South Alabama, MM and DMA in Music Education from Boston University. Dr. Williams earned the respect and admiration of mentors, colleagues, students, and the community through her dedication and commitment to inclusion and equity in arts education. Through her dedication and continuous work towards equity, inclusion, and the continuous improvement of student achievement in the arts and academics, she was named the 2021 Boston University SOM Award Winner. Through her research, which has been presented nationally and internationally, has focused on creating equitable and inclusive music spaces for all students. In addition to her dedication to music education, Dr. Williams has served as a principal-in-residence for the Mobile County Public School System. As a campus leader-in-residence, she successfully managed the organization, facilities, and financial resources for multiple schools; ensured that each student had equitable access to effective leaders, learning opportunities, academic and social support, and other resources necessary for success; strategically managed staff in a manner that optimized their professional capacity; and engaged parents, faculty, and the community in developing and maintaining a shared vision for the continuous improvement of student learning. Through her effective leadership and engagement with the school community, Dr. Williams had a 100% pass rate for all assigned students during the Mobile County Public School’s recent (2020–2021) summer school program.
About Floretta P. Carson Visual and Performing Arts Academy: The mission of the Floretta P. Carson Visual and Performing Arts Academy (FPC VPAA) is to educate a diverse community of students through a rigorous, pre-college and pre-professional level curriculum that will prepare them for post-secondary education and careers in the visual/performing arts. Our purpose is to nurture, inspire, and motivate a diverse body of talented students to develop and fulfill their artistic skills and educational goals. The educational model of Floretta P. Carson Visual and Performing Arts Academy ensures that all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or background, are provided with the necessary resources (e.g., instruments, technology devices, software programs) and support (e.g., college and career mentors, school-wide system of intervention) needed to be successful in the arts and academics. FPC VPAA is centered around equity, diversity, inclusion, access, opportunity, and the participation, representation, and advancement of all students, regardless of background, ethnicity, ability, or language.
Dr. Romeshia Thomas | Southaven/Memphis, TN
About Dr. Romeshia Thomas: Dr. Romeshia Thomas is an educator with a wide-ranging administrative and leadership experiences in both PK-12 education and higher education administration. She has received recognition as a leader in enhancing student access to post-secondary education for underserved students. Dr. Thomas’s broad background in PK- 12 education and higher education administration has contributed greatly to her leadership, knowledge of, and experiences in instructional leadership, non-profit management, business operations, fundraising, strategic planning, managing fiscal resources; ensuring administrative operations effectiveness by applying benchmarking, research, and national trends of best practices; and working as an advocate and ally for underrepresented student communities.
In addition to over 17 years of experience in both rural and urban educational settings, Dr. Thomas brings a true understanding of the social and economic hurdles faced by many of the children living in the South. She is committed to maximizing the lessons she has learned in her professional career to provide a high-quality education that not only prepares students for college, but also grows each child in a holistic way to ensure they have the support to grow into strong, confident members of their community.
About Dream Preparatory Academy: At Dream Preparatory Academy, our mission is to cultivate students in knowledge and character through a unique college-preparatory focused educational experience, in a supportive environment that fosters academic excellence, nurtures self-confidence, and inspires civic responsibility. Our vision is to reimagine learning by ensuring that all students have an opportunity to set and realize an ambitious dream for themselves, in order to thrive and succeed in high school, college, career, and all facets of life in the 21st century.
Edgar Otero | Washington, D.C.
About Edgar Otero: Edgar Otero is an educator based in Washington, D.C. who worked as a secondary English teacher for two years. He is passionate about educational equity and is an advocate for the importance of social-emotional learning for youth of color from under-resourced communities. Edgar majored in sociology and minored in education studies, earning his bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College where he learned about systems of inequity along the intersections of race, class, and gender as it pertains to education. He believes in the power of games to teach youth valuable social emotional skills that will serve them for life.
About School of Game: School of Game is a school-year/summer program that teaches school-aged youth from underserved communities social-emotional skills through a game-based learning model using a variety of games from different mediums (video, board, outdoor, etc.). Our year-round programming is designed for students at the secondary level and offers an innovative and enriching social-emotional education centered around games in their many forms. Youth have access to a plethora of gaming experiences in which to develop these skills as part of a creatively-designed SEL curriculum and practice what they’ve learned alongside others in the world beyond the screen through interactive face-to-face gaming.
Erin Kai Holmes | Union City, GA
About Erin Kai Holmes: Erin Holmes is an educator based in the Atlanta metro area. She has worked in education for over 20 years. She is the founder of Erin’s Essential Educational Services (EEEs) which provides non traditional educational services to broaden the educational opportunities for school-aged youth. She feels that providing youth with educational experiences outside of the classroom is what engages students within the classroom, by creating a community of continuous learning through thinking, experiencing, and doing. She looks forward to building partnerships and thought partners in the fellowship.
About Millions Explorations: Millions Explorations (ME) is an educational program that will Expose students to the world of entrepreneurship through community trips with Business Owners of color. ME will Expose students to the ins and outs of entrepreneurship. Excite students through hands-on experiences and activities. Educate students to create business reviews that support businesses, and on how to start a business plan to create their own business.
Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
Jeanette Mallary | Homestead, FL
About Jeanette Mallary: Jeanette Mallary is an active Community Activist whom has served the Southwest Miami-Dade Community for over 30 years. Ms. Mallary serves on various City of Homestead’s Council Committees, feeds the homeless consistently and provides unwaivering support to the elderlies of the community.
She provides meals and clothing to families in despair and stands as a liasion between community partners and the community. Mrs. Mallary wholeheartedly gives back to her community and believes in making a difference.
About IPO Breaking Barriers 2023: Breaking Barriers 2023, is an initiative which seeks to provide intensive curriculum, Social Emotional Support, Access to the Arts and learning through play.
Youth will be engulfed in learning through the critical ages of age 2–4 in an interactive engaging setting which supports social emmotional growth as well as academic foundation skills.
In addition to supporting youth, the caretakers will also be provided resources to employment, parenting courses, health and wellness in addition to as needed wrap around services.
Breaking Barriers seeks to improve the quality of life for the whole family as opposed to solely educating the child.
intentionalprovisionscorp@gmail.com
Joanna Chou | Sammamish, WA
About Joanna Chou: Joanna Chou is a corporate marketer turned educator, design thinker and maker. She is passionate about experiential and human-centered education, one that is rooted in our natural disposition to play, wonder and create. Since leaving the corporate world, Joanna has taken on the role of a parent educator and coach to support self-directed and experiential learning for her children and learners in the community. She also loves learning about neuroscience, mindfulness and purpose finding to help empower learners to live out their most creative, authentic and passionate selves.
About GatherEd: GatherEd focuses on amplifying the power of peer socialization and influence for self-directed learning. The program will aim to provide a co-learning environment and platform for self-directed learners to grow and elevate their potentials through creativity, passion, purpose and community. The program will focus on empowering learners to build social capital through meeting others who share similar passions, discover new fields of interests to expand their possibilities, and find purpose through community connections and design thinking.
John N, Matula | Baldwin, NY
About John N, Matula: John Matula is currently the CEO of Peak-Ed. His experience in education includes consulting for over a hundred schools, achieving a National Blue Ribbon as a leader at a high-performing charter school, and being a teacher that was always able to adapt.
John started his career working for AIG as a Risk Analyst and has transferred his skills and knowledge of data into the field of education. He has worked in K-8 schools for over 14 years and just has an overall passion for making a difference in the lives of educators and students.
About Peak-Ed: Peak-Ed is a web platform that analyzes state test scores and teacher observations to create a unique and personalized pathway to professional development. Peak-Ed empowers teachers to learn at their own pace and recommends the critical next steps that will allow teachers to have more success in their classroom when it is needed. The overall goal is to create a measurable path of growth in a school for all parties.
Joshua Anderson | Baton Rouge, LA
About Joshua Anderson: Joshua Anderson is an edTech founder based in Baton Rouge, LA. He is a self-taught software engineer who worked in the software industry for 3 years before transitioning to the education world. He founded Accelerant Education after seeing firsthand how computer science can break the cycle of poverty. He is dedicated to making access to computer science education universal, through empowering educators without a computer science background. Joshua is excited about building partnerships with other fellowship members.
About Accelerant: Accelerant empowers educators to teach computer science to high school and middle school students. We make it easy for teachers without a computer science background to be the lead learner in a CS classroom. Our (work in progress) web app will provide video and text content for teachers and students, and a live coding environment, to make computer science education as accessible as possible.
Joy Blake | Chicago, IL
About Joy Blake: Joy Blake is the creator of the Blake Basics, a Youtube channel and website with technology at the forefront. She is the Instructional Technology Specialist for Chicago Public Schools. Prior to this position, she worked as a STEM Coach as well as an upper elementary Math and Science teacher for over 15 years. She is a Google Certified Trainer as well as an Apple Teacher. She was a Teach for Social Justice grant recipient who values culturally responsive teaching and equity. She loves technology and her goal is to make technology accessible for all. If you come to one of her professional development sessions, you will find a place filled with laughter, focus, creativity, collaboration and community.
A fun fact about Joy is she have graduated from The Second City Theater Comedy Improv program and has performed numerous times on their stage. She also has a podcast with her husband on their YouTube Channel called “Ain’t Gonna Hurt Nobody.”
About Blake Basics Educational Consulting: Blake Basics Educational Consulting is a web platform that encourages technology integration not only within the classroom but in all spheres of life. Blake Basics empowers teachers, students and their parents to understand basic technology skills. Our free resource portal provides Google Suite training, social media strategy and tutorial videos to help anyone with their technology journey.
Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
Kym Ellis | Clarksville,TN
About Kym Ellis: kym Ellis is a Private Chef based in Clarksville, TN. Although food is her passion, she is also a Navy veteran that is well versed in law enforcement and security. Kym has worked in kitchens for Google, Michelin Star restaurants, and her own catering business for the past 6 years. She is dedicated to not only feeding her community but educating them on the culinary industry. She is now managing a nonprofit kitchen, focusing on feeding and providing resources for the less fortunate. She looks forward to networking and growing within the fellowship.
About Chef For A Day: Chef For a Day is an interactive culinary class that provides essential cooking knowledge and commercial kitchen training for the youth. Chef For a Day empowers students by educating them on ingredient shopping, usage, food safety, equipment usage, and elegant meal plating. Our class provides a fun and safe learning environment for youth to grow in a vital skill in life. Our goal is to provide a skillset that they can benefit from personally, and that can also transfer into potential job experience.
Larré Davis | Ruskin, FL
About Larré Davis: iDREAM Educational Alliance was founded by Larré Davis, a Special Education teacher with over 16 years of experience, and a true Champion for Children. iDREAM’s vision is to increase social-emotional competencies, enhance critical literacy skills, and improve behavior to enable black children to make positive contributions in an ever-changing global society. Larré received the ACT College & Career Workforce Champion award by College Board in 2018, The Rescare Quality Way Award for Creating Direction and Developing top-quality service at Pinellas County Job Corps in 2015, and was appointed as a Center Review Board Member 2014–2015.
About App called -Private I: Private i is a gamified app with three black youths, investigators that travel across the country to historical monuments and museums. EnRoot (company brand/label), they face challenges and setbacks that are solved by uncovering hidden truths about historical figures, pre Atlantic-Slave Trade and beyond, and sharing it with other youth characters along their journey. Private i teaches black students with learning differences facts and information that enhances their social-emotional competencies, increase critical literacy skills, and improve behvaior.
LaTonya R. Jackson | Shreveport, LA
About LaTonya R. Jackson: LaTonya Jackson is a mother, educator of thirteen years, and an author-illustrator. LaTonya is committed to making literacy accessible to all children by combining her love of writing and illustrating with her drive to advocate for literacy programs tailored to addressing the specific needs of disabled children with language/communication delays that make learning to read difficult. Her educational advocacy for her son is the driving force behind her Buddy Books project that she looks forward to further developing during her 4.0 Fellowship tenure.
About Buddy Books: Bob Books+Orton-Gillingham+Wonderbly=Buddy Books — interactive book sets empowering parents to teach reading skills to their language-delayed children. Buddy Books are inexpensive, parent-accessible, systematically teach literacy skills like phonemic awareness and phonics, and include interactive, multi-sensory features like pop-ups and fun tangibles. Buddy Books spark joy in learning to read by centering each child as a main character, weaving their interests into short stories, and incorporating multi-sensory manipulatives that aid in bringing each story to life for our budding readers.
Mahoganëë Amigér & André Amigér | St. Helena Island, SC
About Mahoganëë Amigér: Mahoganëë Amigér is a recording artist based in South Carolina. She has been a performing musician vocalist for over 30 years and worked as a teaching artist for over 16 years. Mahoganëë is dedicated to being an Arts Advocate in schools and learning spaces for youth. She co-founded Responsible ARTistry with her husband Andre as a way to help students that are disengaged in their traditional school work by using music as art therapy and an educational tool. She looks forward to building lifelong relationships and successful partnerships across the fellowship.
About André Amigér: André Amigér is a 3X stroke survivor, music producer whose mission is to ReDesign Education. He is from Washington DC, now based in South Carolina and has been in the music industry over 30 years and a certified teaching artist for over 16 years. Andre is dedicated to being a family, school and community advocate. He co-founded Responsible ARTistry as a way to help students that are disengaged in their traditional school work by using music as art therapy and an educational tool. He looks forward to building lifelong relationships and successful partnerships across the fellowship.
About Embracing Discomfort Through Music: Embracing Discomfort Through Music is a music program with a curriculum that re-imagines music by teaching artists and their students as conversation pieces to flush out educator bias and student fears to create real-time professional development.
Mahoganëë: Instagram| LinkedIn
André: Twitter | Instagram| Facebook | LinkedIn
Mali DeSantis | Newark, NJ
About Mali DeSantis: Mali DeSantis has been the owner of Therapeutic Services LLC for 15 years, a speech therapy private practice. Mali received her Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at Rutgers University. Transitioning from 6 years in television journalism, Mali’s desire to enter into a helping field brought her to Kean University where she received a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 2006. She is an experienced clinician who has worked in private practice, schools, homes, and hospitals. Her clinical interests and specializations are in the treatment of children with Autism, Augmentative Alternative Communication, and the facilitation of Social Skills.
About AnimateWorks (TBD): AnimateWorks strives to address delayed and distorted social skills
development in children aged 2–7 brought on by the pandemic. Using the presentation of topic-specific social stories with customized animation and game-based learning technology AnimateWorks can help children gain the social skills they need to have a successful future.
Martell Beall | Atlanta, GA
About Martell Beall @thetellbeall: Martell Beall is a photographer/filmmaker based in Atlanta, GA. He’s been shooting a camera for 9 years, and 4 years professionally. Martell is excited to impact minority communities with a Safe Haven that can grant a creative school along with knowledge on mental health. Martell Beall Productions, LLC was birthed in 2019 through freelance creative work. After graduating from Georgia State with a major in Film, I look forward to put all my passion and expertise in the communities for creative and lifechanging impact.
About The Archive: The Archive is a safe haven creative space where likeminded individuals who are in minority communities together can learn a creative skill, impact the community with community service, along learn more about mental health to educate the public. The space will also offer free studio time with equipment if participating in mental health conferences and creative workshops. This safe haven provides the needs for education amongst mental health around teens, young adults, and adults themselves, a workspace for job and creative development, and giving service to community by documenting, cleaning up, or serving the community.
martellbeall.com | Instagram | LinkedIn
Matt Tyler | New York, NY
About Matt Tyler: Matt Tyler is a civics teacher in New York City. During his eight years of teaching in public schools in New York and North Carolina, Matt has strived to make civics relevant and exciting by getting students outside of the classroom and engaging in politics in the real world. Matt also loves writing about the history of schools and how understanding their history can help us to make them better. Matt is excited about creating new ideas with other founders during the fellowship.
About Article 1: A Congress Simulation for Civics Classrooms: Article1 is an app that helps teachers run Congress simulations with their students. Using Article1, students take on the role of a member of Congress, crafting legislation and using legislative procedure to wield power. By learning about the legislative process, students gain the tools and excitement needed to change policy in real life.
Megan Ohlssen | San Francisco, CA
About Megan Ohlssen: Megan is the founder of Anti-AbleistED, a cross-organizational strategy collective and education consulting group focused on disability justice in education. With a vision of equity and inclusion, Megan focuses on the multiple identities of students, educators, and leaders to uproot ableism in schools and beyond. Megan brings over 15 years of experience in education and a deep connection to the needs that persist across the landscape. She is a driven and authentic thought leader with a demonstrated history of working with stakeholders at all levels of the system to improve the experiences and outcomes of all students.
About Anti-AbleistED: Anti-AbleistED evolves educational equity to include ability. Cross-organizational strategy, on-the-ground expertise, and co-design advance our collective impact and influence the ecosystem to invest in and prioritize students with disabilities. We provide expert consulting to schools, networks, districts, states, and organizations to dismantle silos and inequities that disproportionately impact students with disabilities. We also operate a collective of organizations and experts to develop cohesive strategies across the inclusive education and disability justice landscape — accelerating synergies and addressing gaps in the field.
Meggan Cote | New Orleans, LA
About Meggan Cote: Meggan Cote applied her BS in Environmental Science to a career in disaster damage assessment and Federal funding administration. She’s worked in disaster response and recovery for much of her professional life but she most cherishes a five year detour as a public school teacher. She has a long-standing interest in democratize higher education through technology and wants to participate in the disruption of traditional higher education with flexible, relevant online programs.
About Distributed Resources University of New Orleans (DRUNO): DRUNO is a college alternative. We use distributed educational products and opportunities on the web and elsewhere. We succeed by sharing the experience with a cohort and fostering local community support. Our students learn and teach about how to be an informed consumer of post-secondary education products. They perform inclusive cost-benefit analysis of and proposed post-secondary courses of study. They develop a map for their own post-secondary journey and they support one another along the way.
Nina Marie Barbuto | Pittsburgh, PA
About Nina Marie Barbuto: Nina’s passion for art, new media and social learning led her to found Assemble, a community space for arts + technology, in 2011. Nina is committed to a practice towards liberatory learning and anti-oppression methods of workspaces. She looks fine too growing and building partnerships in this fellowship.
About The Ramp Up Fellowship: The Ramp Up Fellowship is for individuals ages 18–24 who are interested in becoming teaching artists. The fellowship prioritizes young adults who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and the intersection of other oppressed identities. It provides a livable wage along with health benefits while the young adults support youth as they learn.
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Paris A. Thompson | St. Louis, MO
About Paris A. Thompson: Paris Thompson is a Non Profit leader based in St. Louis, MO. She is a 10 year footwear industry alum. She is currently the Program Director of Youth Development at the Bayer YMCA. Paris is the founder of Arch State Academy. When she saw the value in merging education community and sneakers together. Under ASA she created Sneakers Snacks and Stories, Sneaker Boardroom and Visionary League. She looks forward to building partnerships and perspectives across the fellowship.
About Visionary League: Visionary League reimagines what it means to be invested in community from the lens of middle school aged youth. Youth get to choose where they want to see change, develop a plan execute it and in the end tell their story through sneaker storytelling creating their own custom color way. Through fundraising we are able to support a local organization that focuses on the youth’s service desires. In the end they walk away serving their community, mentorship, and a portfolio showcasing their completed project and a new pair of sneakers.
Psacoya Guinn | New York, NY
About Psacoya Guinn: Psacoya is an actor and theatre educator who has brought Theatre Education to various students and communities, including students living in transitional housing shelters, multi-language learners, and adults with various developmental disabilities. She is the Education Associate at the Tony award-winning New York Theatre Workshop. Psacoya is pursuing an MS.Ed in Education Entrepreneurship at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Psacoya is dedicated to providing social and emotional learning to students living in transitional housing shelters. Outside of Theatre Education, Psacoya enjoys all things Shakespeare and her new obsession — Peloton.
About My idea is untitled, but for now I call it “Home”.: Psacoya has the vision to build a boarding school that serves as a Home for homeless students and students living in transitional housing shelters while dismantling educational barriers through theatre arts, mentorship, and community.
Raymond Ankrum | New York, NY
About Raymond Ankrum: Ray got his first experience in charter schools, accepting a Dean of Students position at Democracy Prep. After a year at DP, he brought his talents to Harlem Village Academies. In 2010, Ray earned his Ed.M from TC, Columbia University, and shortly after, he was named principal at HVA. In 2012, he accepted the role of Executive Director of Riverhead Charter School, and after a successful school turnaround campaign, was named Superintendent in 2017. Ray is an advanced doctoral candidate whose research focuses on Parent Engagement In Urban Charter Schools Through The Lens of Black Male Principals.
About RayCo Coaching and Mentorship Development for Leaders of Color: Rayco is a coaching and mentoring organization that looks to provide meaningful support to leaders of color. LOC’s take on some of the most important leadership placements, often with limited support beyond their initial placement. Rayco would serve as an affinity/PLC space to help continuously develop LOC’s by paring them with coaches and mentors to aide in their development.
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Rebekah Adens | Philadelphia
About Rebekah Adens: Rebekah Adens is an educator, social worker, and equity consultant. She consults with her organization Community Matters Now and also serves as the DEIB director of an independent school outside of Philadelphia, PA. Her diversity work focuses on integrating practices of her family therapy training by creating solutions that address barriers to equity that may be sourced in internal and unseen motivations. She is most recently published in the edited work Teaching Beautiful Brilliant Black Girls.
About Educash: Educash is a peer to peer fundraising app specifically focused on supporting non-traditional families ability to self-fund private school tuition through low domination monthly donations. Educash facilitates a low friction way for caregivers to source funding from family, friends and others through text based giving. Educash seeks to motivate givers by creating a virtual connected community around the student, their wins, and other educational milestones.
Rhema Chukwu | Springfield
About Rhema Chukwu: Rhema has worked in formal and informal education spaces for a decade. She currently increases teacher capacity in her role of Instructional Coach at a public elementary school in NoVA. Rhema is passionate about learning and wishes to make a monumental impact in education. She is working towards achieving a doctorate degree. God comes first in her life and He flows through her love of people, travel, and nature. She looks forward to building relationships across the fellowship and communities she wishes to serve.
About Transengaging for Success: Transengaging for Success is a service that transforms any curricula into culturally responsive and culturally sustaining by empowering educators and students to draw from their cultural repertoires whilst engaged in situated learning experiences.
Shaella Freeman | Huntsville, AL
About Shaella Freeman: Shaella Freeman is an educator based in Huntsville, AL. She saw a need to cultivate a safe classroom without the use of adverse consequences. This need ignited a journey of pursuing a Masters in Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and a certification as a Behavior Change Specialist through NASM. Her love for exercise and the healing that she found, led to her certification as a Yoga instructor. Shaella’s mission is to use her experiences and passion to help teachers unpack biases and heal from trauma that affects how they show up for their students.
About Bloom Academy: Bloom Academy is a healing space for educators that will disrupt racial disparities in discipline by uncovering subconscious biases and early trauma using non-violent communication and empathy. This healing experience will disempower the ‘power’ over teaching and interrupt discipline practices that fuel oppression. Through this healing experience educators will gain awareness of triggers, the tools to repair, and the language to connect.
Shandra P. Mallary | Homestead, FL
About Shandra P. Mallary: Shandra Mallary has earned several degrees; A Professional Certificate in Human Resources, Business Specialist Certificate, A Master’s of Science in Business Leadership; A Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Supervision and Management; An Associates of Arts in Business Management and An Associate of Science in Elementary Education. She has been educating youth as a Miami Dade County Public School Teacher for the last 10 years. As a member of the Honor Society of Nova Southeastern University known as PHI KAPPA PHI having earned a 4.0 GPA. Additionally, she has served for four years as Educational Excellence School Advisory Council (EESAC) Chair; led the school’s establishment and implementation of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and promoted community involvement. Ms. Mallary has served as the United Teachers of Dade Building Steward for 6 years. Additionally, she has served as the African American History liaison for Miami Dade Public Schools. In various roles within the community, Shandra has served as a member of the City of Homestead’s Mayor Adhoc Charter Review Committee. Furthermore, as a Community Leader, Shandra, founded Intentional Provisions Outreach, a Non-Profit Outreach Program that serves the underrepresented populations. Ms. Mallary has also obtained a Department of Children and Families Director License and believes passionately in the power of Leadership within our Communities. As a 4.0 Fellow Participant, it is Shandra’s promise to serve with fidelity in the best representation of Entrepreneurs and Leaders known all too well.
About IPO Breaking Barriers 2023: Breaking Barriers 2023, is an initiative which seeks to provide intensive curriculum, Social Emotional Support, Access to the Arts and learning through play.
Youth will be engulfed in learning through the critical ages of age 2–4 in an interactive engaging setting which supports social emmotional growth as well as academic foundation skills.
In addition to supporting youth, the caretakers will also be provided resources to employment, parenting courses, health and wellness in addition to as needed wrap around services.
Breaking Barriers seeks to improve the quality of life for the whole family as opposed to solely educating the child.
Shaquita M. Basileo | Falling Waters, WV
About Shaquita M. Basileo: Shaquita M. Basileo is an educator, math and academic coach, and college admissions counselor in West Virginia. She holds a B.S. degree in Computer Information Systems from Florida A&M University, and an MBA from Stanford University. Shaquita had a successful professional career at Procter & Gamble, IBM, and the TJX Companies, but found a calling to education in 2016. Shaquita is committed to helping minority and female students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees and gain scholarships to top universities throughout the United States.
About The Beacon School: Beacon School is an inclusive, empowering school for students grades 3–8. We are focused on developing: engaging coursework that prepares students for the future and an optimal educational experience by giving teachers the freedom to do so.
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Shauntae Lockett Lewis | Birmingham, AL
About Shauntae Lockett Lewis: Shauntae Lockett Lewis is a former assistant principal head volleyball coach turned principal. She has 14 years of educational expertise. She is very passionate about creating opportunities for her students. After being moved to a school where language was a barrier, she aggressively started taking Spanish to engage more with her students. In addition to Spanish, she is now transitioning to ASL to fit the needs of her community. Shauntae is looking forward building positive relationships with other throughout this fellowship
About C.O.A.C.H.: C.O.A.C.H. is a program “Creating Opportunities for all Children Happily” regardless of background. In a small elementary school this upcoming school year where P.E. was the only opportunity students had previously, students will have the opportunity to participate in STEAM, Computer Science/Spanish, and Literary/ASL this upcoming school year. It is my hope to bring community engagement, partnerships, and give students a different outlook on the world around them.
Sonia Garcia | Houston, TX
About Sonia Garcia: She came to the United States from Spain to implement a Mindfulness program for at risk children. After two years the program was discontinued for budgetary reasons, but her passion for mindfulness did not stop. She continued her education in mindfulness and yoga with the idea to develop a program to share with students and teachers because of her belief in the benefits of mindfulness.
She is a certified Yoga instructor; and she is also a teacher and a member of the Ananda Global community, they teach effective techniques for expanding your sense of self, such as meditation and yoga.
About Mindfulness & Yoga: Mindfulness practices have been proven to support cognitive outcomes, social emotional skills, and wellbeing so because of all this, better academic results.
Schools need to be equipped with the tools to address the mental health crisis taking place in our communities. Mindfulness practices can transform education by increasing wellbeing, supporting social emotional skills and cognitive outcomes for improved academic results.”
It is like growing a seed, you do not see the results right away, it need some time after taking care of, with perseverance and patience to give it the time and space to grow up and develop its own potential.
Learning mindfulness and developing healthy qualities of mind is an ongoing process. Mindfulness provides immediate tools to meet the difficulties of life with care and compassion. With continued practice, mindfulness supports us to do the personal work of changing our internal patterns and behaviors, including our judgments, biases, and stress responses. When our internal world starts to change, our relationship to what is happening outside of us can change.
As educators, this means that practicing mindfulness empowers us to nurture our personal growth alongside our professional responsibilities, and supports us to create brave, safe-enough, and supportive spaces for our students.
Sophie Nissim | Tel Aviv
About Sophie Nissim: Traveling to many places around the world and getting the opportunity to live, learn, and work in the UK, USA, and Israel, enabled Sophie to connect with people of widely different backgrounds and cultures. From these experiences she developed strong social, communication, and intercultural skills. This led her to want to create an effective and engaging way to help students learn about the world to reduce judgment, increase kindness, and help prepare students with the tools to succeed in the diverse, interconnected world we now live in.
About DigiPals: DigiPals is a Edtech platform that helps teachers in building their students’ global competence, language skills, and 21st century skill set to thrive, succeed and create more human harmony worldwide. This is done through cross-cultural collaborations and authentic learning, creating real-word relevance and meaningful experiences in K-12 classrooms worldwide.
Therese Jilek | Chicago, IL
About Therese Jilek: Therese Jilek is a long time educator with over 30 years of experience as a teacher, instructional coach, technology director and principal. She started out in Teach for America back in 1991 and has worked in many different settings including urban, rural, suburban, general and special education. Her personal mission is to design learning ecosystems of the future for a global society. Therese is the founder of Light Blue Learning, a trauma-informed classroom management app for K-12 teachers designed to improve the well-being of students, as well as teachers.
About Light Blue Learning, A Trauma-informed Classroom Management App for K-12 Teachers: Light Blue Learning is a trauma–informed classroom management app for K-12 teachers that increases the well-being of students as well as teachers. We do this by providing tools to help teachers find healing-based strategies to address disruptive behavior, get information to understand the student behavior and learn how to take better care of themselves.
Tiescheka Stuart | Bowie, MD
About Tiescheka Stuart: Learners Emerge Preparatory was founded by Tiescheka Stuart, a passionate educator with more than 15 years experience. During this time, she observed many minority students struggle with reading and math, which ultimately placed them at a disadvantage to compete academically, economically and socially in the global market
Recognizing the students’ need, Learners Emerge Preparatory was established. Her expertise ranges in areas of general education, special education, post-secondary education and family engagement. She has amassed experience in teaching students with severe learning disabilities and medical complexities. Tiescheka has also a proven ability to engage students while increasing their overall academic performance.
About Learners Emerge: Learners Emerge Preparatory is not merely a traditional tutoring center but a place where continuous academic discovery occurs through project-based learning, social emotional learning and experiential learning for students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. We utilize proven techniques to improve students’ reading by teaching them to decode words using a scientific method which ultimately advances them to at least 2 developmental stages or on-grade level or above. In addition, we provide a rigorous and engaging math program.
Tiffany Thomas | Ellenwood, GA
About Tiffany Thomas: Tiffany Thomas is a self motivated young african american based in the Atlanta Area. She has worked in the business and financial world since 2009. She is dedicated to go above and beyond, get out of her comfort zone and go hard so that she doesnt have to go home. She is loving caring and wants to give back to everyone. She founded Tifeni LLC which is the greek version of her name that means Manifestation of God. She looks forward to being an asset to the fellowship
About Tifeni LLC: Tifeni LLC is a female black owned Business Consulting & Credit Literacy Business. I provide consulting services to clients (mainly targeting women of color) such as but not limited to Business Startup (How to register your business, obtaining an EIN, knowledge about LLC vs Corp, etc.), Business Plans, How to expand your business, Next Steps for your business, as well as how to properly close your business. I also provide Credit Literacy services. I teach about credit the different types of credit, how to improve your credit, and also repairing credit. This service is for everyone but especially young people and women of color.
Tosh Young | Omaha, NB
About Tosh Young: Tosh Young is an educator, counselor, and youth advocate. She holds a BBA (University of Michigan — Ross Business School), as well as a M.Ed, School Counseling (Liberty University). She is a licensed School Counselor and has served students and families in various communities for the past 12 years. She founded Soul Stitched Co. in 2022, a nonprofit organization centered around supporting family relational health.
About Sun Shipped: Family-Activity-Boxes: Sun Shipped is a family-wellness resource, in the form of an activity box. SunShipped is especially designed for parents of children, ages 3–10, to be used as a tool to build vibrant intra-familial connection and foster positive and healthy child development. This product includes concrete therapeutic activities designed to support family members in identifying and communicating emotions, creating and sustaining healthy boundaries, and healing from trauma.
Waleeah Brooks | Newark, NJ
About Waleeah Brooks: I grew up in Newark and graduated from Newark Public Schools. I realized that the only way to escape from my environment was through education. As an educator and single mother, I understand how access to childcare can change the trajectory of a family’s life. I want to open a high quality after school program, Akoben Academy, that will serve the students of Newark and provide them with the access to education needed to be successful global citizens.
About Akoben Academy: Akoben Academy is a high quality after school program that promotes achievement in Literacy, Reading, Health, Music and Social Emotional Learning. The target demographic for Akoben Academy are 3rd and 4th graders whose parents are looking for a safe, loving and affordable after school program for their children. Akoben Academy realizes that life can be better with access to different positive opportunities.
