Being apart of Surge means having the opportunity and space to build my leadership capacity specifically around expanding my ability to actualize my vision of what real equity and freedom looks and feels like in Chicago and our educational systems. It also means having a space to be unapologetically myself and explore what that means as an educational leader in a space where I can be honest, share my journey, struggles and successes that I have already experienced. It means so much to me to be able to have the opportunity to build with like minded, community focused Black and Latinx educators and grow from, with and take up space together.