Aijeron Simmons is the Program Manager at the Office of Social and Emotional Learning, Oakland Unified School District.

“I see this fellowship as the opportunity to connect to other leaders of color in order to establish a shared understanding of what transformational leadership means for leaders of color working toward a tomorrow where youth of color have all the support they need to thrive. After the fellowship year is complete the work of the community is beginning and merging with the work of fellows in the previous cohorts. The Surge movement is a network of leaders committed to action, elevating the accomplishments of leaders of color and encouraging more people of color to move into leadership roles -nourishing the momentum of a movement.”