2019 Surge Oakland Alum, Taica Hsu, was recently selected as part of The Roddenberry Foundation 2021 Fellowship. Launched in 2016, the Roddenberry Fellowship is a $1mil investment in the innovators, community leaders, and change-makers leading the efforts for a more just and equitable country.
Initiated by 2020 Surge Chicago Alum Derrick M. Fleming, Jr., The #JUSTBE campaign. is meant to help dismantle current and historic systemic forms of oppression or indifference, foster anti-racism, eliminate hate, and activate individuals both personally and professionally to choose themselves and love themselves authentically, transparently, and honestly. For updates or inquiries about The JUST…
OneGoal who were selected as a winner of The New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s 2020 Holiday Impact Prize. Special shoutout to 2015 Surge Chicago Alum and CEO of OneGoal, Melissa Connelly, for her dedication and authentic leadership in this work!
November 2020 2015 Surge Chicago Alum, Candace Moore, was recently featured in Bloomberg Cities’ highlight of 10 innovators who are raising the bar in the fight against COVID-19. November 2020 Generation Thrive (Golden State Warriors Community Foundation and Kaiser Permanente Thrive) recently held a workshop titled: United for Black Educators: Building a Pipeline for Representation.…
2020 Surge Alum, Garrett Webster Sr., will serve as the Executive Director of Kansas City as Youth Guidance announces the launch of their #BAM and #WOW programs in Missouri in 2021. For more on this expansion, visit http://ow.ly/p0ml50Ch626.
“As college success advocates in this moment, we must consider whether asking our students to persevere more is truly a credible or responsible strategy.” The team at The University of Chicago To&Through Project published a recent op-ed that summarizes some of the key takeaways from their podcast that focused on how first-generation, low-income (FGLI) college…
“(Multilingual students) finish high school with such an advantage. Here we have children already with that advantage that we’re telling them that they don’t have.” Jacqueline Rodriguez, Director of ESOL and Migrant Programs at Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools and 2020 Surge Alum, was recently featured in the ESU Bulletin article titled, Kansas world language…
“Radically reimagining what’s possible in education through relationships will not only prepare middle schoolers to navigate school in the age of coronavirus but all of the challenges this moment in history requires of them as our future leaders.” Check out this op-ed by Jen Ciok and 2017 Surge Chicago Alum, Ashley Leonard on the importance…
2021 Surge Academy Fellow, Keeanna Warren, was recently awarded the Outstanding Educator in STEM award during the 2020 Women & Hi Tech Leading Light Awards and Scholarship Gala. The Leading Light awards focused on Indiana women in STEM with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Latinx Education Collaborative hosted its third annual professional and leadership development conference, Evolución, for Latinx education professionals (and friends) virtually on Saturday, October 24, 2020 streaming live from 9 am to 12 pm. The LEC hosted 465 total registrants from across the nation!
EmbraceRace recently spoke with Savitha Moorthy and Surge Oakland Alums Aija Simmons and Sara Rizik-Baer to describe Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors, a community-focused effort from Tandem, Partners in Early Learning that uses children’s books as a departure point for expanding the capacity of families with children under 5 to engage in critical conversations…
2020 Surge Oakland Alum, Tyfahra Singleton, has been appointed to the Oakland Police Commission. The purpose of the Police Commission is to oversee the Oakland Police Department’s policies, practices, and customs to meet national standards of constitutional policing and to oversee the Community Police Review Agency which investigates police misconduct and recommends discipline.
2017 Surge Chicago Alum and VP of Development & External Affairs, Will Collins, served as moderator for The Chicago Urban League’s October 13 Fireside Chat with Michael Strautmanis, Chief Engagement Officer of the Obama Foundation.
“For me, it’s an opportunity to put your money where your mouth is and say, ‘Hey, I truly care about my friends on the east side and this is how I’m going to pay it forward.” 2020 Surge Alum and Co-Founder & CEO of The Greenline Initiative, Ajia Morris, recently spoke on the work of…
“I grew up thinking that I was inferior, that we were less and here are these intrepid, brilliant revolutionaries who thought differently and did incredible things. There’s a fire that needs to be there to do revolutionary work. Like you need to care enough and get fired up enough.” As part of El Griot &…
For the first time, the ASU+GSV Summit featured an all Surge Institute Alumni panel: Katie Boody (KC19); Melissa Connelly (CHI15); Candace Moore (CHI15); Randal Seriguchi, Jr. (OAK18). The panel was also moderated by Founder & President, Carmita Semaan! Learn more about this Surge milestone HERE.
2019 Surge Chicago Alum, Chanelle Bell, has been promoted to Managing Director, Public and Community Affairs at Teach For America Chicago-NWI. In her new role, she will manage a portfolio of public and community relationships; design and implement a government affairs strategy that results in sustainable public funding from Chicago, Northwest Indiana and/or the State…
Educate78 and Energy Convertors have launched The People’s Literacy Fund, a new pilot program that will award grants between $500 and $5,000 to members of the community who are helping Oakland students learn during distance learning. The program will provide financial support to individuals from affected communities who have come up with creative solutions to…
2015 Surge Chicago Alum, DuJuan Smith, has been named a 2020 Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois Fellow at Illinois State University. Read more about the list of recipients HERE.
September 2020 “Even before the upheaval of the last several months, our education system was in dire need of a shift in how to define success for our young people.” 2016 Surge Alum, Nicole Beechum, was featured in Education Week for her work around creating a space for students to define their own success. Check…