Aaron Harris is Dean of Instruction at Aspire Golden State Prep. “Being a Surge fellow is important to me because I take the calling of an educator very seriously. I believe in visualizing a different future for myself and young people who look like me and doing the necessary and difficult work that will make…
Jay Gash is the Associate Director of Youth & Emerging Media Maker Programs & Creative Director of Youth Productions at Bay Area Video Coalition. “As a creative media-maker and someone who has worked with and mentored youth and young adults for over 10 years, I understand the importance of seeing myself, a Black queer…
Zeyda Garcia is a Lead Counselor at Lighthouse Community Public Schools. “I’m a mental health professional in an education setting and want to normalize mental health in the education field. I feel that my passion for mental health and education can be supported by Surge as it will support me with the leadership skills…
Naomi Fierro Peña is the Director of Student Inclusion Lick-Wilmerding High School. “As a queer Xicana feminist, I am on a path to live authentically and unapologetically. Surge clears this path for me, and others like me, as I work to heal and reclaim my own leadership narrative, especially as a person of color…
Swen Ervin is a Director, Civil Service & Paraeducator Staffing at San Francisco Unified School District, “As people of color in this country, our stories have been, and continue to be, about striving and persisting in the face of ‘no’ and ‘not yet’. And yet, through the generations, we’ve still found ways to excel.…
Michelle Cody is a Teacher at San Francisco Unified School District, “I want to be a part of Surge because we cannot return to business as usual. Our students deserve more, therefore I need to be more.”
Lauren Brown is a Teacher on Special Assignment at Oakland Unified School District. “For the past seven years, my passion has been teaching science and literacy TK-12. Many of my high school graduates have mentioned feelings of inadequacy when they enrolled in college-level science courses. My mission is to eliminate such feelings and bring…
Anna Wolde-Yohannes is a Program Manager at Early Care Educators of San Francisco. “As part of the Surge movement, I’m excited to build change-making skills centered on the power and strength of my own racial and ethnic identity alongside other leaders of color. I hope to better understand the complexities of the education landscape…
Ashley Brown is the Early C. Ed. Policy Analyst at San Francisco Unified School District. “Surge means an opportunity to craft and refine my leadership as a Black woman in education, with the support of successful leaders and meaningful curriculum. Surge feels like leveling the playing field while providing the tools and heart space…
Keeanna Warren (INDY’21) has recently accepted the new role of Associate Executive Director of the Purdue Polytechnic HS Network. Read more here. “We want our students to be prepared with a 21st-century skill set so they are able to compete globally. We want them to be really excited and to help grow Indiana’s economy,” Warren…