John Johnson

“The surge academy is about the uprising and pushing forward through adversity. It’s not just about believing in yourself but serving a cause greater than yourself. As a surge fellow, I will make it my mission to establish a community with like-minded change agents and servant leaders of the society and culture that will push…

Patricia Zaki

“I believe the Surge Institute is bringing like-minded individuals together to enhance the quality of educational experiences for BIOPIC students. I hope to become an essential component of this community, to help reimagine secondary learning experiences and curricula in a way that students have more autonomy and ownership of their learning journeys.” Assistant Principal at…

Demetria Giles

“For me, the Surge Fellowship represents forward momentum towards the executive level partnership and fundraising skills needed to scale SchoolED. For the families and communities I serve, this means a step closer to shaking up the school system as we've known it, and making alternative education options relevant and viable options for Black and Brown…

Renisha O’Donnell

“ Joining Surge Academy for the 2023 Las Vegas Cohort would be an opportunity for me to connect to other leaders in the community, learn how to collectively make systemic change in our education system and grow as an education professional. I believe this fellowship has the potential to be the beginnings of change in…

Nicole Pulliam

“As a Surge fellow, I hope to expand my leadership skills. Leadership is a learning process and I feel that I can learn something new every day. Although I have gained valuable skills and experience in my leadership journey, I know there is always more knowledge to obtain. Furthermore, growing my team in order to…

Tarryn McGhie

“Surge is providing me an opportunity to network with others so that I can achieve my goals for improving early literacy and working with justice impacted youth. I also want to work with others in achieving their goals, as building community is a large part of my core values” Senior Instructional Designer at the University of…

JimDre Westbrook

“By attending Surge, I hope to build a dependable tribe of people who will continue to do the work within the Vegas educational community and importantly, do the work within themselves. If selected, I envision meeting some of the most talented, on-fire, dope educators and leaders that I’ve ever met. As a collective, I believe…

Brenda Romero

“Through the Surge fellowship, I hope to learn from other like-minded educators to help create equitable opportunities for the youth in the community that I serve. As a first- generation college student, I am dedicated to providing the tools and resources to students to see themselves thrive in educational spaces that were not built for…