“Before Surge I focused on executing someone else’s vision for change; now I am shifting to developing my own solutions to problems I encounter as a practitioner. The Surge Fellowship challenged my own thoughts about how to bring the change we need to see.”
“My Surge Fellowship has been an amazing journey! I have learned so much about myself, my cohort members, and about the educational landscape in the United States. The lessons ranged from change management to effective negotiation skills, but the greatest takeaway for me is always leading as your authentic self. There is much work to…
“The Surge Institute Fellowship has immensely impacted my leadership. It has taught me the importance of intentionality, self-reflection, and active listening. I have already found these skills to be useful in my toolkit as I continue to develop my leadership style and vision for the future. Above all, the process has inspired me to access…
“Surge has had a profound impact on my professional development, highlighting the value of my perspective as a Black female educator in the mostly white, privileged education reform world. I now have a keener sense of racial injustice and inequity, which has made me all the more passionate about staying in the fight to reverse…
“The Surge Fellowship provided me with a perspective of success I had not yet dreamed of as a person of color working in education. As an applicant I wanted to gain the skills to better provide for my community. As an alumnus, I experienced what could be for me and for my community. I gained…
“Through the Surge Fellowship, I’ve come to understand my worth and value and now have the power and the tools to settle for nothing less than greatness. I’m ready to jump in with both feet as an Alumna and be a game-changer and an unstoppable force for our students.”
Grisel Maldonado is the Director of College Success at UChicago Impact at the Urban Education Institute (UEI). Maldonado oversees 6to16, UChicago Impact’s college success curriculum, and leads the development and implementation of The Success Project, a Chicago Public Schools-based pilot. The Success Project leverages work by the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research.…
“There are experiences in life that have the power to shape our forever, and Surge is one of those for me. I’ve spent my entire life and professional career noticing the discrepancies that exist in our society and how rarely I get to meet other people who look like me, share similar experiences, and have…
“The Surge Fellowship has been an important part of my development as a leader who shares the backgrounds of our students and who are fighting for their education. It has exponentially expanded my network, which in turn has made it possible to more efficiently and collaboratively expand educational opportunity for students. Additionally, this experience has equipped…
“The Surge Fellowship has been a transformative opportunity for me. It has been an investment not simply into what I do, but who I am. Through Surge, I am part of community of dynamic professionals who come to the work of education fully invested in creating a fair and equitable system. This work is personal…