Kala Stepter is an 8th Grade Math Teacher at East Bay Innovation Academy. “As leaders of color in the education field, we have faith in our students and our communities. We see the beauty and strength that already exists within them and have hope that we – educators, students, families, our communities – can build…
Naomi Wilfred is a Teacher at Chicago Public Schools – National Teachers Academy. “Surge is an opportunity to make real change. I am excited to work with like-minded educators and creating a network to bring empowerment to Black and Brown students. Though I have been dedicated to this work for some time, now more than ever…
Ángel L. Vélez is a Research Associate at the Office of Community College Research and Leadership – University of Illinois. “The Surge Fellowship creates the space to interrogate and investigate ways to disrupt the education of racially minoritized communities. It is the commitment to raise new questions and actionable steps that makes the Surge Fellowship…
Jessica Sullivan-Wilson is the Director, Community Affairs at Teach for America, Greater Chicago-Northwest Indiana. “I want to be in a space where I am allowed the opportunity to learn, create, collaborate, innovate, and join a beautiful wave of Black and Latinx Education professionals who see the potential in my beautiful former students without even knowing…
Miguel Rodriguez is the Assistant Principal at KIPP Chicago – Bloom College Prep. “Now, more than ever, being part of a movement like Surge is critical to realizing a more equitable society. In my thirteen years of education, I’ve come to realize that for Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people to address systemic oppression is not enough…
Marshana Pace is the Director of Investments at A Better Chicago. “My personal mission is to ensure children of color can lead lives of their choosing instead of lives predetermined by their race, socio-economic status, or zip code. To achieve this, systems that create barriers to opportunity must be radically transformed but the change I…
Jessica Ramos is the Director of Community Engagement at Advance Illinois. “There is true power in being in community with people that understand the importance of fighting for systemic transformation. We are experiencing unprecedented times and our Black, Brown, and Indigenous community is demanding justice that is long overdue. The urgency to lock arms with other…
Rigo Padilla Pérez is a College and Career Coach at Chicago Public Schools – Solorio Academy High School. “I feel that I am at a point in my life where I am the most capable to fully invest my time into continuing my professional development. At the same time, we are living in unprecedented times that…
Danielle McConnell is the Director of Program at One Million Degrees. “The Surge Fellowship will impact my development as I identify sustainable ways to address system change that makes a valuable impact in my community. We are again at a pivotal point in history where Black and Brown people are fighting to position themselves in many…
DeMarco Hughes is the Director of Culture and Climate at Chicago Tech Academy. “When I left my school on March 13th to begin our state-mandated stay at home order, I thought I was preparing for COVID-19, not COVID-1619 – this deadly, racist virus has raised a myriad of emotions and feelings in me in the…