Jordan Owens
“I want to be a part of the Surge Fellowship movement because I wholeheartedly believe in the power of collective work and the power of like-minded individuals to affect significant…
Terrence Pruitt
“The Surge Fellowship is doing that Fannie Lou Hamer and Ella Josephine Baker work – empowering a generation of leaders with the tools necessary to change the education system, thereby…
Aimee Rodriguez
“I am inspired to work in education due to my experiences growing up in an immigrant household. While I began my education by learning English at CPS, my hard work…
Steven Rosado
“Surge is important to me because we are living in a critical and transformative moment in history. Communities of color are under attack, and the progress we have made to…
Ernesto Saldivar Jr.
“By leveraging the power of inclusivity, the Surge Fellows (La Colectiva) are provided with the opportunity to be leaders amongst equals and actively participate in authentic collaborative opportunities where individual…
Nina Smith
“Being part of the Surge Institute would help me to become more confident in my leadership skills and more willing to take on challenges such as seeking out larger-scale collaborations…
Jacare Thomas
“Leaders that I feel have been most successful have kept students at the center of all that they do and have been brave enough to allow themselves to be led.…
Myra Winding
“I chose to be part of Surge to achieve my desired outcome of equity among people of color and to have the opportunity to have a positive impact on those…
Lydia Mercer
“Just as important as dismantling and reconstructing current systems and oppressive institutional forces, there is “work” we, as people of color, must do internally. I believe this is the starting…
Helen Loving
“I chose Surge because of my desire to take charge and make change. As an African-American woman, born and raised on the Westside of Chicago, I often find myself afraid…