COVID Can’t Stop Ms. Gutierrez From Nurturing Her Students’ Love of Reading

Many students are looking to escape the harsh realities of COVID-19. Online learning, social distancing, closure of many businesses and recreation areas, and the struggling…

First-Gen Students, The World Needs Us Now More Than Ever

Dear High School and Undergraduate Seniors,  I am no expert. This my story, and I hope it is one many of you can relate to…

COVID-19’s Impact on First-Generation College Students Is Complicated

As a nonprofit leader and educator who works with college students of African descent, I am intimately aware of how challenging getting through college can…

For My Family, Seeing Their First-Gen Latina Daughter Walk Across the Stage Would Have Been Everything

If I were a magician for a day, I would strike my wand and eliminate the memory of the coronavirus as well as its impact.…

COVID-19 School Closures Shine a Light on the Disparities That Exist for First-Gen and Low-Income Students

With the imminent threat of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), colleges across the country shut their doors to over 100,000 students. Many students returned home, but many students—mostly…

What Every First-Gen Student Needs to Know About Attending a Predominately White Institution

Dear first-generation, low-income, immigrant high school seniors, You’re about to accomplish a major milestone. Not only have you made your parents proud, but you have…

I’m Headed to Stanford on a Full-Tuition Scholarship and I Have My Public Charter School to Thank for That

“Education is the way out of poverty and into a better life.” For years, my family harped on this mantra in hopes of providing me…

When I Walk Into a School I See Kids Who Remind Me of Myself, Waiting for an Opportunity

Recently I have been thinking about what it means to be in the “education reform” space and reflecting on how I got here. Many of…

Want a Winning High School? You’ll Need a Winning School Board.

In 2016, then-24-year-old Cipriano Vargas became the youngest person ever elected to the Vista Unified School Board in California. After graduating from California State University…

In the Wake of Christchurch, Sanaa Kahloon Refuses to Let Hatred Win

After the recent mass shooting at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, new attention has been called to the fears that Muslims experience every day.…