Brittany is a Chicago Native—Southside born and raised—and a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign alumnus. Brittany received her Master's of Education from National Louis University and has worked as a Chicago Public Schools middle school Special Education teacher for 8 years in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the far south side. Brittany also serves as the instructional coach for ELA teachers at her school, as well as a mentor teacher to two resident teachers. Last year, Brittany became a National Board Certified Teacher in the area of Exceptional Needs and is currently receiving her Teacher Leadership license to become a future administrator. Her motto is … I believe the children are our future…..Teach them well and let them lead the way.
Throughout the past 13 years, Ulysses has worked in education in a variety of roles. Previously, Ulysses has worked with Breakthrough Charter Schools as a teacher and student enrollment coordinator. During his time as a student enrollment coordinator, Ulysses played an integral role in the founding of Breakthrough’s first west-side middle school campus—Entrepreneurship Preparatory School Willard—where he also became the school’s founding Basketball Coach. Building such solid relationships with the staff, scholars, and families at Willard, Ulysses’ fire for teaching was lit. He decided to join Teach for America’s Cleveland Corps and became a science and social studies teacher at Willard. Ulysses currently serves at Dike School of Arts in Cleveland, OH, where he teaches middle school science.
Jasmyn is an Upper Elementary School Dean in East Cleveland, Ohio. Urban education and inner-city schools has her heart. Over the years, Jasmyn has developed the awareness, compassion, and knowledge to effectively lead and educate students with severe behavioral needs and learning disabilities in the inner city realm. In 2019, she received a Master of Education from Ursuline College. Prior to graduate school, Jasmyn attended Bowling Green State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies.
Jasmyn’s work as a Dean and Instructional Coach is very special to her. Another large part of Jasmyn’s work is centered on building authentic relationships and connections with students and families. Jasmyn is also a Public Speaker with a focus on Urban Ed. Through this work, she leads professional development sessions and coaches teachers on various strategies to use when building relationships and working with Students of Color. As an advocate for Students of Color, Jasmyn works to bring awareness through dialogue and community service in hopes of liberation.
Connect with Jasymn
Instagram: @theurbanedu
Maria Wilson currently serves as the Dean of Culture of Entrepreneurship Preparatory School. She has a demonstrated history of working in the primary/secondary education industry. Maria is a strong education professional with a Bachelors of Arts focused in Political Science from Spelman College. She is an alumnus of Teach for America, where she began her service as a dedicated educator as the founding Kindergarten Teacher of Breakthrough Public Schools’ first west-side elementary school, Village Preparatory School Willard.
Connect with Maria
Instagram: @emmeyeaye
Nicole Young-Turner is the Founder and Executive Director of Kaleidoscope Village, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm and community nonprofit with the mission to elevate the voices of the LGBTQIA2s+ community, educate all leaders on building truly inclusive cultures, and create empowering spaces for all people in our village to connect and thrive. A #BraveEducator and courageous advocate for LGBTQIA2s+ Communities of Color, Nicole’s identity and lived experiences as a Southern Black Queer Woman fuel her passion for educating diverse leaders and mobilizing underrepresented people through a equity and inclusion lens.
Nicole began her journey as a first-generation college student at Georgia Tech where she received a President’s Undergraduate Research Award for a study focusing on media representations of LGBTQ+ families. For over a decade, Nicole has played an integral role in educating communities and establishing transformational Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives in the education space, including launching the national LGBTQ+ Community Alliance at Teach For America, serving as the 2020-2021 Board Chair of the Prism Metro Atlanta Coalition, and leading the charge for inclusion in “edupreneurial” innovation as the only LGBTQ+ Founder of Color nominated for the 2020 TFA Social Innovation Fellowship.
Mrs. Young-Turner currently lives and leads in her hometown Atlanta, GA with her wife and co-creator, Margo Young-Turner, and is energized to continue building coalitions and #LeadingForLiberation.
Connect with Nicole
Twitter: @NYoungTurner | @KScopeVillage
Instagram: @KaleidoscopeVillage | @Nicole Beautifulsoul
Facebook: Nicole Young-Turner | Page: @KScopeVillage
Alicia Muir is a classically trained artist and educator of the arts in Cleveland, Ohio. Muir received a BA in Studio Art and Psychology from Connecticut College. She began her career in education through Teach for America, where she was placed as the a founding elementary and middle school art teacher at a Entrepreneurship and Village Preparatory -Willard. Her persistent commitment towards advocating for social justice issues pushes her to create art that challenges how we depict and accept imagery related to gender, sexuality, race, and the environment. As a passionate educator, she channels her personal and professional energy towards championing and advocating for LGBTQ+ youth. During her second year at Willard, she established and advised Breakthrough Schools’ first ever Pride and Identity Alliance.
Connect with Alicia
Instagram: @Art_by_aliciaa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-muir
