Education needs a transformation and these alumni are leading the charge. Join us and get inspired by their relentless advocacy for education reform and learn how change like this happens in leadership, policy, and non-profit sectors. Connect with leaders and join the movement!

Featured Speaker: Silvia Martinez

Joining the national policy and external affairs team as National Policy Manager, Silvia will support national policy development and advocacy, coalition-building, and partnership activities and events. She will also support the work of the National Policy Advisory Board and National Policy & Advocacy Network.

Silvia previously served as Legislative Correspondent for Senator Ben Ray Luján, advising on education, labor, housing, and Tribal Affairs policy. Before that, Silvia was a 2019 Teach for America corps member, serving in her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 2021, Silvia was a Teach for America Capitol Hill Legislative Fellow. She collaborated with Teach Plus and Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)’s team to co-lead the introduction of the Teachers LEAD Act, a bill to expand a K-12 and pre-K teacher leadership grant program within the Department of Education.

Silvia holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Pomona College, and she received her K-8 New Mexico teaching license as part of the inaugural cohort of the Leading Educators through Alternative Pathways (LEAP) program. Silvia enjoys going on hikes, traveling to new places, and solving complex and interactive puzzles with her partner, Pedro. Silvia lives in Washington, D.C.

Featured Speaker: Astou Thiane

Astou Thiane, a 2015 Teach for America alumna and DACAmented educator, serves in New York City. Born in Dakar, Senegal, she immigrated to the U.S. at seven and was raised in Harlem, New York. Astou learned of her immigration status in high school and struggled to access higher education. In 2013, DACA status allowed her to work and finance her education independently. By 2015, she graduated cum laude with a double major in Political Science and Economics from Hunter College, CUNY. Joining Teach for America NYC, she taught 8th grade ELA in Harlem. In 2016, she joined the DACA Advisory Board, creating workshops for teachers on supporting undocumented students. In 2017, she earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from the Relay Graduate School of Education. Currently, she is an ELA teacher at KIPP Academy Middle School in the Bronx, continuing to advocate for marginalized communities in education.