During a public health internship in college, Lilian realized that teaching would blend her passion for science and her commitment to helping people. She’s now a pediatric resident working in rural communities that lack access to health care.

Demetrius Hobson is a 2002 Chicago-Northwest Indiana alum and middle school teacher. He is also the founder of Liberate History, a culturally centered curriculum consulting firm.

Elisa Hoffman (Greater Delta ’96) is the founder and executive director of School Board School and a former Cincinnati Public School board member.

Allissa is a 2015 Indianapolis alumna and Director of Family Philanthropy at Central Indiana Community Foundation.

Julie Jackson is the president of Uncommon Schools, a network of 55 public charter schools serving 20,000 students across six regions located in Newark, Camden, New York City, Rochester, Troy, and Boston. Uncommon Schools operates outstanding urban public schools that close the achievement gap and prepare students from low-income communities to graduate from college.

Quote: I always try to empower my students to think differently about the world. The reason why I went into education was to give students who look like me, and who come from underrepresented areas like I came from, the opportunities to change and shift the world.

A lifelong artist, Bernie January, Jr. combined his love for art and teaching to establish a youth-run, design studio and workforce development program in New Orleans.

Evalaurene Jean-Charles is the co-founder and CEO of Black on Black Education, a nonprofit focused on transforming, revolutionizing, reimagining, and recreating education in the Black community.

Dr. Peter Jenkins is a 1995 Baltimore alumnus and current Assistant Professor of Surgery at Indiana University Health.

Teach For America alum David Jessup started on the path to open his own non-profit, Digi-Bridge, a Charlotte-based organization aiming to equip educational institutions with the necessary resources and support to teach 21st-century learners the fundamentals of technology and beyond. Now, he works in environmental policy as a lawyer.