What inspired me was the possibility that I could have a seat at the table. That my voice would be included regarding decisions about my children’s education and how to best serve the community and all of us moving forward. __ was just an idea and it was the leadership, it was the weekly check-ins, It was the Activate parent cohort that really created the dyslexia tutoring project as something that is going to transform the perception of dyslexia and give all children the ability to thrive. It was the mentorship. It was the community. And it was the absolute faith and belief in me, and what it is that we can accomplish together. So my advice for other parents is just go for it. It takes a lot of courage to see something that wants to be changed, right? To find that desire in yourself to create a voice, to start a movement, and Activate STL is the absolute perfect community and support system to really get your ideas into the world.

Well, what led me to get involved in the Activate STL program was when it was brought to school, I saw this as an opportunity to further charter schools and further the expanding that people might not know about charter schools, and I’ve had a positive experience with them. I really enjoyed my school and I really know the impact that charter schools can have on children. An issue that I believe that can be changed through education are around the policies around education and knowing what impacts our learning. Because it is so important because we are directly impacted and no one can know better than us what we have the power to change and what we see through our daily lives in school.

Organizations like Activate are important because navigating the education system is extremely complex. It takes power in numbers. It takes parents knowing how to use their voice. So organizations like Activate are really important for families. When I was searching for educational options for my two daughters I felt extremely disempowered. I didn’t know what options were available to me and that led me to a situation where I was putting them into schools that I was not comfortable with. I was disempowered making a decision that was best for them and their education. So it’s really meaningful for me now that I get to be on the team helping other families understand how to use their voice and impact the systems of power around them.