Surge Institute Quarterly Newsletter

Fall 2017

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Greetings! It is a time for transition as summer ends, autumn begins and the kids and teachers return to the classrooms. Our 2017 Surge Fellows have graduated, transitioning into alumni and taking to heart their charge to be "Guardians," an empowering nickname to represent their role in the lives of the youth and communities they serve. In their short time as alumni the Guardians already shine, penning an impassioned op-ed defending Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Yet we at Surge are transitioning as well, welcoming an amazing new class of Surge Fellows! The new cohort represents a powerhouse of black and brown Chicago education leaders and I am honored to take part in elevating, educating and empowering this amazing cohort over the next year. And we'll have even more help to do so! In a time of new beginnings, our Surge leadership team grows stronger than ever with the addition of Chicago Program Manager Cecily Relucio Hensler! Yes. Change... transition... it can feel jarring and scary. Like the nervous freshman headed to the bus stop, we all get those butterflies. But the new—the different—is the most exciting part of life, and I'm thrilled to enter the next chapter of this movement. In community, Carmita Semaan, Founder and President

News & Announcements

The New Class! Rigorous, powerful and inspiring, the 2018 Surge Fellowship recruitment season brought out some of the top emerging leaders in Chicago education. Now we have a new cohort, and this fellowship is made up of 25 game-changers ready to take the Surge journey. Meet the new cohort

Get to Know Mario Estrada Earnest Mario is the special projects coordinator for a Chicago network of high-performing public charter schools. Mario is also a Guardian, a 2017 Surge Alum, and his next venture truly allows him to own his role in the Surge movement. Hear his story

Guardians Pay it Forward! Along with celebrating their graduation, we would like to thank each and every one of our 2017 Surge Fellows for making a scholarship level donation of $5,000 , which covers the tuition of a 2018 Surge Fellow. If you love the work we are doing, a donation of any size is a great way to show it! Support a Surge Fellow

Behind the Surge A professional educator of nearly two decades, Cecily Relucio Hensler is the newest member of the Surge Chicago leadership team. Learn what attracted her to this movement. Watch the video Good Reads More than two years ago, Ashley Richardson applied to the Surge Fellowship. She was not accepted. Now, she is a Surge Alumna and the leader of a youth-serving education nonprofit. Her journey began with a goal. Read more

Fellow & Alumni Recognition Surge Fellows and Alumni are achieving goals, serving their communities and impacting the future of education.  2017 Fellow  Dawn Hicks   has accepted the position of School Leadership Coach at UChicago Impact, a not-for-profit organization that provides tools designed to improve teaching, learning, and leadership nationwide. 2015 Fellow   Grisel Maldonado  has founded and launched Avanza Strategies, a consultancy that specializes in supporting organizations to build high-impact education program models from the ground up, as well as strategic college and career access models that ensure students have the support necessary to achieve their potential. See more amazing achievements

We are the preeminent pipeline addressing the dearth of leadership of color at the decision-making tables within education reform. Surge educates, empowers and energizes educational leaders of color who will create transformative change in the communities they serve.