Surge Institute Quarterly Newsletter
Spring 2019
What does real impact look like? By definition... it's a collision—explosive and exhilarating.

A collision happened recently in the Surge movement. Powerful forces from different places crashed into one another, creating a powerful explosion of energy. Last week, the Surge movement united in New Orleans, Louisiana for our first ever national Surge Alumni Convening.

In that space, in that beautiful city, we saw a genius leaders like Chicago Alumna Andrea Serrano, who recently shared her powerful story with StartTV , be in community with powerful voices like Oakland Alumnus Charles Cole, who recently inspired a room full of young people at the 2019 Black Students of California United Leadership Conference . It was unity in brilliance, boldness, and bonding, as agents of change flew in from Oakland, Chicago, Texas, Washington D.C. and several other places, to learn from one another and grow together for the sake of our youth and communities.

And now we're back. Back from New Orleans. Back to the ground level work. Back to business. And the work is looking incredible. We're entering a new phase of the Surge movement. New and exciting reveals are on the horizon. Our Surge Academy Fellows in Kansas City are nearing graduation. Our Chicago and Oakland Fellows are building community to transform education together.

And we are recruiting!

Want to be part of this movement? Now is the time. Whether is means becoming a fellow , joining the Impact Community , or joining the Surge team , now is the time. Bring your fire to this colorful explosion of passion, innovation and talent.

We are what impact looks like.

In community,
Carmita Semaan, Founder and President
A National Movement Unites!
For the first time in the history of Surge, five cohorts of education leaders of color from across the nation came together for a Surge Alumni Convening. And it was EVERYTHING!
Get to Know:
 Michelle Seijas
El cielo es el limite. Proudly Latinx and always reaching higher, Michelle Seijas leads Surge Oakland boldly and unapologetically.
Become a Fellow:
The 2020 Fellowship
We seek emerging leaders of color in Oakland and Chicago for our 2020 Fellowship Cohort. Learn what it means to become a Surge Fellow.
Good Reads:
Working with Carmita
Surge Founder Carmita Semaan believes every organization and leader brings their own brand of crazy. Find out what exactly she means by that.  
The Academy
Journey Continues
By the time you read our next newsletter our inaugural cohort of the Surge Academy pilot program will have graduated! See photos from their journey so far.
Fellow & Alumni Recognition
Surge Fellows and Alumni are achieving goals, serving their communities and impacting the future of education. 

Ty-Licia Hooker , a 2018 Oakland Surge Fellow, was recently honored by the Children's Choice Awards for her amazing work as Executive Director, Boost! West Oakland & Student Success and Leadership Academy, a program that empowers underserved youth to lead the change in their own communities.

Onel Abreu , a 2018 Chicago Surge Fellow, was recently accepted into the Urban Leaders Fellowship for the summer where he will spend half his time working on policy with an elected official and half of his time working at a partner organization helping to elevate their social justice and community impact.
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.