Greetings!
As this year comes to a close and we look ahead to 2021, there’s one sentiment sitting on my heart: Thank you.
This year we really learned what the word "movement" means. At the start of 2020 Surge was in a groove, well into the meat of fellowship work in Oakland and Chicago, launching a new cohort in Kansas City, screening our Shades of Leadership short film across the country, and preparing for new prospects.
Then this year became what this year became. COVID wreaked havoc on our communities - unveiling deep and long-standing disparities in access in healthcare and education. The killings of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks, and George Floyd set the stage of an impassioned national reckoning on race in America. Elections and fires literally burned away so many of our finely crafted vision boards.
Then this year became something else. It became a hurdle to clear, and with your help, we’re clearing that hurdle. As we celebrate five years of the Surge movement, our annual report tells a story of community uniting. As our new Oakland, Chicago, and Indianapolis cohorts press forward in their fellowship experiences, we feel the support of all who want nothing more than to see this movement thrive. As we gain ground on our $100,000 #SurgeForMore goal, we feel the commitment to change in every dollar invested in our work.
So thank you! My gratitude is sincere and it runs deep. Particularly as I prepare to bring a new life forward in the middle of all of this. There is so much more ahead for us. More to celebrate. More to teach. More to learn. Have a happy holiday season and an inspirational close to an unforgettable year.
In gratitude,
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Carmita Semaan
Founder & President
Surge Institute
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Invest in the Surge Movement |
Thank you to everyone who supported our annual end-of-year online giving celebration, #SurgeForMore! Through the end of 2020, we’ve set a goal to raise $100,000 to fund programming that elevates and empowers leaders of color who create transformative change in education for our communities. We also have a $50,000 match at this time, so your gift can count as double! |
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Welcome Aeriell Robinson as First Chief of Staff
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In the midst of our 2020 #SurgeForMore celebration, we are thrilled to announce that we have added to the collective genius of our leadership team. Join us in welcoming Aeriell Robinson, a brilliant leader who has stepped into the role of Chief of Staff!
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Our 2020 Annual Report contains a wide range of stories and videos from our Surge Alumni, Fellows, and staff that celebrates their genius and the impact they have been able to catalyze within their communities this year. It also pays tribute to our growing network of generous supporters and community members, all who believe in this work and help us continue turning the pages of the Surge story. |
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A Rich and Thoughtful Program |
Innovation School Fellow Geoff Fenelus (Founder of Promise Prep) has been participating in the Surge Academy Indianapolis’s inaugural cohort. Already notable for Geoff are the deep bonds he’s built with other cohort members.
Read more about his perspective on the impact and quality of the program in this story from our partner, The Mind Trust.
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#SurgeForMore Success
A Celebration
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Hear more about the Surge movement directly from the change-makers themselves in the replay of last week's Shades of Impact FB livestream episode!
In this conversation, Surge Alumni shared their experience within this movement and how your investment through #SurgeForMore will directly elevate Black, Latinx, and Asian & Pacific-Islander communities.
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Join the Impact Community |
We invite you to join the Surge IMPACT Community, a special group of supporters who have committed to giving a little every month thus making an investment towards equity, social justice, and the futures of our children and communities of color.
All new Surge IMPACT Community donations count towards helping us meet our goal for our annual end-of-year giving campaign #SurgeForMore!
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Five years ago, Carmita Semaan launched a program that would grow into a national phenomenon, bringing together brilliant minds from all over the country in a diverse collective of Black leaders, Brown leaders, Asian leaders and Pacific-Islander leaders, all passionate about tearing down hate and leading with love within the education space.
Before that, it started as an idea.
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FELLOW & ALUMNI RECOGNITION |
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Surge Fellows and Alumni are achieving goals, serving their communities and impacting the future of education. |
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2019 Surge Alum, Kyra Mungia, was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 2021 in education.
She is the youngest director or deputy director working in the mayor’s office in Oakland, California, and she helped spearhead the Oakland Undivided campaign that raised $13 million to help public school students get 25,000 laptops and reliable internet connections in their homes during the pandemic.
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2015 Surge Alum, DuJuan Smith, has successfully defended his dissertation, Black While Leading: Unmasking the Lived Experiences of Senior-Level Black Men Administrators at Historically White Institutions and earned his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Higher Education/Higher Education Administration.
He has also recently accepted his new role as Associate Director of Graduate Advising for The University of Chicago Professional Education.
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2021 Surge Academy Fellow, Keeanna Warren, was awarded the Outstanding Educator in STEM award during the 2020 Women & Hi Tech Leading Light Awards and Scholarship Gala.
The Leading Light Awards focused on Indiana women in STEM with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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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. |
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