Education Justice
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Worked with the Texas Ethnic Studies Coalition to build an advocacy campaign to pass the Native American Studies Course and pilot Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies Course
Testified at the State Board of Education Hearing on the importance of ethnic studies
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January to May 2023, through Harvard Law School’s Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative’sStudents Speak program, Alexia’s multimedia storytelling practice centered youth voice as both an artistic and empowerment process. Working as a facilitator, Alexia supported Black and Brown high school students in collaboratively writing speeches, shaping personal narratives, filming and documenting advocacy work, and preparing public presentations. 15 youth delivered testimony at the Massachusetts State House where they participated in and helped host a legislative briefing, and co-led the annual Students Speak Youth Summit at Harvard Law School, a full day of youth-designed advocacy workshops and keynote talks with 100+ students. Alexia’s facilitation emphasized trauma-informed storytelling, collective authorship, and confidence-building, translating lived experience into policy-facing narratives. This work culminated in tangible impact, including increased state funding for Safe and Supportive Schools Program ($200,000) and a student-led organizing campaign on changing the attendance policy at Brockton High School. The attendance policy was changed in the Fall of 2023.
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As the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Start:Empowerment (EIN 82-4948443) a national climate education nonprofit, my curriculum has reached more than 120,000 students, my critical climate education framework has been adopted by leading climate organizations, and in 2021 I launched the first climate organizing fellowship designed by and for Gen Z youth of color.
Key Achievements:
Forbes 30 under 30
Fundraised 1,000,000
Reached 120,000 students across the United States
Created 65 hours of environmental justice curriculum
Led a team of 8
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Hosted 30+ workshop with K-12 students on environmental justice, art and activism, and grassroots organizing.
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Planned then implemented Young Justice for Scholars Program by teaching workshops everyday over the course of one month on topics ranging from land use to housing rights and abolition during the summer of 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022
Worked with 15 Black & Brown high school students each summer
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Applied an in-depth understanding of sustainability, climate and environmental justice, blended-learning strategies, and technology to create compelling instructional materials for K-12 students
Supervised a team of 4 including copyeditor, designer, translators, and additional contractors as necessary to maintain high standards in publishing excellence and additional language needs
Worked with program team, contractors, and stakeholders to ensure that all instructional resources meet the current needs of teachers, students, and administrators
Regularly engaged with program team staff to gain their input and feedback from the field
Led curriculum development and writing including an in-depth Introduction to Environmental Justice Lesson series for elementary, middle school and high school students, a five-module curriculum on waste management centered around a design challenge framework, and a 2-hour course for AISD staff and teachers on green buildings reaching over 100,000 students
Facilitated the addition of an additional EJ Hero Poster featuring Pam Tau Lee
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Created and taught teach-ins at climate marches, spoke about disability rights and climate, hosted panels that reached over 10,000 people
Cultivated partnerships with Future Coalition, Zero Hour, Sunrise, Youth Climate Strike, and Friday for Futures
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Developed and led yearly environmental careers and organizing training for the College & Career Lab at NYU
