03/18/2026
Spent quality time with some of my favorite folks in Illinois this weekend and Arizona the weekend prior!
Thank you to all the Aspiring Educators who show up, say yes to new opportunities, and push yourselves to lead!
In Arizona, I spoke at the NEA Higher Education Conference about the importance of connections, organizing, and support across our union for college students, graduate workers, and faculty. I got to attend a session by Dr. Brittany Patrick, an NEA staff person that I’ve been working alongside to lead our Aspiring Educators Disability Rights & Inclusion Panel this year where we are coming up with recommendations for our nations union, policy makers, and educator preparation programs to be more inclusive and just for disabled college students.
Then, I had a quick turn around and attended the Illinois Education Association’s Representative Assembly. If you haven’t heard, I’m job searching in the Chicago area, so it was a special opportunity to see how my (hopefully🤞) future union operates & see myself coming back as a delegate soon!
The NEA Leadership Summit was also in Chicago, so I hopped over to downtown to connect with colleagues and aspiring educators — returning and first timers! I presented a session on using social media to engage your allies & members alongside Oregon Ed Association member, Katie Lukins! Then I also worked alongside Gigi Whisler, AE from Oregon, to lead the Aspiring Educators Caucus afternoon meeting where we shared out ways to get involved and continue advocating and organizing!
After all that, the weather decided to have a wild time and keep many of us stuck in Chicago! I left Monday morning back to DC and onto the next adventure🤩🤩