imPACT EducationAl Consulting, LLC

Maybe it’s because I only do streaming these days, but I am missing all the Back to School season commercials. It hit me hard when I walked into Lowes and saw Halloween decorations before I had a chance to skip through the Notebook aisle at Target humming “It’s the most wonderful time….”

I personally find August to be a golden month of nostalgia and excitement rolled up in one. Every pool day is one closer to the last, every night I am savoring daylight, and I am simultaneously mentally planning for fall with lists on lists on lists. While I have not been in the classroom for several years, summer remains a time that feels like it is all about me; it is time for my rest, time for my hobbies, time for my connections, and time for my learning. This summer, I have been truly honored to create spaces of community and learning for adults, and the August break has given me time to get excited for more in the fall!

I think what I love most about adult learning spaces is the openness and vulnerability we all bring. While I always work to achieve that with young people, as adult learners we have come to the space by choice, we have some idea of how we will use what we are learning in our “real lives”, and because we are balancing learning with all the “real life” adulting stuff, we have fewer qualms about asking questions and finding meaning because we don’t want to waste our time. Whereas for young people, the classroom can be taken for granted – after all they are expected to be there every day and we adults have a lot of work to do to make it feel relevant given the fact that they don’t get many authentic opportunities to apply their learning (a post for another day… I digress), when adults come together to learn there is a level of urgency that makes it an exciting space.

This summer, I had the pleasure of continuing my work in centering girls of color in schools with Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy‘s Leadership Team. Over four virtual sessions with asynchronous work in between, we came together to explore the importance of understanding the history of education for Black girls and strategies that address that history by elevating Black girls’ voices and agency in learning. I must admit, this is by far one of my favorite topics to facilitate not only because it is near and dear to my personal and professional life as a Black woman and educator, but also because of the deep resonance and “aha moments” I get to witness from participants. To hear educators who grapple with systemic challenges genuinely reimagine learning for their students simply by looking at their work through a new lens is inspiring. This group of educators pushed me even further in the way they applied the content to their own leadership; they elevated the importance of modeling as they considered if the same challenges existed for Black women in their school. In all the time I have facilitated this workshop, I have yet to work with a group that was so willing to look at themselves and how they model the world they want to see for their Black students. I learned so much from this group and can’t wait to revamp the material again for my next group with these lessons in mind. If you believe you or your school could benefit from planning through the lens of elevating girls of color, contact me at cristina@impactllcs.com to discuss a personal or group learning plan.

Whether it is with adults or young people, it is undeniable that teaching is the best way to learn. This summer marked two years that I have served as a facilitator for the Invest York Road Financial Education Program. I am by no means a financial expert, but I love to connect with people through teaching! This program has been such a gift, not only in the lessons I’ve learned about saving, debt, credit, and investing, but in reminding me of the impact of a space of shared power. Shared power is something I explore quite a bit in my workshops on building student agency and self-efficacy, but when teaching adults in these community-based sessions it comes so organically that I almost didn’t notice that it is the very thing that makes the sessions so great. The Invest York Road Project seeks to build community wealth while revitalizing a portion of Baltimore’s York Road corridor. By building community wealth through financial education, Invest York Road believes that “residents will be able to build wealth, and by maintaining ownership of the properties, the community will be able to nurture a vibrant commercial corridor with thriving businesses aligned with residents’ interests and needs.” We have received such powerful feedback from participants over the years and, in the spirit of Back to School, have been refreshing the curriculum. As a community member who is not a financial expert, I enjoy creating an environment where we are learning together and are free to ask and share anything without fear of judgement, correction, or evaluation. I am excited to continue connecting with community members and empowering them with financial knowledge. Learn more about Invest York Road and register for fall sessions here!

Happy Back to School!!! (it’s the most wonderful tiiiiiiiiiime of the year…..”)

It’s tempting (to some) to get comfortable with the fact that Black women and girls are not “in crisis”, especially when it feels like the world is one giant snowball of crises these days.  In the last decade we have been seen outperforming other groups in educational achievement, starting businesses at 6 times the national average, and setting quite a few “firsts” such as Vice President, Emmy wins for comedy, Librarian of Congress, even a spokesperson for Lancome.  In my own work, I spend a lot of time reminding educators why centering Black girls’ needs and experiences in the classroom is critical to their outcomes and beneficial to all students.  We generally take for granted that these accomplishments come at a cost, and that we must be proactive in protecting Black girls from the damage that comes with their accomplishments.  It is far easier to see the shine of the accomplishments than the collateral damage.

And then, we are reminded again that Black women and girls continue to exist under the oppressive double standards that limit our greatness at the hands of white supremacy.  We knew Sha’Carri Richardson was being punished harshly, and collectively Black women and girls felt the punch to our guts and kept it moving.  And here we are again with Angel Reese.  This most recent display of double standards for womanhood is such a blatant example of how white supremacy uses black women as tools that it goes beyond a gut punch – it’s a total assault on our humanity.  And while the media this time is more willing to make racism the center of the story (for reasons that might not be above the board), something truly precious is being drowned out – the JOY that these Black girls earned and deserve. Their unbridled passion and happiness at overcoming challenges and defying expectations has been eclipsed by a narrative of whether or not they should be allowed to express it.

I admit, I’m super late. It’s been almost a week so everything that could be said about why Angel Reese is being held to an unfair standard has been said on all the social platforms at today’s record news pace.  I’m kind of busy living my life as a mother, small business owner, wife, daughter, advocate, while getting my yoga in and drinking water – you know, surviving role-overload.  My husband sent me this clip (among others as he single handedly keeps me up-to-date on the news that falls outside of my local parents group’s posts about park playdates) and I’m super proud and cheering Angel on for speaking her truth and for the team standing firm in their worth. I’ve watched her say “So I was like, bet” I don’t even know how many times, and still feel triumphant and defiant each time.  

I am also sad for her and her teammates. I am worried about them.  It seems to me that no one wants to talk to them about the joy of their victory, the work they put in, the skill they demonstrated (in what can only be called a blow out) since the few minutes of post game sound bites after that final buzzer.  This is something I know too well as a Black woman.  Your accomplishments, your skill, your worth get swallowed up and are no longer yours; they now belong to everyone else as you strive to prove that someone who looks like you, sounds like you, or comes from where you come from can in fact do these things.   Your excitement becomes exaggerated, your speech too aggressive, and your self-defense and protection is attitudinal.  All of this happens because you can’t just exist – you and all you have done only exist in comparison to white women, black men, white men.  Would we be talking about trash talk AT ALL if this were a men’s game?  If both women players had been black, would anyone have noticed their behavior?  Would there be a “victim” at all?  

Black women and girls work hard for their victories, they nurture their talents, and they deserve to experience their own joy free of the weight of what it means to race relations, or women’s sports, or whether it will follow them forever.  When I think of the women athletes who have defied norms of “womanhood” or “sportsmanship” and have suffered for it, they are all Black.  I admit I don’t follow sports that closely, but I even tried to google the one white tennis player I vaguely remember being called a brat and all I got were articles about Serena Williams – including a white woman I have never even heard of criticizing Serena for not praising her enough.

So, yes, I am glad that we collectively (except Jill Biden, who must be even more out of touch with sports than I am), are beginning to see that Black women and girls are held to an unfair standard against their white peers.  But we cannot stay there, that is not enough.  We must shift this narrative from one in which Black women and girls need defending and protection, to one where we find inspiration in their unbridled joy, and where their accomplishments are valued for what they are – not just how they stack up to white women, or to men.  These girls out-performed the entire Iowa team.  Angel Reese demonstrated leadership and generosity to her teammates in this moment, which is the moment I choose to keep on replay and the one I believe truly represents this story.

In May 2022, imPACT facilitated the first ever Elevating the Whole Girl Conference Day for Baltimore City Public Schools. Hosted by Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women and Western High School, the conference dove into what it means to create educational spaces that dismantle systemic barriers to empowerment and let our girls shine as their authentic and whole selves. Check out the full list of speakers and sessions here.

Contact imPACT on the Contact us page or by emailing cristina@impactllcs.com for video of the virtual keynote sessions.

We’ve been living our best hybrid life at imPACT this summer! Zoom workshops and in-person student programming made for a busy and rewarding season!

From June through August, we got back into the classroom with Project Pneuma at the Mount Royal Elementary/Middle Summer School site! imPACT welcomed Dr. Stephanie Akoumany of Bloom Wellness Lab to the team for this project. Together, we delivered workshops on engaging our mind-body connection to develop and meet our goals. From exploring how our values show up as superpowers, to creating inspirational vision boards, we had a blast getting to know these super powerful imPACT Girls!

In Zoom-land, dedicated Baltimore City Schools staff gave of their time to participate in the Elevating the Whole Girl Workshop Series. Coming from schools across the city, these educators engaged in a deep dive into turning research on the needs and experiences of girls of color in schools into tangible practices they will put into action this fall. This second cohort was just as rewarding and enlightening as the first, especially as we watched Black girls thrive in the Summer Olympics despite the systemic challenges in sports.

As a Baltimore-born company, imPACT is incredibly proud to partner with Western High School, the oldest all-girls’ public school in the nation! As students return from a large part of their high school careers in a pandemic, Western has engaged imPACT to steward an initiative in Student Voice as they rebuild their community and re-imagine “the Western Way”. imPACT had the opportunity to bring back Western graduates from classes of 1974-2001 (and play in the school’s magical Archives room) to bridge the school’s past with their future, together. We can’t wait to see the impact of this partnership in centering student voice as they lead their school into a new era.

In March, imPACT wrapped our first cohort of the Elevating the Whole Girl Workshop Series, a six-week program for Baltimore City Public Schools teachers where we delved into the unique educational needs of urban girls of color and developed action plans for intentionally supporting them in our classrooms. It was an inspirational time that moved twenty-eight city schools educators to be champions for their girls! More workshop opportunities will be announced soon!

“I am loving the course so far. I love that you are presenting the material in a variety of ways – from readings to lectures and even small and whole group discussions. I find this topic so interesting and have not had the opportunity to engage in a course specifically about black and urban girls before.”

 “I am enjoying the course and am learning from the materials and overall course structure. Cristina does a good job of infusing current events and modern best practices with history and pedagogy.”

“I feel much better informed to address issues minority girls face. I am already thinking about and applying how I address and work with my girls of color.”

“Cristina was a highly effective principal and role model for the Upper School girls. She exhibited exceptional leadership and communication skills. Cristina was receptive to any feedback from students, teachers, and families to promote academic excellence, leadership, and sisterhood… She is passionate about all girls education and implementing best practices for supporting girls and young women.”

One day, the old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young girl who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.

Puzzled, the man looked at the girl and asked what she was doing. 

The young girl paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the girl replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”

The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”

The girl bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”

adapted from The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley (1907 – 1977)

I have always been inspired by The Star Thrower story. Too often, we lose sight of the enormous impact just one person can make. We assume that children must always learn from adults. This story illustrates one of our core values at imPACT, which is that all voices have value and we can all learn from one another.

In partnership with Dr. Stephanie Akoumany of BLOOM, imPACT introduces the Girls imPACT Web Series. The vision is to create an intergenerational space for women and girls to discuss the ways in which we make impact on our communities regardless of age or resume. We want all young girls to know that they don’t have to wait until they’ve “made it” to jump in and make change, and that even small change can be radical! Over the course of 6 weeks, we train youth moderators on how to build an intentional conversation; we give them a broad topic, for example Voice, and they develop the content, identify panelists, and run the show. We will host quarterly episodes on Voice, Community, Confidence, and Health and Wellness. Join us by visiting the Girls imPACT tab.