Jeraniqua is a passionate and innovative 5th-grade monolingual general education teacher in North Chicago, Illinois. She has made a lasting impact on her students and the broader school community through her dedication to excellence in education. She recently led an initiative that fostered a more inclusive environment where all students could learn from one another and feel a sense of belonging. She designed collaborative learning activities that paired monolingual students with their dual-language peers that included joint projects, team-based problem-solving tasks, and cultural exchange sessions, where students shared aspects of their heritage and language. Jeraniqua prioritizes a classroom environment where differences are celebrated, collaboration is encouraged, and all students feel empowered to succeed together. In 2025, Jeraniqua was honored by the Illinois State Board of Education Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards—Award of Special Recognition.

Jesse is an innovative, relationship-focused leader, who leveraged her early childhood teaching and program leadership experience with to co-found VOCEL in 2013. VOCEL provides two-generation early childhood education programming for young children, families, and schools in overburdened, under-resourced communities, aiming to support early brain development and build a foundation for academic and life success. Motivated by 10+ years spent teaching and coaching teachers at Teach For America, working alongside parents of little ones, and now as a mother herself, Jesse is committed to supporting the parents and professionals whose everyday interactions with their young children are developing our world's future leaders. VOCEL has been a proven gamechanger for families, bridging a critical access gap in under-resourced communities impacted by disinvestment and limited early learning options. Jesse is on a mission to ensure more people have access to the growing body of early neuroscience and early learning recommendations.