Sarah Aadland

As Sarah creates and curates the Big-Hearted Family Director of DGT’s Big-Hearted Families™ Program, Sarah Aadland, MPP works to connect families and organizations with the tools they need to raise kids who care and contribute. Toolkit, a collection of resources for families who want to teach kindness and generosity at home. Sarah also develops research-based curricula for organizations, schools, and youth groups, interested in empowering kids to strengthen their empathy muscles and lead their families in compassion-building activities. Sarah is also striving to make kindness and volunteering a meaningful habit for her three animal-loving, social-justice-seeking, mud-pie-making kiddos. Over the years, Sarah has watched family volunteering empower kids, strengthen families, and meet real needs in communities around the country, and she’s inspired by the growing interest in this big-hearted work.

Greg Langston

Greg Langston. Carlsbad, CA.  College Flight Plan, “Helping students discover their strengths, values, goals and purpose.” Starting in the first grade, have students talk about careers. As they are enter middle school and high school, have them talk about their positive traits to reflect interests.

Gary Koppelman – Blissfield Community Schools

Gary grew up with several learning difficulties – namely stuttering, dyslexia and auditory discrimination. He found that he was able to overcome these challenges and leverage his personal experience to help students with learning disabilities succeed.

Having taught science for 20 years, he managed to realise a personal dream by creating the Blissfield Environmental Life Lab (BELL). This is a 45’ by 60’ climatically-controlled greenhouse with a variety of biomes (tropical rainforest, desert, bird aviary, invertebrate zoo, etc.) where students of the entire school district can experience science and practice investigating, exploring and collaborating.

Experiencing science in a cross-curricular, hands-on manner at this state-of-the-art facility has been shown to have a positive effect on achievement of students at Blissfield Community Schools. It has also garnered Gary a raft of awards, including the 2013 National Shell Teaching Award and induction into the 2014 National Teachers Hall of Fame.

Gary has developed a new elementary science curriculum and has been invited to help shape educational reform in Michigan.

Twesigye Jackson Kaguri

Twesigye Jackson Kaguri, a 1996 graduate of the Human Rights Advocates Program, began his advocacy work with the organization, Human Rights Concern (HURICO), located in his home country, Uganda. Kaguri co-founded HURICO to help victims of human rights violations in Uganda and to educate the public about their rights. Reflecting on the impact of HRAP to his work, Kaguri says, “Without skills and knowledge from the Advocates Program, I would not have continued with HURICO.”

HRAP provides its participants with a greater understanding of human rights tools and methods as well as the confidence and leadership skills to enhance their individual pursuits. In addition, many participants take advantage of the courses available at Columbia University and the infinite resources available in New York City. Kaguri recalls that during the program, “I started using a computer for the first time and never stopped.”

Since leaving HRAP, Kaguri has made a number of professional and personal accomplishments. He served as a Program Assistant for People’s Decade for Human Rights Education (PDHRE) after having met the founder and director during his participation in HRAP. He also completed a second bachelor’s degree, specializing in fundraising and management, from Indiana University as well as received numerous certificates in various areas of fundraising.

Kaguri currently works with the Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project, which he founded and directs. Nyaka builds schools for HIV/AIDS orphans in rural Uganda, using a holistic approach to provide free education, uniforms, books, healthcare, shelter for the children, community water, and a community library. Kaguri has successfully started two schools in the villages of Nyaka and Kutamba, the impacts of which have been profound for the two villages and brought wide praise to Kaguri. He has been named Ugandan of the Year, Ugandan Making a Difference, and Social Entrepreneur by Global Giving. In addition, in June 2010, Kaguri and Nyaka were featured in Time Magazine. He is also the Associate Director of Development at Michigan State University.

Kaguri has also completed publishing a book entitled “The Price of Stones: Building a School for My Village,” released in June 2010 and which details the founding, evolution, and impact of the Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project. However, Kaguri still recalls his experience in HRAP as a crucial component of his accomplishments, saying the greatest benefit had been “networking with fellow professionals and other organizations all over the world.” He concludes, “Without this program, I would not have accomplished what I have accomplished. Our children, their grannies, and communities Nyaka serves would not have anything if not for the exposure I got while at Columbia University.”

November 2016 update: Kaguri has been awarded the 2015 Waislitz Global Citizen Award, named a 2012 CNN Hero, a Heifer International Hero, recognized in Time Magazine’s ‘Power of One’ Series, and spoken to the UN about his work. In 2016 Kaguri received an honarory PhD in Humanities from Shenandoah University recognizing his work with Nyaka. Kaguri divides his time between Uganda and Michigan where he lives with his wife Tabitha, their two sons and two twin girls.

Tracy Hazel.

Tracy Hazel, Owner/CEO at Advanced Training and Consulting, LLC. Advanced Training and Consulting, LLCEastern Michigan University. Lansing, Michigan. Tracy has been a long time presenter in the health aspect with AED and CPR for Summer Institute. Tracy’s teaching techniques and delivery of methods has been outstanding.

Zach Constan

Zach Constan earned his Bachelor’s Degree in physics (1995) from Albion College, studied psychoacoustics for his Ph.D. in physics (2002) at Michigan State University, taught college astronomy for three years, and served as a church Youth Director. Now, as FRIB Outreach Coordinator, he gets to tell everyone about the exciting developments in nuclear science at MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.

Anthony Ianni

Growing up near East Lansing, Michigan, Anthony Ianni knew he was different from other kids. Through fifth grade, he had an aide with him in class. In middle school, he’d go to a resource classroom.”So I was like, ‘OK, you know, I have a learning disability — I’m just going to put it that way. And I don’t know what it is, but I have a type of learning disability, just plain and simple,’ ” Anthony says:  Anthony’s differences affected him beyond the classroom.  Anthony loved the Michigan State sports teams — his dad worked in the athletic department — but attending games was rough. His story will be told at SI 2021.

Heather Lewis

Heather Lewis, Kindergarten Teacher, K-12 Social Emotional and Mindfulness Coordinator Williamston Community Schools Discovery Elementary. Heather Lewis is finishing her degree in Educational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, with an emphasis in Social-Emotional learning, Mindfulness, and Student-Athlete Mental Health.  She coordinates K-12 Mindfulness and teaches Kindergarten for Williamston Community Schools, and her passion is bringing mindfulness to as many teachers, students, and athletes as she possibly can.

Derrick Veale 

Derrick Veale is managing St John’s Community School’s online learning. He is an expert in teaching computer courses to educators, students and community members. For over 18 years, Derrick has taught RESA and Summer Institute technology courses along with numerous professional development sessions at various schools and levels. When he’s not teaching, he likes to spend time with his wife and two daughters and go to live concerts.

Michigan Teacher Inspires Us to Inspire You:

I came expecting to be recharged and inspired – I didn’t expect to be changed! No other education classes than these with Summer Institutes have focused primarily on changing the teacher so that he/she can be unleashed to make the most powerful impact possible in the world and in individual lives! With Sincerity, Angela Schneider 2020

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