Rochelle Ballantyne, my former student who has become family, is chasing her dream to become the FIRST Black woman Chess Master and needs our help! Rochelle has been on track towards this goal since high school yet has had to take breaks to pursue higher education. Inspired by her own experiences as a kid, Rochelle is committed to fighting inequity in our public education system. After high school she earned a BA at Stanford University on a full scholarship, earned her MA in Education Policy from Columbia University, and is currently pursuing her JD at NYU Law fully funded through the AnBryce Scholarship.

Her dedication to her studies as a fulltime student has made it challenging to pay for private chess coaching and tournament entrance fees which can cost up to $1200 each month. Let’s make history and help Rochelle! There is no one more selfless, hardworking, and driven than Rochelle and I know she can do this.

Learn more about Rochelle here