Support Aris Transform Education

I’m Aris Ayala, the kid from Humboldt Park, and I’ve recently been accepted into the University of Pennsylvania. The program that I am enrolling in is the Mid-Career Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership which would culminate into a Doctor of Education.

Growing up in Chicago’s west side, afforded me an education that you can’t find in a university - community, politics, street knowledge. However, coming up wasn’t easy, as what ends up happening in underserved neighborhoods can translate into: lack of high quality public schools due to lack of resources, violence, and at times, gentrification, which pushes families out of what they can afford.

I became an educator following my experience as a kid, with the will and the want to create a safe, loving and intellectual space for kids who look and grew up like I did. Kids that are doubted and cast aside by society. Kids that have so much hidden potential and all they need is ONE adult that believes in them.

My journey has led me to multiple teaching positions and teacher leader opportunities in Chicago and administrator roles from Boston to Portland. All with the same goal.

Today I humbly come to you to help me achieve my terminal degree in education. This degree with cost me $200,000. I am motivated to find any means (scholarships, grants and personal funds) to pay for this degree. However, this can still fall short and this is where you come in. The more I get to sit at the “table,” the more I get to advocate for students and teachers and the state of our education. The more I get to influence any decisions that are made and get our voices heard. That is the reason behind this degree. One day I aspire to be in a position where I can positively impact the lives of students and teachers across our country.