We are so inspired by the STOP Award participants, semi-finalists, and the courage, innovation and leadership of educators from across the country who have amplified the application of their brilliance to make the lives of their students better as they faced the daunting challenges of the pandemic.

I am still processing the magnitude of this experience and so grateful for meeting each and everyone of you.

We often jump to the what, without thinking with the community about the why.

When you are trying to advance and think beyond the status quo, this can be a lonely place, because our systems are structured to do the same thing.

We may not agree on much of anything, but one thing that is a uniting force that we all agree on is that education opens doors, it’s the great equalizer.

This group of innovators has the opportunity to show the world what is possible for kids, what doesn't yet exist for so many children who deserve the opportunity to be entrepreneurs and to shine as out of the box thinkers.

Unfortunately, the bureaucracy that’s behind the school system is more interested in perpetuating jobs and keeping the system in place, rather than giving children the freedom they deserve.

Thinking "big" is often about identifying and solving real problems today, but striving to contribute to the growing body of knowledge, and laying the foundation for future leaders to have big breakthroughs.

You are in a moment in history that we have never seen before.

You guys are heroes as far as I’m concerned.

The relationships kids develop at the Boys & Girls Clubs with their peers and the staff have a positive impact on their lives.

We really need to work on the why. Not just with our teams, but with all those we work with and around.