Isabel grew up in the great state of New Jersey, which gets a lot more abuse than it probably deserves. But the Garden State couldn’t keep her forever, and she left home to attend Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Knowing that she wanted to make a difference, she served in Americorps with City Year for two years after college. As a corps member, Isabel worked with incredible students and inspiring teachers and staff, and she was inspired to pursue work that would ensure public schools are great places to learn and to work no matter where they are located.
After City Year, Isabel pursued a master’s of public policy at The George Washington University and worked for a variety of education organizations including TNTP, The U.S. Department of Education and The New America Foundation. After graduation, Isabel completed an Education Pioneers Fellowship with Achieve, and stayed on as a program associate, building a plan for engaging with school districts to support the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards. As the states associate at 50CAN, Isabel supports the Education Advocacy Fellowship, helping to make sure that fellows are able to successfully complete the program and become agents of change in their states.
When not in the office, Izzy can be found playing hockey, running or hiking, or hanging with her cat Ophelia and watching reruns of Parks and Recreation.
I aspire to be like Amy Van Dyken Rouen. Here’s why:
I was eight years old during the Atlanta Olympics when Amy Van Dyken won four gold medals. My mom sat me down in front of the television and said “Look at that girl. People thought that she couldn’t do this, and she worked hard and proved them wrong. She is someone to look up to. Also, I’m signing you up for swim team.” While I turned out to be a thoroughly mediocre swimmer, that moment in time stuck with me, and I always thought of Amy Van Dyken as a role model and tried to emulate her work ethic and determination.
In 2014, Amy was in an ATV accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors speculated that she might not regain her ability to walk. Amy shared every step of her recovery with the public and started a foundation dedicated to improving the lives of people who have suffered spinal cord injuries. I believe that it is this combination of positivity and dogged perseverance that makes change happen, and I try to bring even a fraction of Amy’s attitude to work with me every day.
I get to be part of the launchpad from which motivated, idealistic and strong advocates take off on their first campaigns. And I get to do it surrounded by a group of positive, genuine and intelligent colleagues. What could be better than that?
I am a product of a great K-12 public education. Growing up in suburban New Jersey, my public schools had everything a child could ask for. I had teachers who cared about me, access to a variety of courses that challenged me and an incredible support system outside the classroom. After college, I volunteered as a City Year corps member in Washington, D.C. The difference between my elementary school experience and that of the students I worked with made me realize how much I took my public education for granted. The experience inspired me to dedicate my career to building a public education system that sets students up for success, no matter where they live.
Basketball. I am six feet tall, and most people who meet me automatically assume that I must be a basketball player. The basketball coach at my college even went so far as to try and recruit me one day while I was working out at the gym. But the truth is I am terrible at basketball. I spent every winter weekend of my childhood and adolescence in hockey rinks at various points on the eastern seaboard, so I never even learned how to do a proper layup.
This is a piece of street art by the London artist Stik. His pieces are always simple stick figures that concentrate on conveying emotion through body language. This one in particular is about connecting with someone who is different than you based on their humanity. An equitable and strong education system respects the humanity of all students by providing them with the tools to succeed in life no matter where they come from, and a great school system produces citizens who are aware of each other’s humanity and build relationships upon that awareness. I work at 50CAN because I want to help our public schools become that system.
