In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing the one and only Dr. Nadia Lopez and we discussed everything from her career in education, her personal self-care journey, and everything in between! THIS episode is one that you definitely want to bring your notebook for! So many gems dropped throughout this conversation! To learn more about Dr. Lopez, you can visit her website at thelopezeffect.com or follow her on Instagram & Twitter with the handle @thelopezeffect.
BIO: Dr. Nadia Lopez is an award-winning, globally recognized thought-leader in education, who opened a school to close a prison. At an early age, she was taught the importance of utilizing education as a tool to solve social issues impacting our society. This served as one of the reasons why, in 2010, she opened Mott Hall Bridges Academy, a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) focused school, located in Brownsville. The media often depicts this New York City neighborhood as poor and violent, but rarely do they focus on who and what has caused the inequities directly responsible for the school-to-prison pipeline that exists in this community. Despite its major challenges, Dr. Lopez had the vision to change the narrative by proving that the children of Brownsville are brilliant and have value in this world.
In 2015, one of her scholars, Vidal Chastenet was asked by Brandon Stanton, the founder of Humans of New York, who was his greatest influence, and he said, “My Principal, Ms. Lopez…” The post went viral, generating $1.4 million in donations to provide scholarships for college, summer enrichment programs, and the opportunity to visit universities that include an annual trip to Harvard University. This led to a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House, an interview by Ellen Degeneres, and features within the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Essence, Ebony, Black Enterprise, EduWeek, and Glamour Magazine to name a few. This transformative work has led to Dr. Lopez’s selection as the 2019 LinkedIn Top 10 Voices in Education; 2016 Global Teacher Prize Top 50 Finalists; best selling author of The Bridge to Brilliance and Teaching in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
She is an international speaker who has presented keynotes at conferences such as ISTE, ILA, ASCD, and NCEA, in addition to delivering TED Talk on the Education Revolution with over 1 million views. Her most notable awards include the Barnard College Medal of Distinction, Black Girls Rock Change Agent Award received alongside former First Lady Michelle Obama, Ebony Top 100 Award, Nelson Mandela Humanitarian Award, and TV One’s 2019 Education Maverick Award. Transitioning from the role of a school administrator after recovering from stress-induced illnesses, Dr. Lopez continues to speak internationally, consults with companies to develop strategic partnerships, as well as supporting leaders through 1:1 and group coaching. Through her non-profit organization, The Bridge to Brilliance, she is building bridges between education institutions and private sectors to address issues of inequities that impact Black and Brown children within marginalized communities.
Her company ElevatED BLK offers online courses, conferences, and activations that support participants to prioritize wellness and develop sustainability practices for their personal development.
