Erin Whalen seems young to have accomplished as much as he has... but he has, and he is just getting started. Erin and Da Vinci RISE High School's co-founder Kari Croft designed their school for those who are least served by traditional education in conventional settings. With profound insight into the needs of the homeless, the transient, and foster children populations, the RISE model is quickly becoming a model that can be replicated appropriately.
Listening to this young school and community leader will give you hope for a tomorrow that can so often be difficult to find.
Erin Whalen, born and raised in Santa Monica, California is co-founder and Executive Director of Da Vinci RISE High School. At a young age, Erin found himself enticed by education’s power to provide people with a sense of self that could be leveraged as a powerful force in the world. After graduating from New Roads High School, Erin moved away to study Anthropology at Grinnell College in Iowa and at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Throughout the years Erin and Kari Croft, co-founder, worked together with students, families and partners to develop concepts for RISE High. In 2016, Whalen and Kari Croft applied for and won a highly competitive $10 million grant from XQ: The Super School Project, funded by Laurene Powell Jobs and Russlynn Ali. Opening in 2017, RISE now has three locations around Los Angeles County serving upwards of 210 students. Erin received his master’s degree at the LMU School of Education’s Institute of School Leadership and Administration (ISLA) in 2020 and an honorary doctorate from Grinnell College in 2022.
Erin Whalen M.Ed, D.S.Sc
Ewhalen@Davincischools.org
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