Meet the Team
Helping Students Grow
Carol Franklin
Facilitator
Carol Franklin is a dedicated educator with a burning passion for the pursuit of knowledge and uplifting everyone she encounters. She is an advocate of individuality, self-expression, and collaboration. Growing up, she felt connected to the character Ms. Frizzle on the show, "The Magic School Bus," displaying an unfaltering happy-go-lucky, optimistic attitude in her pursuit of understanding the world around her. Now, she hopes to stimulate student curiosity and provide her students with a life-long mentor and friend, displaying respect for students’ choices and excitement for their futures. Her ultimate goal as an educator is to ensure every student knows that they have a purpose in this world, to give them a comfortable space to discover what that purpose may be, and to provide support in getting to that place. Carol has her BS in Biochemistry, Summa Cum Laude, from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. In her free time, she enjoys absorbing the serenity of the outdoors, volunteering, tutoring peers, and playing games, including board games, Dungeons and Dragons, and disc-golf.
Kalie Lewis
Facilitator
Kalie Lewis is an educator that loves to spend her time helping others reach their fullest potential by pursuing their interests and making progress towards their goals. She is passionate about mentoring students of all ages and encouraging them to step outside of their comfort zones by exploring different countries and cultures. She is a good resource for finding the best flight deals, planning trips, trying new recipes or places to eat, and what’s new in the world of educational technology.
Ian Campbell
Facilitator
Ian Campbell is a community-oriented educator committed to the fostering of lifelong learners. He places a high value on empathy, cooperation, and social consciousness and seeks to embody those traits as a teacher. His life’s passion has been to study examples of societies the world over that have modeled egalitarianism, autonomy, and a deep connection to their local landscape, both in the past and present. He is an advocate for democratic education as a part of that broader human paradigm and speaks on the need for such free spaces to build bridges with one another. Ian enjoys teaching history from the point of view of everyday people, anthropology, and the lessons to be learned from Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, and nothing brightens his day like seeing people reconnect with the land beneath their feet through his foraging lessons. In his free time, Ian tries to spend every minute he can outdoors hiking, foraging, or camping with friends.
Gautam Bhargava
Facilitator
Gautam Bhargava is a technology entrepreneur passionate about fixing education. He is currently the Founder and CEO of Bloom, an online education program that gives kids a head start on their future by offering live interactive classes from industry pros that teach high-demand skills like coding, animation, and design. Previously, he started and led two education companies and a small design studio. He’s an advocate of school reform, progressive education models, and student-directed learning. In his free time, he teaches students about entrepreneurship, design, and technology.
Priyanka Hardikar
Facilitator
Priyanka Hardikar is a writer and journalist with a passion for education and mental health. She studied Criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas, worked for the Department of Justice, and has written for multiple publications on topics ranging from young entrepreneurs to social issues. One of her main focuses has always been mental health and she continues to advocate for it strongly.
She believes that empathy is a core value that helps build relationships and strengthen the community. Through her personal journey and the various people she has interviewed, she understands that there isn't just one straight path to success and encourages students to design their own paths based on their unique strengths and passions.
In her free time, she loves to read, explore new places and cuisines, and find magic in the ordinary.
Jennifer White
Facilitator
Jennifer White is a lifelong teacher and learner. She has worked with children in some capacity, teaching and mentoring, conducting classes and camps, for the past 38 years. She holds a California K-8 Teaching Credential and spent 9 years in a traditional classroom before “retiring” to stay home with her children.
Jennifer is an advocate for school choice and education reform and believes that parents are the first educators for their children. She enjoys speaking at homeschool events to encourage parents to explore homeschooling. She has worked in the public school system, the private school system and for an online, public, charter school and this experience gives her a unique perspective to all aspects of education.
Jennifer has a passion for teaching cooking and baking classes. She has recently found a renewed interest in history and government and enjoys teaching middle and high school students.
Join Us!
Guest Facilitator
Do you have a passion you would like to share with tweens/teens? Apply here.