A Place to Belong: One Family’s Story at KIPP Valiant
Carmen remembers vividly what it felt like when she first began looking for a school in the Peninsula for her son, Salo, nearly a decade ago. She wasn’t searching for a place to simply...
KIPP Blog
Your story matters. The world needs to hear it
Emmanuel De La Torre, KIPP Stockton High School Ethnic Studies and History teacher I grew up in East San José, and it was a place where cultures blended beautifully! I remember seeing Hispanic, Asian,...
Understanding the Importance of Community
My name is Chloe Wong, and I’m a junior at USC studying Business Administration with an emphasis in marketing and a minor in public relations. But if we rewind a bit, it all started...
A KIPPster Finds Her Calling in Advocacy
Daisy Carmona grew up in East San José with a front-row seat to the impact of school choice. Today, she is a proud graduate of KIPP San José Collegiate and UC Riverside and works...
From KIPP Students to KIPP Employees: Our Intern Experiences
My name is Miriam Fernandez, and I’m one of the eight KIPP alumni who interned with the KIPP Regional Support Office (RSO) this summer in Oakland. Since 2013, KIPP NorCal has hosted the summer...
Navigating Through KIPP and UC Berkeley: My Story of Identity, Creativity, and Finding Community
I was born and raised in Oakland. The city life is what I was used to, but on my 10th birthday, my family and I moved to a suburban neighborhood in San Lorenzo. Moving...
From West Oakland to Capitol Hill: My Full Circle KIPP Story
My name is Sandra, and in the summer before 6th grade, my family and I moved to West Oakland. My mom and I were excited to be part of the community and enroll in...
Double Duty: KIPP Educator & KIPP Mom!
When I was considering entering the world of teaching, I thought a lot about the kind of school I wanted to work at. My ideal school is one where students don’t just receive an...
Belonging, Breakthroughs, and Building the Future: My KIPP Story
*Nafisa’s story as told by Andy Santiago My name is Nafisa Adams and I grew up in San Francisco, a city that was ever changing. In 2011, I started my KIPP journey as a...
From East San José to UC San Diego: A KIPP Alum’s Journey of Growth, Community, and Self-Discovery
My name is Ryan Tran, and as a kid growing up in East San José, my parents wanted my older sister and I to be educated in an environment that prioritized academic rigor while...
KIPP Navigate College Prep Teacher Receives $10,000 Award for Classroom Excellence
Oakland, CA – August 7, 2024 – Ellis Stephens, an art teacher at KIPP Navigate College Prep in San José, has been named a 2024 Harriett Ball Excellence in Teaching Award Winner. Stephens is...