The number one thing we hear from entrepreneurs and artists and creatives when we ask them about their education is about how irrelevant it was to their story. Sure, some folks had wonderful educational experiences, but for many their experiences left them feeling ill prepared for life and their careers. So, we wanted to create a space for folks to share their experiences and ideas for how we can improve our educational system.

Nicole Lockhart

I think the importance about art education is that business education needs to go hand and hand. I noticed while in college that my art classes (my major) were more about art in a gallery setting. I think social media gives us such a big platform to share our art. Artist can do so much more than just share in a gallery. The education of how to sell your art is just as important as how to get art in galleries! Read more>>

Braxton Craddock

I personally believe the education system has a lot of flaws. But keeping it directed towards helping build a foundation for a fulfilling life & career- I’d start by including life classes that would include skills such as budgeting, loans, credit scores, & making large purchases. These are things that are vital to know as someone is entering the adult world. Read more>>

Katelyn Missig

I think we could afford some change in our education system, not only public schools but also cosmetology school. As early as I can remember in public schools, our teachers were always pushing us to go to college and asking us what college we want to go to. In middle school we started taking field trips to local community colleges, in high school we had an entire class period dedicated to applying to colleges. Read more>>

Salih Abdur-Rasheed

I would incorporate digital literacy and blockchain education into the curriculum. Students should learn about the fundamentals of decentralized systems, cryptography, smart contracts, and the potential applications of blockchain technology. I would teach them about the ethical and regulatory implications of DeFi and Web3 technologies. It’s important to address topics such as security, privacy, data governance, and the potential risks associated with these systems. Read more>>

Stephen Trimble

All of us need to know how to write with clarity and pithiness and color. Our lives and our work and our relationships all benefit from good writing. I’m kind of obsessed with this. Bad writing makes me crazy. It’s a teachable craft, and the educational system isn’t great at teaching us this universal skill. Science and tech and business are pushing aside the humanities, alas, and that’s a loss for us all. Read more>>

David Bullivant

Our team at Yellow Weld has been steadily increasing our investment into creating new opportunities for young people. Through these experiences, my team has bonded more tightly and have unified motivations that hold us all accountable to our larger goals and vision. Read more>>

Carrie Rogers-Whitehead

My company Digital Respons-Ability’s work is to teach digital citizenship, the ethical and responsible use of technology. Simply, we try to create better humans online. As the internet enmeshes more and more in our daily lives, not to mention the pace of technology and the increase of Artificial Intelligence, being a digital citizen is more important than ever. One of my changes in the education system would basically put me out of business—but I feel like these concepts in digital citizenship should be embedded across multiple grade levels and subjects. Read more>>

Joycelyn Parson

This is an interesting question of discussion because all week I have been thinking about how I can reach our youth in a time where we are praised for seeking validation and ridiculed for being real and authentic. As a former Teacher’s Assistant, at the time looking to continue my education in the Education field. I was so excited to be part of leading our future in a way that helps them develop the skills needed to succeed in life. Read more>>

Tommy Malick

Less rigor on non-essential topics and more on life skills Read more>>

Luisa Acevedo

When I first got here in the United States 4 years ago, I was terrified of not knowing what I was going to face and I was surprised by the faces of many of my students when they saw that a 26-year-old Latina woman was going to teach them French. Every day I have them for 90 minutes, not only learning French but also learning something from them, teaching them something different about my country and showing them how important it is to fight for what you want no matter what. Read more>>

Kayla Michael

I was raised by a single, teenage drug addict and alcoholic father. My mother left before I can remember her, and I survived a childhood of poverty and neglect. I joined the Air Force at 19, and there I was selected to be trained as a Resiliency Training Advisor (at least partially due to my individual resiliency required to navigate my childhood). Read more>>

Mike Mullikin

In my view, the US education system fails to prepare our youth for the basics of adult life and how to use individual strengths to become successful. Our culture has placed too much of an emphasis on college education and discourages going into the trades. I graduated with a BS in Business Management with a minor in Information Systems in 9 semesters. Read more>>