Aspire Fellowship

Preparing teachers of color for urban school leadership

The Aspire Fellowship is a 10-month program that supports teachers of color seeking to enter a principal certification program in the next two years, and is a joint effort between the UIC Ed.D. Program in Urban Education Leadership and Teach for America Greater Chicago-Northwest Indiana. As partners, we built this program upon the shared belief that our students need transformational leaders who reflect the diversity of our local communities and have designed every element to support the experiences of leaders of color. Ultimately, we hope to see Aspire Fellows in CPS Assistant Principal or Principal roles in 3-5 years. Fellows will receive a grant towards tuition for their commitment. NOTE: You do not need to be a Teach for America alum to participate in Aspire.

Aspire Fellows are teachers of color who:

👉🏽 Are an IL licensed Teacher or Teacher Leader with at least 3 years of classroom teaching experience, or willing to pursue IL license within program year

👉🏿 Are excited to lead other educators (team lead, coaching, etc.)

👉🏾 Desire to start a principal certification program in the next two years

👉🏽 Envision a future where they are leading a public school in Chicago

👉🏿 Are seeking to build the hands-on experience, knowledge, confidence, and support network needed to embark on the journey into urban school leadership

Join a virtual information session to learn more

September 29, 2026 | 5-6 pm

October 27, 2026 | 5-6 pm

December 8, 2026 | 5-6 pm

January 26, 2027 | 5-6 pm

February 23, 2027 | 5-6 pm

Register Here for an Information Session

Applications for the 2027-2028 School Year open in February 2027

Questions?

Email Caryn Lichtenberg (TFA) at Caryn.lichtenberg@teachforamerica.org

or

Dr. Cynthia Barron (UIC) at ckbarron@uic.edu

Meet this Year’s Fellows

  • Kecia Austin

    Learning Behavior Specialist
    Foster Park Elementary

  • Kiisha Bynum

    MTSS Coordinator & Interventionist
    Libby Elementary School

  • Carlos Hernandez Alba

    7/8 Dual Language Science
    Darwin Elementary School

  • Daniela Herrera

    2nd Grade Bilingual Classroom Teacher
    Rogers Clark Elementary School

  • Jessica Ingram

    Science Teacher
    Learn Charter Network

  • Dulce Jimenez

    Dual Language Teacher
    Hibbard Elementary School

  • Dr. Dionte Jimerson

    Diverse Learner Teacher
    Nino Heroes Elementary

  • Marlon Jones

    Teacher
    Curie Metro High School

  • Latiya Magee

    Interventionist
    Bond Elementary School

  • Alejandra Moreno

    Teacher
    Back of the Yards College Prep High School

  • Christina Nieves

    Middle School Science
    Casals School of Excellence

  • Francisco Liam Nuno

    J. Shields Middle School
    Visual Arts Teacher

  • Pierre Pandy

    Special Education Teacher
    Park Elementary School

  • Tracy Robinson

    4th Grade Teacher
    Bond Elementary School

  • Gustavo Rudel

    Teacher
    Steinmetz College Prep

  • Tyanna Sanders-Nash

    Special Education Teacher
    Graham Training Center

  • Unika Spaulding

    7/8 Social Studies
    Barack Obama Learning Center

  • Yolanda Tucker

    Teacher
    Michele Clark High School

Fellowship Experience

Aspire Fellows deepen their understanding of self, schools, and systems through the three program levers:

  • Leadership Seminars

    Leadership seminars are brave spaces where we get real and go deep on what it means to be a leader of color. Seminars are led by UIC faculty and take place one Tuesday a month from 5:30-7:30pm.

  • 1:1 Coaching

    Upon acceptance, fellows are matched with a coach and receive 10+ coaching sessions across the course of the fellowship. Coaches are current or former school leaders of color who provide guidance and mentorship to fellows in their leadership development and help navigate their journeys in urban school leadership. Coach matching is done in a collaborative process to ensure an optimal experience for both the fellow and coach.

  • Impact Initiative

    In collaboration with their mentor principal and coach, Aspire Fellows plan and execute an Impact Initiative. Impact Initiatives are projects that align to the school’s Continuous Improvement Work Plan (CIWP) and require fellows to achieve student impact through effective leadership of adults. The seminar series concludes with fellow presentations of Impact Initiatives.

Fellow Testimonials

  • The Aspire Fellowship has been so intentional on creating pathways for leaders of color. One of the major things Aspire has given me is a coach who has helped empower me to believe that I could occupy these spaces.

    Violeta Cerna-Prado
    UIC College Prep, Noble Network
    Cohort 1 Fellow
    2015 Corps Member

  • The Aspire Fellowship has cultivated a space where teacher leaders of color can show up as their authentic selves.

    Latonia Reynolds
    Piccolo School of Excellence
    Cohort 1 Fellow

  • Becoming an Aspire Fellow is the complete opposite of a questionable decision. I have forged strong bonds with mentors who have blazed the trails of positive education reform, and who are willing to spend their time to ensure that the torch is properly passed. The fellowship thoroughly prepared me to take on a role in multicultural educational leadership, and will support me in the years to come.

    Jonathan Burton
    Walt Disney Magnet School
    Cohort 1 Fellow

Prospective Applicants FAQs

  • About 50% of Aspire seminars and events will occur in person. Fellows will be notified of these dates before the fellowship begins in August.

  • Coaching sessions and fellow/coach/principal triads will be scheduled for mutually agreed-upon dates/times once the fellowship begins.

    Seminars will be held in the evenings on the following dates: 8/20/24 (Fellowship Kick Off), 9/17/24, 10/22/24, 11/19/24, 1/14/25, 2/11/25, 3/11/25, 4/22/25, 5/20/25 (Fellowship Closing)

  • Applicants should be fully committed or very strongly considering school leadership as their career path. We recognize the difficulty in committing to a job you have not done before and expect fellows to have some unanswered questions about the fit of school leadership to explore during the fellowship.

  • The Aspire Fellowship is unique to urban school leadership in Chicago. Good-fit applicants are educators who intend to remain local and lead within the district or like urban settings.

  • Coaches in the Aspire Fellowship are current or former urban school leaders of color, passionate about developing the next generation of leaders. A matching process is used to pair fellows with coaches based on their strengths, development focus, and shared social identities.

  • Principals are champions of their fellows and submit a support form in the application process, partner with the fellow and coach on identifying and implementing the Impact Initiative, and continuously support their fellow’s leadership development. Mentor Principals attend the Fellowship Kick Off and Closing Presentations and engage in three triad meetings with the fellow and coach. See Mentor Principal Role section below for more details.

  • With the support of their principal and help from their coach, each fellow will lead a school-based initiative as part of the fellowship. The Impact Initiative provides fellows with hands-on leadership experience in managing adults, changing adult practices, and continuous school improvement.

  • The Aspire Fellowship is not a direct “feeder” into the UIC Ed.D program. However, our goal is to position fellows as compelling candidates for any principal preparation program of their choosing, including the UIC Ed.D program.

  • Fellows can continue to receive support beyond the program while applying to principal certification programs, including individualized coaching and coverage of application fees. Upon entering a principal certification program, fellows will receive an award of $1000 to be used towards their education.

  • Aspire Fellows are TFA alum and non-alum teachers of color who:

    • Are an IL licensed Teacher or Teacher Leader with at least 3 years of classroom teaching experience, or willing to pursue IL license within program year

    • Are excited to lead other educators (team lead, coaching, etc.)

    • Desire to start a principal certification program in the next two years

    • Envision a future where they are leading a public school in Chicago

    • Are seeking to build the hands-on experience, knowledge, confidence, and support network needed to embark on the journey into urban school leadership

  • No. The fellowship is open to both alumni and non-alumni.

Mentor Principal Role

Mentor Principals are champions of their Aspire Fellows. They believe in their fellow’s potential for future urban school leadership and are committed to supporting them along their journey.

Mentor Principal Support Form

  • As part of the application process, mentor principals are required to submit a support form for the candidate including:

    • Commentary on the candidate’s potential for urban school leadership

    • Commitment to active engagement in the candidate’s professional development throughout the program including attending the fellowship kickoff and closing event, engaging in three triad sessions with the fellow and their coach, and completing evaluations as necessary

    • Explanation of school priority or project aligned with the Continuous Improvement Work Plan (CIWP) or school strategic plan that the candidate will be empowered to lead, co-lead, or play a key role in

  • Principals will come together with fellows, coaches, and program staff twice during the fellowship, first for a program orientation and second for the fellow presentations at the impact presentations of the fellowship. Between those times principals should meet with their fellows regularly to provide feedback and guidance on the fellow’s Impact Initiative and leadership development. Meeting frequency may vary based on the Initiative and other school structures; however, an intentional touchpoint monthly is the baseline recommendation. For alignment and wrap-around support of the fellow and Initiative, triad meetings between the fellow, coach, and principal will take place three times during the fellowship, in October, January, and March.

  • As fellows continue their journey into urban school leadership, principals can continue to champion their fellows by providing ongoing mentorship, sharing about their own path to school leadership, making connections to help fellows build their network, sharing professional opportunities, serving as a strong reference, and more.