Meet Liliana Polo

The impact of access to a good education — both for individuals, as well as for entire communities — is something Liliana Polo deeply appreciates. Growing up within a family, and a community, with an unshakeable belief in the transformational power of education, she ended up spending a large part of her childhood at a prestigious New Hampshire boarding school on a scholarship. “For the daughter of immigrants from Colombia, it was a whole new world of unexpected opportunities, regardless of the sacrices it took,” she says.

It’s a belief that has dened Liliana’s life ever since. After tutoring students within underserved communities as an undergraduate student in Providence, R.I., Liliana decided to establish her own school, eight blocks from where she was raised, in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and Good Shepherd Services. “I actually had to leave my community to get a good education, and I think that has always stayed with me. It’s why I feel strongly about ensuring more communities have access to high-quality education. And why I’m so glad we succeeded in connecting with students who are very hard to connect with.”

As an Ed.L.D. student, Liliana has already worked with public schools in New Orleans, Detroit, and Ontario, Canada, toward replicating that success. “Being here has reinforced the concept that, while there are many superheroes in the educator sector, relying only on individuals does not lead to sustainable transformation," she says.