Ayodele Theard-Lewis

Ayodele Theard-Lewis, from Portland, Oregon, is pursuing a master’s degree in teaching secondary education at Stanford Graduate School of Education. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and minors in education and French from Xavier University of Louisiana, where she was the Dr. Regina Benjamin Graduating Senior, named after the 18th U.S. surgeon general. Ayodele is passionate about reducing achievement gaps and transforming public education across the nation through curriculum and policy innovation. As an undergraduate, she sat on a school board serving as secretary for several committees working to integrate families from diverse backgrounds into the school community. She was selected as a Frederick Douglass O’Connell Global Fellow, an Asia Foundation LeadNext Fellow, and a Public Policy & International Affairs Program Junior Summer Institute Fellow. Throughout her undergraduate and postgraduate career, Ayodele has studied education systems around the world. She previously taught middle and high school English in Greece and is currently a preschool teacher.