Education at the Schomburg: Ed Talks: Nadia Lopez

Join Schomburg Education and Nadia Lopez for a conversation on her book, The Bridge to Brilliance: How One Principal in a Tough Community is Inspiring the World.

The Bridge to Brilliance celebrates one woman’s determination to inspire and support children in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the U.S., and redefine what it means to strengthen a community through education.  Learn the very real and inspiring story of Mott Hall Bridges Academy in Brownsville, New York, and learn practical tools for expanding the horizons of youth in our classrooms.

This Ed Talk will be followed by a book signing.  Books are available to purchase in the Schomburg Shop.

Watch on livestream. 

@SchomburgCenter @SchomburgEd #EdTalks 

Nadia Lopez Bio:

Nadia Lopez, the founder and principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy in Brownsville, Brooklyn, is a finalist for the 2016 Global Teachers Prize. Lopez shot to national recognition when the popular blog, Humans of New York profiled one of her students, who named her the most influential person in his life. After the blog post went viral, Lopez was featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, NBC News and many others. In less than three weeks, lopez and HONY raised $1.4 million to endow a scholarship fund for graduates of Mott Hall Bridges. 

Lopez founded Mott Hall Bridges Academy in 2010 to help turn the tide in a neighborhood that had all but given up on its students. Despite the fact that 100% of Lopez’s students live below the poverty line, last year 72 of Mott Hall Bridges’s 75 graduates were able to enroll in high schools beyond the Brownsville community. Lopez’s school combats the school-to prison pipeline with a stunning 98% graduation rate among its first three graduating classes. An inspiration to students and teachers alike, Nadia hosted the principal forum, "Challenges of Leadership in Urban Education and the Impact it has on Student Achievement," in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education. In April 2015, she was honored with the Black Girls Rock Change Agent Award televised on BET, where she delivered an empowering speech. She became a Ted Fellow in November 2015 and spoke as a featured member of the panel “The Education Revolution.”

FIRST COME, FIRST SEATED
For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. All registered seats are released 15 to 30 minutes before start time, so we recommend that you arrive early.

GUESTS

Please note that holding seats in the Langston Hughes Auditorium is strictly prohibited and there is no food or drinks allowed anywhere in the Schomburg Center. 

PRESS 
Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Angela Montefinese at angelamontefinise@nypl.org.

Please note that professional photography and video recordings are prohibited without expressed consent.