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Champions | American Graduate

An American Graduate Champion commits their time, skills and resources to make sure that young people succeed. He or she is an individual who plays an active role in improving educational outcomes for students. A champion is a parent who is active in the lives of young people or a volunteer who creates a positive environment daily for youth in their community.

Ace Mentoring

ACE Mentoring is an after school program that introduces students to the fields of architecture, engineering and construction management.

Ann Kehayes

Ann Kehayes, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Tennessee Credit Union, helped open a student branch at Antioch High School.

Book 'em

Book 'em is a small nonprofit that has been providing books to children in Nashville for the past 25 years.

Carol Cubillo-Seals

Carol Cubillo-Seals started a fundraising drive to provide college scholarships to Latino students who graduate high school.

Cloreace Eppenger

A Nashville librarian leaves her calm, quiet domain every week to promote a love for reading.

Daquan Summers

Daquan Summers was on a path to juvenile delinquency and dropping out of high school until he took part in a Nashville Juvenile Court program.

Dr. Deborah Smith

Dr. Deborah Smith is a middle school math teacher who serves as a mentor and role model to girls interested in STEM classes and careers.

Elaine Farhner

NPT mourns the passing of Elaine Fahrner, who was an original American Graduate Champion.

Jai Sanders

Jai Sanders is on a mission to increase support and awareness of traditional neighborhood schools.

Jane Marshall

Jane Marshall is a retired school teacher who is now a professional storyteller.

Jose Sauceda

Jose Sauceda is a Parent Ambassador for Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Just Us At Oasis Center

Just Us is a program in Nashville that serves high school students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or intersex.

Khalat Hama

Khalat Hama, of Nashville, explains why she volunteers with Kurdish Achievers and its impact on helping Kurdish youth, especially girls, to stay in school.

Lorraine Stallworth

Lorraine Stallworth is a Community Outreach Specialist with Metro Nashville Public Schools working in a mostly urban district.

Megan Trcka

Megan Trcka is an English Language Specialist for Metro Nashville Public Schools' Office of English Language Learners.

Michael Beno

Michael Beno is a 1st grade English Language teacher at Glenview Elementary in Nashville, TN.

Nasreen Kuvly

Nasreen Kuvly is a Parent Outreach Translator for Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Old Cockrill Academy

A unique, non-traditional school program in Nashville offers students who are behind in graduation credits a chance to catch up and earn a regular high school diploma.

Paul Adams

Paul Adams teaches the youth ESL through a program at All Saints Episcopal Church whose membership includes a large number of the Karen refugees.

Peace Team

Laura Fittz is a Nashville teacher who is passionate about restorative discipline practices in schools.

PENCIL Foundation

PENCIL Foundation is a Nashville non-profit that connects community volunteers and resources to local schools.

Rashed Fakhruddin

A professional engineer returns to high school several times a year-- to encourage students to graduate and enlighten them about how to succeed afterwards.

Re3

It's estimated that 10,000 young adults in Nashville left high school without a diploma.

Richard Parker

As a retiree who had recently moved to a new community, Richard Parker began to feel a lack of purpose and general vitality.

Ron Woodard

Ron Woodard is a high school principal who is making an impact on college opportunities for students at Maplewood High School.

Title

Judge Sheila Calloway sits on the bench at Davidson County Juvenile Court in Nashville.

Sign Club

Poppy Steele founded Sign Club Co. to foster friendships between the hearing and the Deaf through sign language.

Southern Word

A Nashville non-profit uses the pop culture trend of spoken word that's being used as an educational tool to keep high school students engaged.

Ted Dreier

Ted Dreier is Founder of Children's Kindness Network.

Top Floor

Top Floor at Stratford STEM Magnet High School is an after school program sponsored by Nashville's Martha O'Bryan Center.

Victoria Hayes

Victoria Hayes directs Upward Bound at Tennessee State University in Nashville.