Jamilah Seifullah
A Bronx Tale
I am a proud native New Yorker; the eldest child of six fully self-expressed children. Bless my quiet single mother's heart. I was raised in The "Boogie Down" Bronx during the rise of hip-hop and during the crack epidemic. My neighborhood was dangerous - school was my safe place, public libraries my summer retreat.
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My passion for teaching developed through volunteering at Verizon. I helped develop and teach technology curriculum in the poor housing projects of East Harlem and the YMCA on the wealthy upper east side. Working with equally talented young people in very different eastside communities only a few miles apart, I learned the significance of access and zipcode in education.
In 2005 I answered the murmuring in my heart and transitioned from software engineer to high school math teacher. My experiences laid the foundation for my commitment to teaching from a social justice foundation using real-world projects and community service.
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Always one to walk-the-walk while also talking the talk, I redesigned my life around supporting our children, teachers and leaders with the intention to influence educational policy.
October 2013, I was catapulted to the national stage when I hosted President Obama for his historic visit to PTECH Brooklyn. This occurred while I was moving through a rigorous vetting process for a new STEAM-focused middle school I proposed. Nine months later I opened the doors of Highland Park Community School to welcome our first 6th-grade class July 2014.
As an educator, my class served as a global innovation lab. As a school leader, I have continued to foster initiatives and programs that are years ahead of the curve. I have presented these groundbreaking approaches across the U.S. at educational conferences and during school coaching visits in West Africa.
My unwavering commitment to powerfully coaching leaders, innovative school and curriculum design is what I bring to any project I work on. Whether non-profit or corporate, school leaders or teams, cultivating an idea to implementation is where vision aligns with action.