In this episode of There’s Power in Teaching, four Educators Rising national officers join Jeanie Lee to talk about what young people understand about the education system that adults miss. They cover why life skills shouldn’t be electives, how CTE gave them a credential and a backup plan, where student voice becomes influence, and the mentors who saw something in them first. Stay for the lightning round, where one of them refuses to ban phones.

Guests

  • Ivy Smith, National Student President. Elected South Carolina state president before running for national office. Serves on her district’s superintendent student council.
  • Solomon Moore, National Vice President of Engagement. Former state president of Future Teachers of Alabama. Plans to teach special education, then pursue law school to work on education policy and special education advocacy.
  • Isabella Carneiro, National Vice President of Service. Found her path to education at a national Educators Rising conference the summer after her junior year.
  • Liberty McCloskey, National Vice President of Communications. Studied early education at a vocational school and is preparing to pitch an Educators Rising chapter to her college’s education department.

Quotable Moments

“I think they let the students speak, but they don’t actually hear them.” — Liberty McCloskey

“Many schools struggle to tell the difference between hearing student voices and allowing student voices to have influence.” — Ivy Smith

“Something feels a lot more possible when you can look at someone that was recently in your position and think, if they did it, I can do it too.” — Isabella Carneiro

“The community should have a role in the school, but the school should have an equally powerful role in the community.” — Solomon Moore

Host Jeanie Lee is the chief executive officer for Educators Rising, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

© 2026 Educators Rising.