Surge Institute Alum Michelle Cody (OAK22 and Angels '24) shares her desire for students to develop a lifelong commitment to learning, as we honor her during Teacher Appreciation Week.

Meet Michelle Cody (OAK22 and Angels ‘24), educator, chant leader, song creator, and proof that the right community can turn a dream into a calling. 

Michelle had a plan for her career: an economics degree, Wall Street, Louboutins, and New York City. Every year, though, she found herself walking back into a summer program full of kids, not a boardroom. It took a director who believed in her calling, an aunt who told her the truth, and a friend who pointed her toward a teacher program at the University of San Francisco for the pieces to finally fall into place.

In this Q&A, Michelle, a teacher in her hometown of San Francisco for the past two decades, discusses the passion she has for educating young people, why she believes learning is advocacy, and how Surge made her feel seen. 

‍What drew you to become a teacher?
Growing up, I always thought I was going to be like an actress or a lawyer. And I get to do all of that in teaching. There's so much theatrics that go into convincing a young person to engage. There's so much planning, creativity, and support that goes into engaging young people while navigating all systems. And so I think that it touched on the different talents that I have.

And as a Black woman who, for years, taught math and science, I thought it was really important that they saw someone who looks like their aunt, who looks like their cousin in this space. A teacher, who is colorful in spirit and in look. (I normally have blue, green or purple hair) who looks like a member of their community, getting really jazzed about science and math. 

Because it just reinforces that you belong here, you belong in this space. And so that's what got me there. I wasn't the person who at 14 knew I wanted to be a teacher. That wasn't my path. But I am happy that I'm here. And I choose it every year. I re-evaluate every year. Is this what I want to do? Is this important to me? Am I making an impact on the community? And so I definitely have to take an inventory every year… and that I still believe in what I'm doing and I am still pushing myself as a teacher.

What do you hope for your students when they go out into the world? 
My dream for my students, first, is that they take care of themselves–their mental and emotional health. Because that is a wealth we, as a society, don't think much of, and it can impact how you navigate space.

In addition, I want my kids to obtain the highest level of education that they desire and that they have a passion for. But I don't want them to ever stop learning. And I just want to be clear that education and learning are two different things. The formality of education allows people to navigate different spaces, get into different rooms, and create resources and abundance for their communities, for themselves. And so that's important, and I don't want to take away from that. But the ability to learn and continue to grow is also so important. From learning also comes a different level of advocacy that allows you to share freely. I feel like when you're learning continuously, the flow of information is abundant and it doesn't stay with you, it radiates. And so I want them to continue to learn and share what they're learning with their loved ones and with their people so that folks can make the best decisions for themselves. And I just want them to be happy.

From learning also comes a different level of advocacy that allows you to share freely. I feel like when you're learning continuously, the flow of information is abundant, and it doesn't stay with you; it radiates. And so I want them to continue learning and share what they learn with their loved ones and their people, so folks can make the best decisions for themselves. And I just want them to be happy.

Any words of encouragement for fellow teachers and educators? 
Teaching is a wonderful career to have. It's a beautiful space to be in. And also, it's not your life. It's okay to prioritize yourself, prioritize your family, and to make moments with them because they are just as important as other people's children. Don't allow people to tell you that teaching is a gift. It's a profession and you've worked hard in it and you've learned and you continue to learn.

And I think that when people take away from, when people try to take away from all the work you've done in this profession, you remind yourself, like, I studied for this. I trained for this. This is not a natural talent. I did this. I earned this. I deserve to be in this space. And we deserve to be here. Our opinions matter. Your voices matter. And continue to do this work as long as it brings you imprints of joy every other day.

How did your Surge experience inform your pedagogy?  
I saw the impact of what happens when someone believes in you and believes in your dream. And don't get me wrong, my family's so supportive. My family's ridiculously supportive…. But like, the level of support and thought that went into the Surge Angels experience for somebody to be like, I believe in your idea so much that I'm going to create opportunities for learning and growth for you so that you can take this dream and impact the world.

And so that was that right there, like that feeling of being supported and seen and given the opportunity to grow that I got from the Angels ‘24 experience was, it was extremely transformative…. When you're given the right parameters, the right opportunities to think deeply, to feel seen, to feel heard, to feel nourished, then you know that it might not grow at the rate at which you want it to grow, but you're never going to give up on it and that's important. I try to represent that feel inside of the classroom, with my interactions with the young people in my charge, to say to them: You are ________, full stop! And allow them to fill in the blanks.