ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nadia Lopez - Educator
Nadia Lopez is the founding principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy, where she is showing the world how underprivileged communities can beat the odds and create positive institutions that have a global impact.

Why you should listen

Dr. Nadia Lopez is pioneering a path of inspired leadership. The founding principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy, a New York City Public School, Lopez became a viral sensation after one of her students was featured on the popular blog, Humans of New York. Millions of people around the world discovered the positive learning environment, high expectations and growing success rate at her school, which is located right in the middle of one of the most under-served communities in America. In 2015 a Humans of New York fundraiser raised $1.4 million to take Lopez's students on college trips that include Harvard University, Summer STEAM programs and college scholarships.

Lopez's story was shared across numerous media outlets and resulted in her guest appearing on the Ellen Show, visiting President Barack Obama at the White House and receiving the Medal of Distinction from Barnard College. In addition, Lopez was honored alongside First Lady Michelle Obama with the Change Agent Award at the Black Girls Rock show hosted on BET Networks.

Lopez's passion, belief in children and strong conviction has been unwavering in her belief that her community needs strong leadership. Despite the adversities she faced in opening Mott Hall Bridges Academy in 2010, Lopez is encouraged and inspired to see children overcome the "beautiful challenges" of Brownsville and ensuring that they are admitted into some of the most competitive high schools in New York City. Understanding the power of programming, Lopez continues to impact the lives of children through her "She Is Me" and "I Matter" initiatives, which have served thousands of youth throughout Central Brooklyn by providing workshops, forums and mentoring. Lopez continues to influence and inspire the world through her company The Lopez Effect, which offers a blueprint for personal and organizational success.

More profile about the speaker
Nadia Lopez | Speaker | TED.com
TED Talks Live

Nadia Lopez: Why open a school? To close a prison

Nadia Lopez: Por que abrir uma escola? Para fechar uma prisão

Filmed:
1,309,924 views

Nossas crianças são o nosso futuro e é crucial que elas acreditem em si próprias. É por isso que Nadia Lopez abriu um oásis acadêmico em Brownsville, no Brooklyn, um dos bairros mais carentes e violentos de toda cidade de Nova Iorque. Ela acredita no brilho e na capacidade de cada criança. Nesta breve palestra energizante, a diretora fundadora da Academia Mott Hall Bridges (e uma estrela da área de Humanas em Nova Iorque) ajuda seus estudiosos a vislumbrar um futuro mais brilhante para si mesmos e suas famílias.
- Educator
Nadia Lopez is the founding principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy, where she is showing the world how underprivileged communities can beat the odds and create positive institutions that have a global impact. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
When I opened Mott Hall
Bridges Academy in 2010,
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Quando abri a Academia
Mott Hall Bridges em 2010,
meu objetivo era simples:
00:18
my goal was simple:
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abrir uma escola para fechar uma prisão.
00:20
open a school to close a prison.
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00:24
Now to some, this was an audacious goal,
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Para alguns, isso era
um objetivo audacioso,
pois a nossa escola está localizada
em Brownsville, no Brooklyn,
00:27
because our school is located
in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn --
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00:31
one of the most underserved
and violent neighborhoods
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um dos bairros mais carentes e violentos
de toda a cidade de Nova Iorque.
00:34
in all of New York City.
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00:38
Like many urban schools
with high poverty rates,
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Assim como em muitas escolas urbanas,
com altas taxas de pobreza,
00:42
we face numerous challenges,
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nós enfrentamos inúmeros desafios,
como encontrar professores
que pudessem se identificar
00:45
like finding teachers who can empathize
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00:47
with the complexities
of a disadvantaged community,
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com as complexidades
de uma comunidade carente:
00:52
lack of funding for technology,
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falta de financiamento para tecnologia,
00:54
low parental involvement
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pouco envolvimento dos pais,
00:57
and neighborhood gangs that recruit
children as early as fourth grade.
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e gangues do bairro que recrutam
crianças que mal chegaram à quarta série.
Então, lá estava eu.
01:04
So here I was,
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01:07
the founding principal of a middle school
that was a district public school,
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A diretora fundadora
de uma escola de ensino médio,
que era uma escola pública de bairro
e eu só tinha 45 crianças para começar.
01:13
and I only had 45 kids to start.
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01:18
Thirty percent of them had special needs.
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Dentre elas, 30% tinham
necessidades especiais,
01:21
Eighty-six percent of them
were below grade level
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86% estavam abaixo do nível
da série em inglês e matemática,
01:24
in English and in math.
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01:27
And 100 percent were living
below the poverty level.
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e 100% delas vivendo
abaixo da linha da pobreza.
Se nossas crianças não estão
em nossas salas de aula,
01:33
If our children are not in our classrooms,
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como elas aprenderão?
01:36
how will they learn?
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01:38
And if they're not learning,
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E se não estão aprendendo,
aonde elas vão parar?
01:40
where would they end up?
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01:43
It was evident when I would
ask my 13-year-old,
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Isso ficou evidente quando eu questionei
um dos meus alunos de 13 anos:
"Jovem, onde você se vê em cinco anos?"
01:48
"Young man,
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01:49
where do you see yourself in five years?"
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01:53
And his response:
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E a resposta dele foi:
"Eu não sei se vou viver tanto tempo".
01:55
"I don't know if I'm gonna
live that long."
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01:58
Or to have a young woman say to me
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Ou ouvir uma jovem dizer para mim
que o objetivo dela ao longo da vida
era trabalhar em um restaurante fast-food.
02:03
that she had a lifelong goal
of working in a fast-food restaurant.
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Para mim, isso era inaceitável.
02:08
To me, this was unacceptable.
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02:11
It was also evident that they had no idea
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Também era evidente
que eles não tinham ideia
02:15
that there was a landscape of opportunity
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de que havia uma infinidade
de oportunidades além daquele bairro.
02:17
that existed beyond their neighborhood.
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02:21
We call our students "scholars,"
because they're lifelong learners.
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Chamamos nossos alunos de "estudiosos",
porque eles são eternos aprendizes.
02:26
And the skills that they learn today
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E as habilidades que eles aprendem hoje,
02:28
will prepare them for college
and career readiness.
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irão prepará-los para a faculdade
e para a carreira profissional.
Escolhi as cores da realeza, roxo e preto,
02:32
I chose the royal colors
of purple and black,
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porque quero que eles sejam lembrados
de que são descendentes da grandeza
02:37
because I want them to be reminded
that they are descendants of greatness,
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02:42
and that through education,
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e que através da educação,
02:44
they are future engineers,
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eles são nossos futuros engenheiros,
02:46
scientists,
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cientistas, empresários
e até mesmo líderes,
02:47
entrepreneurs
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02:49
and even leaders who can and will
take over this world.
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que podem e irão assumir
o comando desse mundo.
02:54
To date,
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Até o momento,
02:55
we have had three graduating classes,
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já formamos três turmas,
02:59
at a 98 --
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(Aplausos)
03:01
(Applause)
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com 98% de aprovação na formação.
03:10
At a 98-percent graduation rate.
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São quase 200 crianças,
03:14
This is nearly 200 children,
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que agora irão para algumas das escolas
mais competitivas de Nova Iorque.
03:16
who are now going to some of the most
competitive high schools
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03:20
in New York City.
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03:21
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Era um dia frio de janeiro,
03:29
It was a cold day in January
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quando meu estudioso Vidal Chastanet,
conheceu Brandon Stanton,
03:32
when my scholar, Vidal Chastanet,
met Brandon Stanton,
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03:37
the founder of the popular blog
"Humans of New York."
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o fundador de um blog famoso,
"The Humans of New York".
Brandon compartilhou a história
de um jovem de Brownsville,
03:42
Brandon shared the story
of a young man from Brownsville
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que havia testemunhado
a violência em primeira mão,
03:46
who had witnessed violence firsthand,
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vendo um homem ser jogado do telhado.
03:49
by witnessing a man
being thrown off of a roof.
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No entanto, ele ainda pôde ser
influenciado por uma diretora
03:54
Yet he can still
be influenced by a principal
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que abriu uma escola que acredita
em todas as crianças.
03:57
who had opened up a school
that believes in all children.
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04:02
Vidal embodies the story of so many
of our underprivileged children
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Vidal personifica a história
de muitas de nossas crianças carentes
que lutam para sobreviver.
04:08
who are struggling to survive,
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E é por isso que devemos fazer
da educação uma prioridade.
04:10
which is why we must
make education a priority.
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A publicação no blog de Brandon
gerou uma sensação mundial
04:15
Brandon's post created a global sensation
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04:19
that touched the lives of millions.
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que tocou a vida de milhões de pessoas.
Isso resultou em US$ 1,4 milhões
que foram arrecadados
04:22
This resulted in 1.4 million
dollars being raised
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para que nossos estudiosos participem
de excursões a faculdades e universidades,
04:27
for our scholars to attend field trips
to colleges and universities,
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04:34
Summer STEAM programs,
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de programas STEM de verão,
assim como de bolsas de estudo.
04:36
as well as college scholarships.
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Vocês precisam entender que,
04:39
You need to understand
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04:40
that when 200 young people
from Brownsville visited Harvard,
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quando 200 jovens de Brownsville
visitam a Harvard,
04:47
they now understood
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eles passam a compreender
04:49
that a college of their choice
was a real possibility.
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que a faculdade de sua escolha
torna-se uma possibilidade real.
04:54
And the impossibilities
that had been imposed upon them
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E as impossibilidades que haviam sido
impostas a eles por uma comunidade carente
04:58
by a disadvantaged community
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foram substituídas
pela esperança e objetivo.
05:00
were replaced by hope and purpose.
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A revolução na educação está
acontecendo em nossas escolas,
05:05
The revolution in education
is happening in our schools,
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05:11
with adults who provide love,
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com adultos que dão amor,
estrutura, apoio e conhecimento.
05:14
structure,
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05:15
support
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05:17
and knowledge.
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05:18
These are the things
that inspire children.
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Essas são coisas que inspiram as crianças.
Mas não é uma tarefa fácil.
05:22
But it is not an easy task.
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E há grandes exigências,
05:25
And there are high demands
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05:28
within an education system
that is not perfect.
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dentro do sistema educacional,
que não é perfeito.
05:32
But I have a dynamic group of educators
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Mas eu tenho um grupo
dinâmico de educadores
05:36
who collaborate as a team to determine
what is the best curriculum.
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que colaboram, como equipe,
para determinar o melhor currículo.
05:41
They take time beyond their school day,
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Além do seu dia a dia na escola,
eles arranjam tempo
05:44
and come in on weekends
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e vêm nos finais de semana,
05:45
and even use their own money
to often provide resources
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e usam até mesmo seu próprio dinheiro
para providenciar os recursos
05:50
when we do not have it.
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quando não os temos.
Eu, como diretora,
05:53
And as the principal,
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tenho que inspecionar o que eu esperava.
05:55
I have to inspect what I expect.
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05:59
So I show up in classes
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Então eu apareço nas aulas,
06:01
and I conduct observations
to give feedback,
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e faço observações para dar feedback,
pois quero que meus professores
sejam tão bem-sucedidos
06:04
because I want my teachers
to be just as successful
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06:08
as the name Mott Hall Bridges Academy.
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quanto o nome
da Academia Mott Hall Bridges.
Eu estou disponível
para eles todo santo dia,
06:11
And I give them access to me
every single day,
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06:15
which is why they all have
my personal cell number,
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e por isso todos têm o número
do meu celular pessoal,
06:18
including my scholars
and those who graduated --
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incluindo meus estudiosos
e aqueles que já se formaram.
E deve ser por isso que recebo
telefonemas e mensagens de texto
06:21
which is probably why I get
phone calls and text messages
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06:24
at three o'clock in the morning.
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às três horas da manhã.
06:26
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
Mas ficamos conectados para termos
sucesso e bons líderes fazem isso.
06:28
But we are all connected to succeed,
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06:30
and good leaders do this.
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O futuro está sentado
em nossas salas de aula,
06:34
Tomorrow's future is sitting
in our classrooms.
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e eles são nossa responsabilidade.
06:38
And they are our responsibility.
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06:41
That means everyone in here,
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E de todos que estão sentados aqui
e daqueles que estão nos assistindo.
06:43
and those who are watching the screen.
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Nós devemos acreditar
no brilhantismo deles
06:46
We must believe in their brilliance,
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06:50
and remind them by teaching them
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e lembrá-los através do ensino
que existe, de verdade,
06:52
that there indeed is power in education.
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poder na educação.
Obrigada.
06:58
Thank you.
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(Aplausos)
06:59
(Applause)
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Translated by Cibelle Ravaglia
Reviewed by Maricene Crus

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nadia Lopez - Educator
Nadia Lopez is the founding principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy, where she is showing the world how underprivileged communities can beat the odds and create positive institutions that have a global impact.

Why you should listen

Dr. Nadia Lopez is pioneering a path of inspired leadership. The founding principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy, a New York City Public School, Lopez became a viral sensation after one of her students was featured on the popular blog, Humans of New York. Millions of people around the world discovered the positive learning environment, high expectations and growing success rate at her school, which is located right in the middle of one of the most under-served communities in America. In 2015 a Humans of New York fundraiser raised $1.4 million to take Lopez's students on college trips that include Harvard University, Summer STEAM programs and college scholarships.

Lopez's story was shared across numerous media outlets and resulted in her guest appearing on the Ellen Show, visiting President Barack Obama at the White House and receiving the Medal of Distinction from Barnard College. In addition, Lopez was honored alongside First Lady Michelle Obama with the Change Agent Award at the Black Girls Rock show hosted on BET Networks.

Lopez's passion, belief in children and strong conviction has been unwavering in her belief that her community needs strong leadership. Despite the adversities she faced in opening Mott Hall Bridges Academy in 2010, Lopez is encouraged and inspired to see children overcome the "beautiful challenges" of Brownsville and ensuring that they are admitted into some of the most competitive high schools in New York City. Understanding the power of programming, Lopez continues to impact the lives of children through her "She Is Me" and "I Matter" initiatives, which have served thousands of youth throughout Central Brooklyn by providing workshops, forums and mentoring. Lopez continues to influence and inspire the world through her company The Lopez Effect, which offers a blueprint for personal and organizational success.

More profile about the speaker
Nadia Lopez | Speaker | TED.com