Student Spotlight: Brittany Koteles

by Ann Abbott

Brittany Koteles continues to amaze me. I've written about her several times before (you can search her name in the search bar on the right). Brittany is a social entrepreneur who works at Ashoka to support other social entrepreneurs. I'm so proud of her and her work, and I received the message below from her today. 

If you are a current student, look back through this blog for my posts about Brittany and see how you might model your trajectory on hers. Wherever you are in life and in your career, consider adding Brittany to your network: she's an amazing woman who is always in the know and on the go.

Finally, I just have to say how much I love her writing style. She injects this message with passion and personality. I can't help but get caught up in it all!

Hello friends & fam,
 I’m writing you because something really exciting is happening tonight! Ashoka's Start Empathy network & an Ashoka Changemaker School from Tuscon, AZ will be featured tonight on all four major TV networks at 8pm ET. It’s part of the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s next big campaign. EIF are the folks behind Stand Up To Cancer, so…in other words, this is going to be big. We've been pulling all the stops for a month to jump on this opportunity, and surreal to see empathy up front and center in this GIANT campaign about our country's education system. I mean, seriously guys…Gwenyth Paltrow is going to introduce an Ashoka Changemaker School and talk about our work. Tonight. Like, in 3 hours. WHAT?! (But Brittany, I thought you worked with social entrepreneurs?) Well...um…yes. I do. But also schools! A few years ago, Ashoka expanded beyond its work with Fellows (super-successful social entrepreneurs), realizing that 3,000 Fellow "superstars" aren't enough to change the world. We need to help everyone discover their capacity as a changemaker - and we need to start when kids are young. We took a bet on applying Ashoka's visionary vetting process to identify model schools across the country who are changing the way kids learn - and effectively, how they grow up. Four years later, we're really beginning to see the fruits of our labor on the big bet we took on expanding our mission. Why I’m most stoked, and why I’m emailing you: Guys, let’s be real. My job is kind of confusing to explain, and this is a rare opportunity to give folks a digestible glimpse into what my work is (kind of) about…so, I’m stoked to share it with you, because you are important people! Each of you holds an important piece of my own changemaking path. I love what I do and who I’m becoming, and I’m grateful to each of you for the role you’ve played in that discovery. So…thank you, truly and deeply, for that. Now, time to turn on the tube and celebrate! All my love, b

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