Last week I officially became one of 2,200 Google Certified Innovators! 🎉

I attended the Innovator Academy in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

While I’m sad the Academy event is behind us, I’m thrilled that I will continue to work with these phenomenal educators for the next year and hopefully beyond. It was an amazing experience that I am still struggling to put into words.

Thank you to my Fireflies team: Aleks House, Charlotte Bleakley, Gerald, Gamboa, Jenni Valanne, Lobna Tarek, and Nagham Abdel Baki! This team was fun and so encouraging as we helped each other through each step. I have all my little gifts with me in my office.

Of course, we couldn’t have done it without the mentoring of our coach, Emmy Leleu. Emmy, you listened and asked great questions that helped me move from ideas to action. Thank you!

I am lucky to have not one, but TWO Affinity buddies to continue this journey with. Thank you Natalie Reynders & Jasmin Bharatia for your kindness and willingness to share. I can’t wait to see what we do together!

A special thank you to the Canopy team for organizing an incredible event. Each element was so intentional (I keep reviewing my cards!). Thank you Andrew Caffrey for keeping us all on track (despite a left turn) and letting us know we could do this at every step. Thank you Leslie McBeth for guiding us through our design thinking – just the right combination of inspiration and encouragement. Thank you Mia Pledger, Rachel Davey, & Kristina H. for putting together a flawless experience.

Another special thank you to the Google team: Kimberly Lane Clark, Ed.SSuan Yeo, Jennie Magiera, Grace Kelly, Julia Citron, Korousch Yoesefi and to all of the coaches: Cat Lamin, Jan-Jaap Klomp, Lawrence Tijjani, Priscilla Prueter (I’m still singing in my head everyday!), Mmamotlhabi (Tlailane) François – Your leadership & insight were invaluable.

Thank you to the many educators I met from around the world – 16 countries – for sharing about your cultures, your schools and your experiences.

A shoutout to the Americans in our cohort: Judy Keller, Kip Glazer, Jessica Adams & CarlottaRhea Clark. Let’s keep the energy going and keep in touch.

I am also grateful that I had the chance to share my passion for hashtag#UDL during a hashtag#SparkCamp talk. I appreciate the conversations it sparked with others. I’ll always talk UDL, just ask!

I have much more to process and write about, but I couldn’t let any more time go by without sharing how thankful I am for this opportunity. I felt appreciated, and empowered; I am ready to keep the work going.