Educators Rising Kentucky named six students to its team of state officers for the 2025-2026 academic year. This leadership team will begin their term on July 1.
The student state officers include:
• President: Hunter Carr, Graves County High School (Region 1)
• President-elect: Lily Russell, Ignite Institute (Region 6)
• Director of Membership: Alyssa Pollard, Ballard High School (Region 3)
• Co-director of Communications: Haley Chowning, Seneca High School (Region 3)
• Co-director of Communications: Kelly Esquivel Hernandez, Central High Magnet Career Academy (Region 3)
• Director of Outreach and Service: Nia Serikali, Central High Magnet Career Academy (Region 3)
Educators Rising Kentucky, formerly known as Future Educators of America, is the career and technical student organization (CTSO) for middle and high school students interested in education-related careers. As a state affiliate for the national organization, Educators Rising Kentucky partners with Phi Delta Kappa (PDK), a professional organization that supports teachers and school leaders by strengthening their interest in the profession through the entire arc of their careers.
The mission of Educators Rising is to inspire and grow current and rising educators to become community leaders and advocates for high-quality education. The vision is to eliminate the teacher shortage by reimagining educator pathways. Both the mission and vision are shared with PDK International, which incorporates the following five core values into its work: community, leadership, service, optimism and excellence.
Educators Rising seeks to create a clear pathway in every school district for young people who want to serve their communities as highly skilled educators.
Through this national network, students build resources and create connections that can significantly impact educational opportunities through co-curricular and extracurricular activities, participate in projects that assist educators and take part in performance-based competitions.
These student leaders will be involved in the planning and execution of the state conference and will meet with state legislators to discuss the needs of future educators. Additionally, they will represent Educators Rising Kentucky at regional events throughout the Commonwealth and at the national conference in June 2026.
Kentucky Department of Education