Eva Ackerman

Community Programs Coordinator at the Excellence and Advancement Foundation

Eva works as the Community Programs Coordinator at the Excellence and Advancement Foundation. Eva began her involvement with the Excellence and Advancement Foundation (EAF) in January of 2020, where she spent the spring semester completing her field placement as a social work intern. After graduating from the University of Texas in May of 2020 with a Bachelor of Social Work and a Certificate in Human Rights and Social Justice, Eva decided to continue learning from and working with the incredible team at EAF.

After reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander during her sophomore year of college, Eva was awakened to the grave injustices suffered by Black and Latine communities in the prison-industrial complex. She quickly shifted her educational and career focus from pre-medical studies to racial justice work, specifically dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline and ensuring that Black and Brown children can live in a liberated world in which they thrive. Shortly after this awakening, Eva switched her major to social work, and sought out volunteer and internship opportunities that aligned with her interests. In 2018, Eva interned at Texas Appleseed, a nonprofit public interest justice center committed to social and economic justice for all Texans, where she worked under Morgan Craven and Brett Merfish on their school-to-prison pipeline and juvenile justice projects. The internship experience at Texas Appleseed further confirmed Eva’s passion for social justice work, and eventually led her to apply for a field placement at EAF. Eva will be attending law school this fall, where she hopes to continue her learning and engagement in racial and educational justice work. She would love to return to EAF after she graduates and use her newly acquired skills to continue supporting the organization’s mission.

Eva is beyond humbled and excited to be a part of the Spark Change Project, and she can’t wait to begin learning from and working with the immensely talented young women leaders who will be taking on facilitator roles. She is also incredibly excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with members from the Girls Empowerment Network team, and to fully realize the mission and goals of the Spark Change Project over the course of this year