VENTURE ACADEMY LANGE LUNTAO FULL

VENTURE ACADEMY LANGE LUNTAO FULL

“I’ve never seen a school board meeting more full than the one right after President Trump was inaugurated. He believes the current administration has motivated people to make that link between the Internet and activism. “I still think democracy happens best when people have face-to-face conversations,” he explains. “I’m very proud of that.” And although he’s well-versed in Snapchat and Instagram, he stresses that social media is just an access point for civic engagement. “I routinely get mistaken for a high schooler,” Luntao says.

His youth - and his ability to understand the youth he serves - is in large part what makes him such an effective leader. And I think when young people tell you that they want opportunities like this, it’s much easier for adults to listen.” “We heard incredible demand from high school students. Though ethnic studies programs have proven controversial in states like Arizona, Luntao shares that he has received widespread community support for the initiative. Basically, what I work for as a school board member are the things that I see work well in my classroom and among the teachers I look up to the most,” Luntao says. “The first classes are rolling out this fall. He pushed to pass an ethnic studies program at the school board level last year. “The research shows that when you put things like ethnic studies, coding, the arts in front of young people, engagement skyrockets.” After hearing from his students, 64.2% of whom identify as Hispanic,

And, though he brings an effortlessly sunny disposition to every endeavor, he is unrelenting about a few key issues - particularly the need for a curriculum that reflects lived experiences of his students. Raised in a Filipino-Irish family, Luntao has intimate knowledge of the immigrant experience of many of the students he serves. It’s amazing that at the age of 26, I was able to found a non-profit and build some of our first ethnic studies programs,” says Luntao.

“Coming back to this community, I’ve had the opportunity to do things I wouldn’t have been able to do in other big cities.

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