My Leadership Journey at SXSW EDU 2026 · Accelerator University

My Leadership Journey at SXSW EDU 2026

Building something meaningful is hard.

I went to SXSW EDU looking for answers.

But I found something bigger: a community.

Here are my biggest takeaways from SXSW EDU 2026:

From the start, Yousra Magouri spoke about mentorship as a force for transformation. Real mentorship means sharing failures and the messy parts of the journey so others can find their own “aha” moment.

Kirstie Papworth, Michellana Jester, Ari Lightman, and Bill Heinrich Heinrich reinforced why experiential learning and learning by doing matter. AI can support learning, but it cannot replace human learning.

Elaine Zuniga and Ryan Westrup shared an honest founder story about building an EdTech startup together. Bootstrapped. No perfect roadmap. Just resilience, trust, and learning how to keep going.

At the FOHE Mixer hosted by Future of Higher Education, it was energizing to connect with founder Ray Batra, reconnect with Connor Koblinski, and try to get Reed Dickson to give me high fives :)

At the meetup with Julia Kaziewicz Collier, the advice was practical, generous, and interactive. She pushed us to share, connect, and create content. It was a reminder that telling our story matters.

The keynote with Martha Salazar-Zamora, and Adeel Khan, founder of MagicSchool AI, made one thing clear: teachers must stay at the center. AI should support educators, but never replace them.

The panel with Kate Herman, Joe Edelheit Ross, Holly Smith, and Laura Hopkins offered a bold and grounded vision for higher education: affordable, workplace-based for real credit for real-world learning.

Leadership Journeys with Dr. Meisha Porter, Nancy B. Gutierrez, Byron K. Sanders, and Carlos R. Moreno was so transformative. It brought me out of my head, into my heart, and onto the dance floor.

Building a New Future-Proof University with Emily Balog, David Staley, Daris McInnis, and Dan Futrell challenged assumptions about higher education through interdisciplinary learning and debt-free design.

Cracking Higher Ed with Philippos Savvides and EdTech in an AI-Powered World with John Gamba were among the most informative sessions. They reinforced that AI innovation has to work in the real world.

And between sessions, there were the community moments. At the Crossover Day Mixer, Gabriel Yanagihara and I met Julian Fitzgerald, a leader in Atlanta creating real impact in his community.

SXSW EDU reminded me that I’m on my own "Leadership Journey".

The future will not be built by technology. It will be built by communities!

People willing to lead with purpose, and build something meaningful together.

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