For Immediate Release | April 9, 2019
Contact: Maggie Meyers at maggie@wacharters.wpenginepowered.com
Monique Harrison Manuel One of Eight Women Honored Worldwide by Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
“It’s a surreal honor to be recognized among such a short list of game-changing women”
“Scholarship opportunities are not often lifted up in communities of color. Being able to push against that trend and show other women of color what is possible is empowering.”
Skyway, Wash.—Monique Harrison Manuel, Founding Principal of Ashé Preparatory Academy, has been awarded a $10,000 Elizabeth & Charles Iwert Scholarship from the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. An honor society for women educators, Delta Kappa Gamma promotes excellence in education, and personal and professional growth of women educators and leaders in the field. Delta Kappa Gamma has more than 60,000 members across 17 countries. Harrison Manuel is one of eight women worldwide to receive the honor for the 2019-20 academic year.
A member of Delta Kappa Gamma’s Beta Sigma Chapter in Washington state, Harrison Manuel is pursuing her doctorate at the American College of Education, where she is majoring in Educational Leadership. She has been a member of Delta Kappa Gamma since 2013, and in the years since, she has taken on leadership roles within the organization, and successfully recruited other women educators and inspired leaders of color to join the ranks.
Delta Kappa Gamma was founded in 1929 by Dr. Annie Webb Blanton and 12 women representing education from kindergarten through university. Professor of rural education at the University of Texas, Dr. Blanton was elected president of the Texas State Teachers’ Association in 1916, the first woman to hold the office. Blanton was also the first woman to serve Texas as State Superintendent of Public Instruction, having been elected to that post in 1918. Since its scholarship program began in 1940, Delta Kappa Gamma has awarded 1144 women educators $5 million in scholarships.
“It is a surreal honor to be recognized among such a short list of game-changing women leaders worldwide,” said Harrison Manuel. “Scholarship opportunities are not often lifted up in communities of color. Being able to push against that trend and show other women of color what is possible is empowering. I love lifting up other women – always looking for ways to build others capacity and help them grow.”
Washington State Charter Schools Association (WA Charters) CEO Patrick D’Amelio remarked, “This is a huge win not only for Harrison Manuel and Ashé Prep, but also for our state’s entire charter public school sector. A passionate, tireless, and inspiring leader, Harrison Manuel embodies the spirit of our charter sector. Her unyielding commitment to cultural responsiveness and passion for leveraging her own leadership to cultivate new leaders, particularly women and people of color, makes her extremely well-deserving of this high honor.”
In the midst of completing her doctorate this year, Harrison Manuel will help launch Ashé Prep in August 2019. When asked about why she has chosen this founding principal, she shared, “At Ashé Prep, I’m most proud to be part of a school that is starting from a place of cultural responsiveness. Every student at Ashé Prep will be served in accordance with their learning style and multiple intelligences. At Ashé Prep, we are committed to cultivating the unique genius in every child. Knowing what we are going to accomplish with our geniuses—it just gives me goosebumps.”
About Ashé Preparatory Academy
Ashé Prep is a charter public school opening in August 2019 in the Skyway/West Hill community. Ashé will serve K-2nd and 6th grade in 2019-20, and will grow to serve grades K-8. Ashé (ah-SHAY) is a philosophical concept from the Yoruba of Nigeria, West Africa that affirms the power to make things happen and produce change.” To learn more, visit www.asheprep.org.
About WA Charters
WA Charters is a statewide nonprofit organization that advocates for and supports high-quality charter public schools that meet the needs of systemically underserved students. Through our charter public school incubator, WA Charters helps visionary leaders design innovative and gap-closing schools. We help sustain a high-quality sector by providing key programs, services and resources to the sector. We also partner with schools, families, and communities to advocate for policies that ensure excellent, free, public options for families. To learn more, visit www.wacharters.org.
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