In episode 5 of the Cultivating Connections podcast from SCI, host David Crowley talks with Ayele Shakur, President of the Redstone Family Foundation.

Ayele talks about how she centers relationship building in her work. Throughout her career, she has focused on helping young people develop the social capital they need to flourish in school and beyond. Ayele also describes how she prioritizes intentional relationship building in her work to develop partnerships to support young people and address issues of racism and antisemitism.

We also learn in this way how a friend encouraged her to try teaching, launching a career in education. Tune into the episode to learn what Ayele initially planned to do after graduation from Boston University, and about what she has learned in her journey to ignite the potential of youth from underserved communities.