Equipping Middle and High School Students with the Skills and Attitude Needed to Succeed
Our Founder.
Mia (Thornton) Wilson is from Atlanta, GA born and raised. She attended Pomona College in Claremont, CA where she double majored in Mathematical Economics and Black Studies. During this time, she was inspired to become the next Wall Street phenom and worked in finance in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. After several years working in finance, Mia felt a tremendous void and wanted to make a bigger difference in the lives of others. She moved back to Atlanta and began teaching mathematics in a local public school system. It was there that her students taught her what she needed to know and would set her on a course that would change her life forever. Her students were brilliant. They had great hopes and dreams but there was a disconnect between what they wanted to do, and the steps that they needed to take in order to make their reams a reality. In 2008, and motivated by her experience in the classroom, Mia launched the Speak Life Foundation. Since that time, she has worked with thousands of students (and educators) to inspire them to use their words to “move mountains” and to accomplish their goals.
Our Story
“Since 2008, the Speak Life Foundation has served over thousands of students in the Atlanta metropolitan area. In an effort to support more students, Speak Life Essentials, Inc., the affiliate organization to our Foundation was launched in April of 2018. Speak Life Essentials provides curriculum, training, and educational resources to districts, individuals, and non-profit organizations across the US in the areas of social and emotional learning, life skills, and college access and success.
Your Story
As an educator, you know your students: their needs, hopes, strengths, weaknesses, dreams, and fears. You know that they have a vast amount of potential but may need direction and support for it to realize. From witnessing their trials and struggles to their growth and success, you see that many of them may be unsure of how to prepare for their futures or navigate through the labyrinth of life in the 21st century. At Speak Life Essentials, we are here to support you and your students along this journey, to a positive and productive future.
