Alexandra Harakas is pursuing a masters degree in International Educational Development at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is passionate about self-sustaining educational initiatives that empower students to forge flourishing futures. She taught at an elementary school in a predominantly Haitian-heritage community in the Dominican Republic, where she fell in love with using everyday school rhythms to engage students in active critical thinking and socio-emotional skill development. After spending time engaging with internally displaced young adults in Cameroon, she became interested in understanding the intersection of education with young people’s future dreams in conflict-affected contexts. She is enthusiastic about researching and developing educational experiences which support students of all ages on their journeys of flourishing, despite the constraints of geopolitics on their opportunities. Currently, she and a former colleague are piloting a bilingual literacy program in Haitian Creole and Spanish for adults in the community of her former school in the Dominican Republic. Alexandra holds a BA in Linguistics from Georgetown University.