By KEI-SYGH THOMAS
NEWARK, NJ – Growing up in Sussex County, Kyle Rosenkrans always knew he was going to college because of his mother.
She attended college for one semester but returned home to find a job when the family couldn’t afford the tuition. She wanted a different life for her son, one she decided education could provide, and used what she learned to help her son.
With support from his mother throughout the process, Rosenkrans became the first in his family to graduate from college. Now he’s taking on her push to help others by leveraging lessons learned in Newark to improve K-12 public school systems in New Jersey so all students have a chance to do the same.
“I saw a system of well-intentioned people, some not, that does not work well for children. For decades, systems have intentionally and unintentionally failed people in this country and this city,” said Rosenkrans, founder and executive director of New Jersey’s Children Foundation. “Education is the cause I’ve gravitated towards because it feels special to me and my family. It was a consistent thread of what my family wanted me to do and giving back.”
New Jersey’s Children Foundation will focus on citywide performance, district-charter collaboration, and fair funding for all public schools. The organization also invests in grassroots advocacy, like Project Ready’s 1,000 votes by mail registrations campaign for Newark school board elections, to galvanize more people to talk about education.
This article originally appeared on Tap into Newark. To view online, click here.