Dr. Kadhir Raja
President and Founder
Dr. Raja was born in the city of Chicago in 1981. At 13 years old, Dr. Raja took his first algebra class. Within 2 months of taking algebra, Dr. Raja realized that he was failing. He could not earn anything above a “F” in his math class and started to give up hope and felt math and school was not for him. Dr. Raja’s mother became his mentor and teacher, using a method Dr. Raja eventually used throughout his 20- year career as a teacher, principal, and while in continuation school and juvenile halls from East Oakland to North Sacramento, CA. As a teacher, Dr. Raja has uplifted thousands of students from a history of failure in algebra to success. His students’ stories of success were featured in the documentary, “Beating the Odds.” Dr. Raja’s instructional model, CREATE, was also captured in his book, Create Success: Unlocking the Potential of Urban Youth, published by ASCD. The CREATE pedagogy was shared through the book with over 100,000 educators across the world. Dr. Raja’s instructional approach was also highlighted as a solution to the dropout crisis in the award-winning documentary, “Pushouts,” featuring Dr. Victor Rios.
As a result of his success and impact as an educator, Dr. Raja was named, out of 300,000 teachers, by the California Department of Education, (CDE) as 2011 California State Teacher of the Year. Currently, Dr. Raja is the President of Miracle University and is currently on a mission to end the dropout crisis in every city in America. Dr. Raja, recently presented a TEDx talk: “Solving the Dropout Epidemic: America’s Costliest Crisis” in Atlanta, GA. The transformation of hundreds of potential high school dropouts into scholars through the Miracle University approach was also captured in the “Solving the Inequality” Documentary on the CREATE Academy. Miracle University has also been - “Featured in NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News, Yahoo Finance as a blueprint for solving the dropout crisis. Dr. Raja is married to Tamara-Eugene Raja.
Devontae Springer
I was born to a single mother in poverty in Del Paso Heights across Grant High School I failed all my life in math and in school. I used to get into fights and be a “behavior problem” throughout classes. As a 9th grader who had failed algebra, I was statistically 75% likely to dropout. Math was impossible for me, until the 9th grade when I had Dr. Raja as my math teacher. I learned and suddenly became an “A” student and proficient in math in Dr. Raja’s 9th grade Algebra class. I spoke at national conferences about solving the achievement gap and sharing my success in school with hundreds of people. This was the first time I had succeeded in school and earned an “A” in math.
Today I serve as the Director of a National Mentor Program. I recently founded Community House Activism (CHA), a Nonprofit Organization that's focused on using storytelling to advocate for positive change in marginalized communities. CHA is currently working closely with schools & community-based organizations to bring mentorship to low income areas. In the picture, I am speaking at a National conference on mentoring.
Carmen Ayon
I was born to parents from Sinaloa, Mexico. I was raised in low income household in Del Paso Heights across Grant High School I failed all my life in math , especially in algebra. I thought I could never succeed in math. As a 9th grader who had failed algebra, I was statistically at risk of becoming a dropout. Math was impossible for me, until the 9th grade when I had Dr. Raja as my teacher.
I learned and suddenly became an “A” student and proficient in Dr. Raja’s 9th grade Algebra class. I spoke at national conferences about solving the achievement gap and sharing my success in school with hundreds of people. This was the first time I had succeeded in math. Today I attend UC Berkeley School of Law. I am also working in the Congressional Office of Doris Matsui. I aspire to become an immigration attorney and fight for the rights of Latinos who recently arrived to the U.S.
In the picture, I am working as an intern at a Congressional Office.
Rakael Stallworth
I was raised in low income household in Del Paso Heights across Grant High School. I failed all my life in math, especially in algebra. I thought I could never succeed in math. As a 9th grader who had failed algebra, I was statistically at risk of becoming a dropout. Math was impossible for me, until the 9th grade when I had Dr. Raja as my math teacher.
I learned and suddenly became an “A” student and proficient in Dr. Raja’s 9th grade Algebra class. I spoke at national conferences about solving the achievement gap and sharing my success in school with hundreds of people. This was the first time I had succeeded in math and earned an “A” in math. Today I serve as a medical assistant in Atlanta, GA. In the picture, I am on the way to work at the hospital.
Willie Stallworth
I was raised in low income household in Del Paso Heights across Grant High School. I failed all my life in math, especially in algebra. I thought I could never succeed. As a 9th grader who had failed algebra, I was statistically at risk of becoming a dropout. Math was impossible for me, until the 9th grade when I had Dr. Raja as my math teacher.
I learned and suddenly became an “A” student and proficient in Dr. Raja’s 9th grade Algebra class.
I spoke at national conferences about solving the achievement gap and sharing my success in school with hundreds of people. This was the first time I had succeeded in math and earned an “A” in math. Today I serve as the CEO of Underrated Academy for at risk youth in Atlanta, GA.
In the picture, I am getting ready for basketball practice.
Jose Ayon
I was born to parents from Jalisco, Mexico. I was raised in low income household in Del Paso Heights across Grant High School I failed all my life in math , especially in algebra. I thought I could never succeed in math. As a 9th grader who had failed algebra, I was statistically at risk of becoming a dropout. Math was impossible for me, until the 9th grade when I had Dr. Raja as my math teacher.
I learned and suddenly became an “A” student and proficient in Dr. Raja’s 9th grade Algebra class. I spoke at national conferences about solving the achievement gap and sharing my success in school with hundreds of people. This was the first time I had succeeded in math and earned an “A” in math. Today I am a graduate of UC Berkeley and am an advocate for immigrants. In the picture, I am speaking at an event on human rights.
Mikeasha Daniels
I was raised in low income household in Del Paso Heights to a single mother. I failed all my life in math, especially in algebra. I thought I could never succeed in math. As a 9th grader who had failed algebra, I was statistically at risk of becoming a dropout. Math was impossible for me, until the 9th grade when I had Dr. Raja as my math teacher.
I learned and suddenly became an “A” student and proficient in Dr. Raja’s 9th grade Algebra class. I spoke at national conferences about solving the achievement gap and sharing my success in school with hundreds of people. This was the first time I had succeeded in math and earned an “A” in math. Today I serve as the manager of a housing complex, a wife, and loving mother of 3 kids.
In the picture, I am celebrating with my 3 kids.