Dr. Deja’s educational background is in journalism and media, but she shifted to education when searching for a more meaningful career. She worked in Newark as a charter andtraditional public school teacher, but she longed to be her whole creative self. She would often differentiate her teaching and learning techniques for her students who were at different stages of development and learning, but that required extra work, time, and energy not embedded in the school schedule. Dr. Deja felt that creating equitable learning environments should require differentiation for all children, and she learned that many of her classroom practices aligned with Montessori. While exploring next steps in her career during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Deja learned about Wildflower. She began her AMI Early Childhood Training at the Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies and the Wildflower School Startup Journey. Initially, she had reservations about starting a school during the pandemic, but quickly realized that the pandemic has increased the need for intimate Montessori schools for Black families. Dr. Deja recently defended her thesis on the benefits of nature education for Black children and officially earned her Ph.D. from Saybrook Univeristy’s Transformative Social Change Department.