Introducing our New Staff!

Amped family, we are so pleased to formally introduce you to our two newest program managers: Mr. Zach Williams and Dr. Reva Hines. Both Zach and Reva add incredible value to our team, and we are proud to celebrate them with you!

Zach Williams, MAT, is a North Louisiana native and advocate for the inclusion of arts and social justice in education. After receiving his bachelors in Sociology and English from Fisk University and starting a career in social work, Williams quickly saw that more preventative measures can be taken from the angle of education. This prompted him to teach and earn his masters in teaching from RELAY Graduate School of Education with a concentration of ELA instruction to match his passion for reading and writing. A part time poet and prose author, as well as doctoral student with Xavier University of Louisiana, Williams seeks to lead students and fellow educators to success by creative measures and conscious decisions.

What do you most enjoy about your role at Humanities Amped, and what are you looking forward to?

My role at Humanities Amped allows me to work collaboratively with other educators who are passionate about youth development beyond just academics. I love working with young adults in these critical moments of their socialization, and Humanities Amped allows me to address the whole human that walks into our doors. Our young people are expressive, talented, and intelligent but do not always get to showcase all three aspects. I love that we provide a space for that and that they are developing a loving community with our guidance.

Why does the mission of Humanities Amped matter to you? ​

The Humanities Amped mission matters to me because the public school system does not always have the resources or capacity to foster the aspects of healing justice, radical imagination, or beloved community. The unfortunate reality is that many students do not feel as though they are truly part of the community they engage with on a daily basis, let alone having the power to heal what ails the community or that they have the power to create a new reality for that community. Since our focus is not individual academics and competition for opportunity, our students can become more well rounded as community leaders who have the capacity to claim their humanity and humanize others.

Reva Hines, PhD, brings with her two decades of experience as a scholar-advocate. She is an Interdisciplinary Research Leader Cohort I, Alumni and an UNUM Policy Fellow.  As a IRL fellow, she has conducted research exploring the links between health and housing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As an UNUM Fellow, she is facilitating workshops around COVID, health inequities, and Burnout. She also holds certification in Narrative Therapy and in Community Storytelling.  She is keenly interested in utilizing storytelling as a conduit for empowerment and resiliency among marginalized groups in her community through an equity lens.  Her research interests include examining inequities among marginalized populations and the intersectionality of race, gender, and class on a variety of social and policy issues.

What do you most enjoy about your role at Humanities Amped, and what are you looking forward to?

I enjoy being a part of Humanities Amped's learning community which offers a safe and brave space for our youth to be their authentic self all while accentuating their academic, personal, and social-emotional skills through healing and restorative practices. I am looking forward to cultivating and sustaining practices that build our youth to be the next generation of change leaders in our communities.

Why does the mission of Humanities Amped matter to you? ​

It is important for the youth to have a platform to grow. That's why Humanities Amped matters to me. It allows for just that to happen.


​You can catch Zach and Reva facilitating Transform Yourself Studio on Mondays and Wednesdays after school, conferencing with students who need support throughout the day, or offering guidance to students in Dreamkeepers as they navigate their options for after high school. 

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Are you looking to support Amped financially? Head to our support page to donate today! We cannot do this work without you. ​

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Are you looking to get involved with Amped? Our call for volunteers is still open! 

Amplifying ELA Classrooms is a project that will take place during the Spring 2022 semester at Broadmoor High School and specifically focuses on supporting the English Language Learners who make up 21% of the Broadmoor community. Volunteers will be matched with a Broadmoor teacher and work with them in their classroom throughout the semester on a weekly basis.

You do not need special training to join this initiative, but you do need commitment, a heart for youth, and at least three hours a week that you can volunteer at a consistent time.

Sign up by following the link below! If you have questions, please reach out to [email protected].

Sign Up