Kat Locke-Jones, a seventh grade English language arts teacher at Hampstead Hill Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, is passionate about creating brave spaces for students and helping them find their voice to tell their stories. She believes that a teacher’s greatest honor is to hand students a pen.

Nicknamed “LoJo” by her students, Locke-Jones has taught in Baltimore City Public Schools for 12 years. Hampstead Hill students have earned the highest seventh grade score on Maryland state assessments in city schools for the past five years. She launched the school’s writing center, which supports multilingual learners and creates student service learning opportunities. She also initiated the school’s participation in National History Day, a yearlong academic program that engages students in the process of historical research.

Believing that brave space for students means reflecting their authentic light, Locke-Jones co-founded SL24, a nonprofit foundation focused on educating, assisting and supporting students with their mental health. Her work has impacted more than 90,000 educators. Since 2019, SL24 has raised more than $4 million for mental health education and created Sean’s House, a completely free 24/7 mental health safe haven for young adults ages 14 to 24. Since its opening in 2020, more than 32,000 people have walked through the doors of Sean’s House.

A University of Delaware graduate in English education, Locke-Jones also holds a Master of Science in education from Johns Hopkins University.