On Friday, May 27th, Innocents at Risk conducted an interactive workshop at Washington Global Public Charter School. Founded in 2015, Washington Global is a Title 1 middle school that provides students from at-risk areas of Washington, D.C., a rigorous and safe learning environment.

During the workshop, Innocents at Risk Founder Deborah Sigmund and Intern Joanna Lundquist, a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University, gave an interactive presentation in which they spoke to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students about staying safe in their communities and on the Internet, in an effort to combat child exploitation and human trafficking. The presentation included relevant interactive media, information from the Department of Homeland Security, and classroom discussion. The students showed an eagerness to learn how to keep themselves and their peers safe online, which was reflected in their questions and their interaction throughout the presentation. The students seemed to especially value watching the “Sound of Freedom” trailer, and are excited to view the entire film when it comes out!

Innocents at Risk has partnered with Washington Global and its founder, Elizabeth Torres, for over eight years to keep students safe. And on this episode Deborah talks to Elizabeth in a conversation recorded last month over Zoom.

As co-founder and CEO of Washington Global, Elizabeth Torres led the efforts to design and make the vision of Washington Global a reality. As CEO, she carries out the school’s mission to provide a rigorous, high-quality academic and cultural education to middle schoolers from underserved areas of D.C. Under Elizabeth’s leadership, Washington Global was named the most improved charter school in the 2018-2019 school year and was rated a top D.C. school for instruction and school environment in 2019. Elizabeth has extensive teaching, administration, and education policy experience. Prior to founding Washington Global, Elizabeth worked at the U.S. Department of Education, focusing on K-12 and higher education special education policy. She began her career in education as a D.C. Teaching Fellow in District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) where she taught special education reading and mathematics. She then served on the administrative team of a specialty Title I DCPS secondary school. Elizabeth was recognized by DCPS as the top special education administrator for the 2008-2009 school year. Elizabeth has also taught courses in education policy at The George Washington University to teachers and administrators throughout the D.C. area. She holds an Ed.D. in Neuroscience and Special Education from The George Washington University where she was a 2009-2010 Dean’s Merit Scholar, an M.A. in Transition Special Education from The George Washington University, and a B.A. in History from Vassar College. Elizabeth also studied History at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England.