Community Hero - Anike Sakariyawo
Community Hero Anike Sakariyawo
Anike Sakariyawo is an award-winning educator who has concentrated much of her talent around children with disabilities. Inspired in this by her autistic, mentally disabled older sister, Anike set out to and became an exceptional teacher, not only for students with disabilities, but for all students.
Earning her Bachelor of Science in Exceptional Student Education from Bethune-Cookman University and her Master of Education in General Science from Cambridge College helped set her on the path to becoming the superior educator she is today. During her graduate studies, she taught a number of courses including, developmental writing; Word and Excel operation skills; mnemonic strategies; small group and whole class instruction to students without disabilities; courses for the gifted; courses for those limited in the English Language; and courses for students with learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, and multiple disabilities.
This excellent, well-rounded experience helped her to become a truly gifted educator for the whole spectrum of student needs. This is the primary she's been awarded by a Community Hero trading card.
During her 15-year teaching career, Ms. Sakariyawo has served Title 1 schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Title 1, Part A schools are those where at least 40 percent of students are from low-income households, and federal funds are provided for school-wide benefit to help all the students improve achievement, especially in reading and math. She also teaches at the college level.
To accomplish her service to Title 1 schools, Ms. Sakariyawo uses a variety of hands-on activities (manipulatives) and differentiated teaching strategies to accommodate diverse learning styles (multiple intelligences). Multiple intelligences can range from use of the five senses in learning, to math-logic based learning, language based learning, music based learning and so on. Anike appreciates the individuality of her students, and strives to meet each of their unique needs.
Anike Sakariyawo is the founder of the award-winning S.E.E.K (Seeking Education Empowers Knowledge) Foundation, Inc. This mobile, non-profit organization has three pillars, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathmatics); Health and Fitness; and Community Involvement. S.E.E.K Foundation has received the Dwayne Wade Leaders Recognizing Leaders Award, among others. It has been recognized on Channel 10 Local News, NBC6 “In the Mix,” and more.
This foundation provides science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEM/STEAM) programs to schools and other organizations in Miami Dade and Broward County, Florida as well as Atlanta, Georgia. Providing equal access for all to these essential programs and bridging the disparity gap prevalent in the lives of children of color is an important goal S.E.E.K strives to achieve.
Children are taught such things as how to create items using materials they can find around the house, how to code, how to program robots, how to calculate, how to use physics concepts and calculations, how to write a claim-evidence-reasoning research based lab report and how to use the engineering cycle to improve a product.
A claim-evidence-reasoning (CLR) based lab report is one where the students make a claim, or a conclusion that answers the question presented, then apply their data (their evidence) to it, then apply scientific principles and/or rules to explain why the evidence supports the claim. It’s a way to get students to think like scientists, sort of a simplified version of the scientific method.
S.E.E.K Foundation has positively impacted over 15,000 lives! Anike Sakariyawo and her foundation will continue to strive for the advancement of youth, as she believes that they are the great innovative leaders of the future. All they require to reach their awesome potential is access to resources, and opportunity.