Portland school board member and youth engagement specialist Pious Ali is one of five nominees for a $100,000 grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation.
The foundation, an education philanthropic organization, selects one nominee each from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont and allows online voting to dictate the winner. The online poll, which allows one vote per email address, closes Sept. 30.
Ali is a leader for Portland Empowered, a Nellie Mae-funded project that works to build leadership among mostly marginalized parents and young people, and supports efforts to implement student-centered learning at Portland’s high schools. Ali is also a youth and community engagement specialist at the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service, which receives Nellie Mae funding to be the lead community partner for Portland Empowered.
The Lawrence W. O’Toole Award is given annually to an individual, organization, school or district for advancing student-centered approaches to learning. Last year, Casco Bay High School Principal Derek Pierce won the award.
