Erin Gruwell is a teacher and education activist. She gained national attention during her teaching tenure at Wilson High School, where she inspired “at-risk” teenagers to re-chart their futures. Against what seemed to be insurmountable odds, all 150 of her students graduated, and went on to become aspiring college students, published writers and catalysts for change. They dubbed themselves the “Freedom Writers” – in homage to civil rights activists The Freedom Riders. The film Freedom Writers was produced to depict their story, starring Hilary Swank as Ms. Gruwell.
Following her days at Wilson High, Ms. Gruwell founded the Freedom Writers Foundation, where she currently teaches educators how to implement her innovative lesson plans into their own classrooms. Her progressive teaching philosophy and curricula are designed to achieve excellence from all students, regardless of background.
Ms. Gruwell and her students have appeared on numerous television shows, including Oprah and Good Morning America, and have earned dozens of awards, such as the prestigious Spirit of Anne Frank Award. She is a graduate of the University of California Irvine, where she received the Lauds and Laurels Distinguished Alumni Award. She earned her Master’s Degree and teaching credentials from Cal State Long Beach, where she was honored as Distinguished Alumna by the School of Education.