Fellowship Helps Livingston Parents Elevate Their Leadership Skills

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Two local parents from Livingston recently elevated their leadership skills with fellowship programs hosted by JerseyCAN.

The statewide advocacy organization has graduated the 2025-26 cohorts for its “NJ Teacher Leader Policy,” “Parent Champions for Strong Schools” and “Student Civic Leaders” programs.

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According to JerseyCAN, this year’s Parent Champions for Strong Schools Fellowship recipients from Livingston are:

• Fang Gong - "Engaged with state legislators and education leaders to advance a statewide requirement so ethical AI governance and transparency are not optional or dependent on zip code, ensuring districts have a consistent baseline while maintaining flexibility in how they implement."
• Harsh Raju - "Focused on advancing inclusion in classrooms by highlighting the academic, social, and developmental benefits of learning environments where all students participate together and promoted the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to ensure instruction is accessible and effective for all learners, shifting inclusion from a special education approach to a core practice in mainstream education."

According to JerseyCAN, participants in its fellowships get a chance to discuss the latest policy trends and issues in New Jersey education, deepen their understanding of the state's education challenges, and are empowered to develop the solutions needed at the local and statewide levels to improve public education in the Garden State.

In addition, each program gives participants opportunities to learn from state elected leaders, dialogue with educational experts, expand their own networks, build direct relationships within the New Jersey education space and develop their advocacy skills.

Each cohort meets throughout the school year, with graduation serving as a culminating event in which each fellow shares key milestones from their work and outlines plans to continue their advocacy.

“Public education is strongest when the people closest to students are equipped to help shape the decisions that affect them,” JerseyCAN executive director Paula White said.

“Lasting change in education does not begin in Trenton alone – it begins when students, parents, and teachers believe their voices matter and have the confidence, knowledge, and tools to use them effectively,” White said.

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