Teach Classes, Systems Strategy Designer

Listener, learner, hummus enthusiast

From food trucks to fractions, Ariel Raz has always followed the path that most inspires him. Two days before launching a falafel truck in San Francisco, Ariel felt the pull to join Teach for America. Setting aside his chickpeas, he moved to Louisiana to teach math to a rambunctious crew of middle schoolers in St. Bernard Parish. They taught him about Zydeco and crawfish; he taught them about fractions and algebra.

Leaving the Bayou State, Ariel headed north for Chicago where he helped open a charter school in South Side. With an abundance of Chromebooks and other technology at his disposal, and knowing the typical school model was deeply broken, Ariel started reading more about human-based solutions - how to solve for the needs of students, teachers and community members.. His search for knowledge lead him to the Stanford School of Education where he studied Learning, Design and Technology before officially joining the d.school in 2015.

Ariel went back to falafel but alas, only for friends and personal consumption.