In this week's episode, I chat with international educator and equity-driven leader Tiwana Merritt to explore how her journey from the track to the classroom has shaped her vision for transformative education.From her record-breaking days as a collegiate athlete to nearly two decades working in schools across Australia, China, and South Africa, Tiwana shares how the lessons of discipline, resilience, and teamwork continue to guide her approach to teaching, learning, and leading. She discusses her groundbreaking work in service-learning and community engagement, her reflections on racial identity and representation abroad, and what it means to be seen as a “cultural ambassador” while living and working globally. To learn more about Tiwana's work, you can follow her on LinkedIn. Tiwana Merritt is a globally experienced educator, instructional coach, and equity advocate with nearly two decades of leadership in international schools across Australia, China, and South Africa. She most recently served as a Teaching and Learning Coach and PreK–12 Service Learning and Community Engagement Coordinator at the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ), where she helps educators design identity-affirming, culturally responsive, and community-centered learning experiences.A proud Southern Oregon University Hall of Fame inductee and former All-American track and field athlete, Tiwana draws on her athletic background to inspire resilience, reflection, and teamwork in the classroom. Her professional work centers on reimagining service-learning through a justice-oriented lens, helping schools move beyond charity-based models to ones rooted in reciprocity, local empowerment, and equity.As a writer, speaker, and curriculum designer, Tiwana has co-authored frameworks that promote harm reduction and anti-bias practices in international school service-learning. Her voice has been featured on the Leading Equity Podcast and in publications highlighting global education, identity, and civic engagement.Passionate about developing globally conscious and socially responsible learners, Tiwana sees education as a lifelong journey of “crossing borders and finish lines”, a continuous pursuit of growth, purpose, and equity in every learning space she enters. LINKS: Instagram Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts
