Austin Crowder was raised in the Los Angeles area but found his home six years ago in Memphis, Tennessee. He teaches high school government and economics in South Memphis at The Soulsville Charter School. Austin studied religion at Westmont College fueling his interest of the intersections between religion and society (especially in the “Bible Belt”). He is an award winning spoken word poet and a regular contributor to several publications in Memphis. Completing education policy fellowships with the TN State Collaborative on Reforming Education and Teach Plus, he is passionate about the impact both pedagogy and policy have on our students.