SPARK FWCA: A Community for Those Who Carry More

The one in the room. The one navigating the halls of the academy with a voice invited into the room, yet still sitting in the back, unheard.

In this community, that story is not explained—it is understood.

Here, we make space for:

Those navigating elder care and child care, often at the same time—balancing multigenerational caregiving while building a career.
Those who journeyed through migrations—of geography, identity, and belonging.
From the Great Migration to the global South, from Central and South America to unfamiliar campuses.
The “outsider” who stays.
The scholar marked by "less, under, micro"—yet still rising with brilliance unmeasured by metrics.
Those who’ve wrestled with imposter syndrome, only to realize the system was built to cast shadows, not reflect light.
Those who feel the burden of a salary differential wrapped in politeness and policy.

Our Community Includes:

Faculty—tenure-track, tenured, and non-tenure track—working at the intersections of teaching, research, service, and survival
Post-doctoral scholars navigating the uncertain thresholds of career advancement
Graduate students preparing for lives of scholarship, activism, and leadership
Academic administrators and leaders supporting student and faculty success
Practitioners and professionals in education-adjacent fields:
✦ Educational technology
✦ Student affairs
✦ Institutional research and assessment
✦ Nonprofits and think tanks
✦ Policy, publishing, and academic consulting

If your work touches the future of education, you are part of this community.