Pamela Mary Schmidt is a special education English teacher in New York with a BA in literature and English education and an MS in special education. Pamela is a Lead Educator for Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and a curriculum writer for Speak Truth to Power based on the book Speak Truth to Power: Human Rights Defenders Changing Our World, written by Kerry Kennedy. As a result of her work with RFK/Human Rights, Pamela is a social-justice advocate and oral historian helping to combat marginalization and oppression through emotional intelligence. She is the founder of an educational advocacy program called https:// rippleofhope.org/ Thus far, the program has been implemented with individuals lacking in social justice in Nicaragua, Haiti, Nepal, India, and in Miami with Venezuelan refugees. Original artwork is created through their oral history narratives and experiences. Through student activism, support is generated from their artwork, and returned to benefit the organizations advocating for these individuals. Through this program, students develop a sense of responsibility and global citizenship to raise awareness and advocate for human rights. Pamela is an active member of the editorial review boards for the Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals (JAASEP) and the Journal of Special Education Research, Policy & Practice.