Hello! My name is Claire Mitchell and I am the ‘26-‘27 Educators Rising MD State President! I am an upcoming high school senior, which makes this my fourth year being a part of my school’s Ed Rising chapter. Along with that, this is my second year being a State Officer! As a State Officer, I want to encourage students to become educators, boost our participation in competitions, and overall grow Educators Rising as a whole! Outside of Ed Rising, I am in the Teacher Academy of Maryland CTE program, my school’s SGA President, a member of Thespian society, and a member of Key Club! One day, I hope to become an Elementary school teacher! Let’s make this a great year!

My name is Kody Kwisnek and I’m a state officer for Educators Rising Maryland, specifically Head of Memberships.I’m a senior in North Point High School in Charles County. My hobbies include theatre, art, and gardening. I am interested in art education K-12. A fun fact about me is I have been a teacher’s assistant in an early childhood education program since I was a sophomore.

I’m Anthony Delgado Alfaro, one out of three of the social relations officer, From Prince George’s County. EdRising got introduced to me my 10th grade year, now in entering 12th grade as the only representative from Prince George’s county on the state officer team. My plan is to major is Foreign language(Spanish) in order to not limit my abilities and diverse amongst all careers in the education field. I look forward to working with all chapters in Maryland in order to become one of the most powerful team of future educators there is!!

Hi, my name’s Gianna Crisostomo and I am the 2026-2027 Educators Rising MD’s Collegiate President! I am a student at Harford Community College pursuing my Early Childhood Education/Special Education Associates of Arts in Teaching. As of now I have only taught preschool, but I think I would love teaching kindergarten and first grade! I plan on graduating in the spring with my AAT after which I will attend Towson University Northeastern. Outside of EdRising, I love going to concerts, bookstores, and getting cute drinks with my friends! 

My goal for this year is to spread the word of what Educators Rising is! There are so many opportunities within the organization that current and future educators could benefit from. In just one year, I have competed, placed at the top of the state, attended trainings, earned scholarships, and became a state officer!

Hi everyone! My name is Julieth Pertica and I’m a 11th grader attending high school in Howard county.  This year I serve as a sponsorship and fundraising manager on the 2026-2027 state officer team. I am interested in education because I enjoy seeing others grow into the best version of themselves! My goal for this year is to inspire and help students rise as educators. Outside of school, I enjoy playing sports and participating in school spirit activities.