Heroes at LumenSparQ are represented in two categories, Lumenaries and SparQs. A Lumenary is an adult who works or volunteers in a school performing some kind of social good; improving the lives of students, working with parents, or supporting the community. A SparQ is a student that goes above and beyond the regular school day to take on a passion project that impacts others in need.
Below you will find snapshots of each of these heroes with links to the full stories. If you are in the Los Angeles area, and believe you may have a candidate to nominate, please consider contacting us.
See the criteria we use for the selection of our heroes.
Lumenary, Naomi Lara
Naomi is the principal at RISE High School, a facility that focuses on students for which the traditional school system does not work. They are foster youth, young adults on probation, or those facing housing instability. Naomi and her team work to provide the flexible, holistic, and responsive services these youth need to succeed. Her story coming soon…
SparQ, James Kanoff
Our first SparQ, James Kanoff, is the co-founder of the Farmlink Project. In the early days of the pandemic, he and his friends had a simple idea. Let’s make a connection between a local farmer and our food bank. We make a deal, rent a truck, take the excess produce off the farmer’s hands, and deliver it to the food bank. With this one small act, a movement had begun. Read his story…
Lumenary, María Saldaña
María Saldaña teaches English at Lennox Middle School. She runs the LMS Student Book Club, introducing diverse and inclusive voices and perspectives. A product of the system, her former teachers are now her colleagues. She shares the joy of reading and passion for learning with everyone she can reach. Read her story…
Lumenary, Sidra Dudley
We are delighted to introduce our next Lumenary, Sidra Dudley, Principal at 156th Street School in LAUSD. Mrs. Dudley has taken this ethnically and economically diverse population and built a strong, supportive school community while fostering a safe and happy second home for her students, even through a pandemic. Read her story…
Lumenary, Kim Cameron
Our first Lumenary, Kim Cameron, runs the Warrior Food Pantry at El Camino College in Torrance, CA. Motivated by a desire to uplift students and their families during times of need, Kim works tirelessly with a core team of employees and volunteers to provide food and other necessities for students under financial stress and facing food insecurity. Read her story…
LumenSparQ Inc. 