Andrea Perez loved being a teacher. She was good at it, able to build strong relationships with her students and hold them accountable when necessary. She grew up in Oakland, and she shared a similar background to her students in Richmond and Oakland public schools.

When Tana Monteiro was growing up in the East Bay, she felt lost in the system. Her mom was a single parent, and the family moved around a little bit. Every morning, Tana’s mom would leave for work at 6 am and not back home until after 6 pm at night.

Alton Nelson, Jr. is the CEO of Making Waves, now in his 12th year at the school. His many accomplishments in education include founding a charter school in Sacramento, serving as the founding principal of the Making Waves Academy upper school, and being named the California Charter School Association (CCSA) 2022 School Leader of the Year for Northern California.