Join host Pablo Muñoz for a unique conversation with his featured guest — Joshua Varela.
Joshua is a New York City Public Schools Nuyorican who leads access in AI education at Lirvana Labs. His journey began as a teen on the Panel for Education Policy, which led to the creation of STEM programs across the United States and the co-founding NeuroMaker. Joshua is a lifelong advocate and champion for AI and STEM education and served as an organizing captain for the Educator Diversity Act.
1:03 - Introduction
2:01 - My Leadership Story
22:13 - STEM and CTE
32:48 - Artificial Intelligence
44:22 - Educator Diversity Act
50:15 - NeuroMaker
53:44 - BrainCo
58:47 - Guiding Principles
Joshua Varela is a visionary leader with more than a decade of experience in creating and implementing innovative educational programs and partnerships that democratize access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), career and technical education (CTE), and computer science education. He has developed cutting-edge STEM programs across the United States that prioritize equitable access for underserved communities, with a special emphasis on robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Josh specializes in fostering workforce development and scaling technology solutions.
Josh is the Head of Access in AI Education at Lirvana Labs, where he leads a groundbreaking project in partnership with the New York City Public Schools to implement an AI learning campaign called Yeti Confetti. His work is driven by a commitment to improve educational outcomes and workforce readiness in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Josh earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University at Buffalo and a master’s degree in international affairs at The New School.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshua-varela-creative
Website: yeticonfettikids.com/
Email: josh@lirvanalabs.com
Latino Leaders publishes new episodes weekly on Mondays.
Latino Leaders podcast is a production of Muñoz & Company, an educational and leadership consulting organization.
Pablo is a leadership coach, teacher, trainer, and speaker and the author of The Leader’s Algorithm.
For additional information visit: themunozcompany.com
Purchase The Leader’s Algorithm: themunozcompany.com/the-leaders-algorithm
Learn more about Pablo: themunozcompany.com/pablo-munoz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pablo-muñoz-b30b2ab1
Email: pablo@themunozcompany.com
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.