As an Augusta native, Kenisha Skaggs has seen the value of an excellent education and how it leads to a sustainable future through her own school experience. Frustrated with the low expectations and lack of differentiated instruction available for special needs students, she created her own project-based learning pedagogy. To provide academic excellence to 1st-12th neurodivergent students, Kenisha founded and became CEO of a micro-school called Soar Academy Augusta in 2012. Over a decade later, her academy has reached hundreds of students, obtained tuition funding from the Georgia Department of Education, and raised tax credit funds for student tuition. In addition to being a 2022 Yass Prize Award Finalist, she has also received numerous other grants to expand her school program.
Prior to opening Soar Academy Augusta, she served as an advocate during the No Child Left Behind initiative and worked in the field of literacy remediation for middle and high school students. She helped dozens of students reach grade level status and re-ignited a spark for learning through multi-sensory instruction.
Kenisha received her degree in Marketing from Augusta State University and completed the alternative teaching certification from TAPP.
