This year back in January I was given the opportunity to join the Elm Community Charter School board of directors. Elm, an exceptional charter school founded by Priscilla Walton, has continued to make an impact in the Elmhurst, Queens community offering a powerful education to elementary school students within District 24.

I began working with Priscilla back in 2018 as a financial consultant for the school. We tackled many challenges up and coming independent charter schools face. I witnessed Priscilla's strong leadership guide Elm through the pandemic and into their own permanent building.

Elm continues to serve its 400 elementary school students and families. We have set a goal to raise funds to purchase MacBooks for 5th grade students to utilize for STEM classes and completing standardized testing online.

I continue to admire Priscilla and the Elm team's work and am grateful for the opportunity to serve.

Thank you,

Derian