Rachel Kastelein - Founder & CEO

My adventure with education began in 2015 as a social studies teacher for Jefferson County School District. After 5 years, I left teaching to work in education consulting for Bain Capital, eventually moving to New York City. I quickly realized that the lessons I’d taught my students were disconnected from the true needs of the “real world”. Working for global firms showed me that the most successful companies weren’t run by people who’d ace’d high school physics, but rather were skilled communicators, endlessly curious & fiercely resilient. No matter their title, these people had all mastered emotional intelligence - skills I never once thought to teach the 750+ students that passed through my doors. 

Working in corporate America also opened my eyes to how misunderstood a teacher's journey is. People were shocked to learn that teachers often start with little to no curriculum. As districts phase out textbooks, they haven't replaced them with resources to guide lesson planning. I will never forget how helpless I felt planning for my 10th grade US History course with no reference materials. Many times, I found myself desperately googling “Best ideas for teaching _______” and going with the first result that looked legitimate. 

I stepped back into the classroom in Fall of 2024 for the first time since Covid and was deeply troubled by the realities our schools are facing. Students can't see how their education benefits them in the real world, teacher turnover is higher than ever, and district personnel are overwhelmed with constant emergencies. 

That’s why I founded Wick Learning Foundation:to raise awareness and create real solutions. Our goal is to build an education model that transcends the classroom, addressing systemic gaps and empowering both teachers and students. I hope you’ll join us in reimagining education and preparing students for success beyond secondary education.

Ella Ganter - Director of Partnerships

As a recent college graduate, I was disappointed to find how little my education had prepared me for the demands of the real world. Navigating the workforce was overwhelming and I had to face the harsh reality that employers are unimpressed with the soft skills my current generation possesses.

I quickly realized it was my out of classroom experiences - internships, work experience, and volunteer opportunities - that gave me the skills to thrive in the real world. Looking back, the content I learned in my high school classes felt irrelevant and out of touch, not meeting the demands I’m facing now, 4 years later. 

That is why I joined Rachel in becoming a founding member of Wick Learning Foundation. I want to patch the system and make education valuable and engaging for students regardless of the opportunities they have outside of the classroom. It is time that we provide teachers with the resources they need, and set our students up for success not failure in the real world.