Education is an important place in the world today and it is important that every student is able to reach their full potential. Erin Gruwell, born in Southern California on August 15, 1969, became a symbol of hope and change as she forever changed the lives of her struggling students at Woodrow Wilson High School who were “ written off by the education system” (Rea, 2012) by allowing them to express themselves and instilling infinite potential in each student. Long before Gruwell became a teacher, she aspired to become a lawyer. However, after witnessing the violent riots in Los Angeles in 1992, she decided her passion was to make a difference in children's lives as a teacher. In 1994, Woodrow Wilson High hired Gruwell and gave him classes full of "unteachable" "failing" students who had no respect for the school or the teachers.() Yet rather than let Discouraged by the pool of students he was given, Guwell wanted to change the way these children thought and perceived the school and themselves (Adams, 2013). Through her innovative teaching style, she was able to connect with her students by reading them stories about struggles they could relate to. Over time, his students slowly began to embrace him and wrote The Freedom Writers Diary together; which included the inspiring stories contained in her students' journals, from their difficult upbringing to their daily struggles and how they were able to stay strong through it all. I chose Erin Gruwell as my leader to highlight someone with such passion for making a difference. She and I don't believe in the "separate but equal" paradigm, how could something be separate but treated equally at the same time? I find this redundant, as does Gruwell. I admire his strength and courage to make a di...... middle of paper ......ty. - Salem College. Retrieved November 19, 2013 from http://www.salem.edu/events/erin-gruwell-the-original-freedom-writer-empowering-students-faculty-and-the-community Choi, J. (2009). Read educational philosophies among freedom writers. The Clearing House, 82(5), 244-248. Elsenbach, B. and Kaywell, J. (2013). Making a good impression: YA authors and their influential teachers. English Journal, 102(5), 74-79. Erin Gruwell. (nd). Cech. Retrieved October 1, 2013 from http://cech.uc.edu/content/dam/cech/centers/hope/docs/Erin%20Gruwell%20Biography.pdfMitchell, M. and Jacob, D. (2011). A toast for change. Reclaiming Children & Youth Spring, 20(1), 26-28.Petersen, A. (2009). Theirs, our story: the writers of freedom as a scenario for educational reform. Film and History, 39(1), 31-43.Trierweiler, H. (2009). Speaking with Erin Gruwell. Speaking with Erin Gruwell, 118(4), 27-28.