Erin Gruwell
	Revolutionary educator and catalyst for social change

Nothing could have prepared Erin Gruwell for her first day of teaching at Wilson High School in Long Beach, Calif. A recent college graduate, Erin landed her first job in Room 203, only to discover many of her students had been written off by the education system and deemed "unteachable." As teenagers living in a racially divided urban community, they were already hardened by first-hand exposure to gang violence, juvenile detention and drugs.

Enter Erin Gruwell. By fostering an educational philosophy that valued and promoted diversity, she transformed her students' lives. She encouraged them to rethink rigid beliefs about themselves and others, to reconsider daily decisions and to rechart their futures. With Erin's steadfast support, her students shattered stereotypes to become critical thinkers, aspiring college students and citizens for change. They even dubbed themselves the "Freedom Writers" - in homage to civil rights activists "The Freedom Riders" - and published a book.

Inspired by Anne Frank and Zlata Filipovic, Erin and her students captured their collective journey in The Freedom Writers Diary - How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. Through poignant student entries and Erin's narrative text, the book chronicles their "eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding."

While Erin has been credited with giving her students a "second chance," it was perhaps she who changed the most during her tenure at Wilson High School. Currently, Erin serves as president of the Erin Gruwell Education Project (EGEP), a non-profit organization that promotes inclusion and provides scholarships for children in need. She raises awareness and funds by traveling nationwide to speak inside large corporations, government institutions, and community associations. But Erin's capacity to convert apathy to action matters most at schools and juvenile halls, where any observer can watch the expressions of troubled teens shift from guarded cynicism to unabashed hopefulness.

Erin and her students have appeared on numerous television shows, including Oprah, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Prime Time Live with Connie Chung, Barbara Walters' The View, Good Morning America and CSPAN's Book TV. Her class has been featured on National Public Radio and in national newspapers and People magazine. Paramount Pictures is currently developing this remarkable story into a major film featuring Hilary Swank as Erin.

Erin is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine, where she received the Lauds and Laurels Distinguished Alumni Award. She earned her Master's Degree and teaching credentials from California State University, Long Beach, where she was honored as Distinguished Alumna by the School of Education.