About me
Amy Sparks is a University of Extension Educator in Youth Development and a PhD student whose research explores arts-based, embodied, and liberatory approaches to education, with a focus on identity, belonging, and youth empowerment. She is dedicated to innovating and implementing solutions that remove barriers, open doors, and support individuals and communities in thriving. Amy leads through action, consistently asking, “when can we start?” and inspiring others toward meaningful change. An architect of connection, her work includes founding a local coffee house, transforming a school media center into a dynamic high school learning commons, designing a schoolwide purpose and belonging initiative, and facilitating professional development for educators and youth-serving professionals. Her current scholarship integrates critical, arts-based, and culturally responsive pedagogies to create more inclusive and transformative learning spaces. Amy holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and K–12 Principal License from Hamline University and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and Communication Arts from St. Olaf College.
