Dr. Joanna Ali is an educational visionary and the founder of Sol Space LLC. She seamlessly blends her roles as a researcher, educator, and creative force behind Sol Space.

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In 2023, Dr. Ali established Sol Space LLC, driven by a commitment to collaborate with youth in curating and designing healing-centered spaces and events. Through Sol Space, she channels her expertise and dedication to cultivate the imagination, creativity, innovation, and joy of Black & Brown youth. She brings her experience as a former middle school art, design and engineering educator and research experience as an educational psychologist.

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Dr. Ali's Afrofuturistic lens serves as a powerful beacon, guiding her work to re-member ancestral wisdom, center cultural knowledge, and reimagine liberating futures. This unique perspective fuels her mission to create spaces that center innovation, creativity, freedom, and joy, tailored specifically for the healing of Black and Brown urban youth.

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Beyond her work as a researcher, Joanna actively shapes the educational landscape. She partners with youth to craft curriculum, workshops, and professional development opportunities for educators. Joanna's national influence is evident in her contributions—conference presentations, peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and magazine features—that amplify the voices of Black and Brown youth and champion community-engaged scholarship.

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At the core of Joanna's journey is Sol Space, where she actively engages with the community through summer camps, field trips, and workshops. Her travels with youth to conferences in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Diego showcase the award-winning designs that youth have created.

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Joanna has crafted a unique fusion of education, creativity and design that builds power, liberation, joy and healing with Black & Brown urban youth.