Jenna Baron

Jenna Baron is a co-founder and the Executive Director of ARYSE. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh '13 in Anthropology with certificates in Global Studies and African Studies. Jenna is a 2013 Fulbright Scholar, 2015 Humanity in Action John Lewis Fellow, New Leaders Council Pittsburgh Alumna, a board member for the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, in 2019, was recognized as one of Pittsburgh’s 40 Under 40, and is a fellow of the 2024 Transformative Leader Program facilitated by the Equity Impact Center. Jenna began working as a tutor with immigrant and refugee youth as a University of Pittsburgh student in 2011, largely motivated by the teachings of Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed which frames education as a tool for liberation. During her undergraduate years, Jenna organized alongside other Pitt students and local refugee youth leaders to establish PRYSE Academy, which continues to be the only summer program in the region tailored to the needs of English learners. Jenna has a passion for building relationships and working alongside individuals who are dedicated to equity in education and addressing systems of oppression.