Julia Gabor is an award-winning educator. She was born and raised in NYC; she comes from a diverse urban background. Julia has several dynamic life experiences to share. She is a creative and passionate youth development specialist, a mentor to many, and a hands-on trainer. She is the Mindful Founder of kid-grit, a company that focuses on social-emotional learning, mindfulness and youth development for youth and adults. She has trained thousands of educators in schools and expanded learning programs for 18+ years. Julia has 21+ years of hands-on experience working with urban, rural, suburban, and marginalized youth. She is also a national keynote speaker. And at the young age of 40 years old, she obtained her master’s in educational leadership from Antioch University. Her thesis topic was teacher effectiveness and student engagement. She has received multiple awards for her outstanding contribution to education communities across the nation from agencies such as CAL STATE Fullerton, U.S. Representative for California's 46th congressional district, Lou Correa and the BOOST Collaborative. One of Julia's favorite quotes comes from Martin Luther King, Jr. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”.