Rooted & Rising is a multi-month collaborative initiative launched by Weave: The Social Fabric Project and the Center for Rising Generations at the Aspen Institute to celebrate the voices of young rural journalists. This initiative reframes rural communities not as places defined by deficits, but as dynamic innovation hubs rich in trust, resilience, and educational creativity. By centering on core themes like place, perspective, community investment, and vision, the project equips young weavers with digital storytelling tools and expert coaching to document how their local education ecosystems are deeply rooted in history and actively rising to meet the future.
Throughout the summer, participants actively contributed by submitting personal reflection essays and monthly videos focused on different aspects of weaving in rural education—offering authentic insights into their hometowns.
Meet the Journalists
Trey Jackson is an Eastern Kentuckian and incoming J.D. candidate at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law. He graduated from the University of the Cumberlands in 2026, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Finance.
Trey has remained active in leadership and service throughout his education, serving in student government and holding leadership positions in several academic and professional organizations. He is particularly interested in law, government, economic development, and public service.
A lifelong resident of Laurel County, Trey is committed to building a career that allows him to serve Kentucky and contribute to the communities that have shaped him.
A proud graduate of Tulsa’s historic Booker T. Washington High School, Komari Crisp is the founder of the Youth Action Coalition, a nonprofit that equips young people to drive real social change. As a passionate advocate for justice and equity, she serves on the boards of the ACLU of Oklahoma and the League of Women Voters, where she fights to protect civil liberties and expand access to the ballot box.
Carmen Anarella is a 2024 Boettcher Scholar from Yampa, Colorado, studying Elementary Education at CU Boulder with an endorsement in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education. At CU, she enjoys her time in the School of Education as a student teacher, serves as the co-president of both the student government and the rural education club, and works as a student ambassador.
Having grown up attending a small rural public school, rural education is very near and dear to her heart. She feels fortunate to have a platform to discuss her upbringing and to advocate for the future generation of rural schooling.