Student success is taught by example. As an educator, I would like to create an environment in which students feel comfortable expressing their ideas, while providing a rigorous structure that forces them to push those ideas further. Good curriculum, therefore, is based on the practical application of the required competencies while being adaptable enough to also allow students to think and grow as individuals. I go to work each day hoping to push one student to do something they find frightening or uncomfortable so that they can survive, become enriched by it and realize their potential.

When Nina Bellisio started teaching at AiCA-SF in 1999, there were only 200 students. During the time she has taught at Ai, she has developed and taught 15 different classes in art history, photography and graphic design. To balance her work at Ai, she is also an e-learning producer at Edutopia, part of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, where is she helping to share stories about inspirational public education. In her free time, Nina is a mentor with First Exposures, a non-profit organization that pairs photographers with at risk Bay Area students and is taking graduate classes through Columbia University Teachers College.