With a passion for both education and social justice, the path of Jeremy Scheiner ‘13 has taken him from WashU’s campus to the forefront of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Through his experiences at WashU, previous role leading a Gephardt Institute tutoring partnership with KIPP, and his subsequent career, Scheiner exemplifies the power of personal introspection, community engagement, and lifelong learning.
Scheiner studied education and women, gender, and sexuality studies at WashU—and he was seeking on-the-ground experiences to complement his studies. He discovered the Each One Teach One program that worked with KIPP Inspire Academy. He first volunteered and then took on the role of KIPP program coordinator, expanding the program from 20 mentors to approximately 100 mentors with volunteer coverage every day of the week. There, he also found mentors who guided and supported him throughout his journey, including now Dean of Students Rob Wild, Fox-Clark Policy Institute co-founder and Civic Scholars benefactor Maxine Clark, and Gephardt Institute Executive Director Stephanie Kurtzman.
Scheiner said his WashU studies and time spent with KIPP and Each One Teach One gave him a profound understanding of the educational landscape in the United States and inspired him to pursue a career in education equity.
“I really wanted to take [my experience at KIPP] to the next level,” he said. “And specifically, to think about what it means to create equitable environments, not only for students, but for staff.”
After graduating from WashU, his interests and experiences led him to a position with Teach For America as a fourth-grade teacher. Then, he worked for a Massachusetts school network, running the diversity, equity, and inclusion programs of five state schools. Next, he landed a civil rights job as Director of Training, Recruitment, and Legislative Affairs for the Massachusetts Commission against Discrimination.
“So again, you can see that infusion of my work as a teacher, but this time I was doing it in training and in the civil rights realm,” he said.
Scheiner’s experience and advocacy led him to his current role as a Deputy Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at the ACLU. There, he continues to combine his experiences in education, civil rights, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This internal-facing role focuses on supporting staff members to ensure their work aligns with the principles of DEI. By aligning ACLU values internally and externally, Scheiner fosters organizational integrity that has a profound impact within the ACLU and in turn, society as a whole.
When asked about his advice to students struggling with polarization and challenges in our current civic moment, Scheiner centered a quote by Martin Luther King Jr.: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
“Look at the long arc of history, and contextualize what’s happening within this moment, and what can we understand and what can we learn from what has happened in the past?” he said. “And how can we apply that now and understand how this moment might be similar and might be different? And how can we talk to those who have experience and build that long arc of history, as well?”
Scheiner reminds students of their power to effect change, regardless of their career path. As a current member of Gephardt’s Alumni Council, he also mentors current students interested in civic action.
He emphasizes that everyone has a role to play in the larger movements for justice and equity.
“Whether it’s through volunteering, participating in campaigns, running for office, or supporting organizations financially, each student’s unique skills and expertise can be leveraged to make a difference by remembering that as individuals, we have an incredible, immense amount of power to make a change and to make a difference in our communities.”