Meet the Filmmakers
Kyla Nash
Narrator
Kyla Nash, is a 18 year old senior at Brooks College Prep. She has received over 20 acceptances to top-tier universities; in addition to 80+ direct admissions. While she has not yet committed due to the early stage of the decision process, she is highly excited to pursue studies in Business, Finance, and Law. Kyla is deeply passionate about her education, athletics, and activism, as she believes these aspects collectively shape her identity and the person she aspires to become.
Beyond academics, she dedicates time to family, whose unwavering support motivates her daily, and to athletics, particularly basketball and football, which she feels strengthened her discipline and leadership. In kyla’s free time, she enjoys listening to R&B and oldies music, as they allow her to reflect, recharge, and connect with different perspectives and stories.
Joshua Jackson
Director, Co-Writer
Joshua Jackson is an independent documentary filmmaker that has contributed to Emmy Award winning productions. He started his career working at PBS and ABC affiliates. Joshua organized live streamed events, managing video and audio delivery via the internet. He debuted his short film, From Prisoner to Professor, in 2017, which later was featured at the Black Harvest Film Festival, the Pan African Film Festival, and won Best Short Documentary at the American Filmatic Awards.
He was the cinematographer for Chosen Foe Life, a short film of an inner-city youth conflicted by the neighborhood pressures and school influences, which aired on WTTW. His passion is filming and still films documentaries for other independent producers.
Asif Wilson
Producer, Co-Writer
Asif Wilson, Ph.D., is assistant professor of Social Studies Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Wilson’s research broadly focuses on justice-centered pedagogies in P-20 educational contexts. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, several films, research briefs, instructional toolkits for educators, and curriculum. Dr. Wilson’s scholarship invites educators in and outside of P-20 educational settings to imagine and actualize more justice-centered pedagogical praxes. It embodies the communal, loving, and transformative vision he has for P-20 education.
In 2021, Wilson launched the Social Studies Network, an online resource, research, and professional learning hub for social studies educators. It has garnished a membership of 7,000 social studies educators and administrators, impacting over 500,000 students across Illinois. Wilson has received numerous awards and Fellowships, and nearly 10 million-dollars in grant-funding over the past five years.