Educator. Social Architect. Culture Shifter. Creator.

My name is Stevie Rae Hicks, and I believe education is more than a system. It is a sacred space for transformation. Raised in South Central Los Angeles and deeply shaped by the legacy of Tuskegee, Alabama, I carry the fire of the city and the soul of the South into everything I build.

For more than a decade, I have worked across classrooms, schools, and communities as an English educator, instructional leader, coach, mentor, and organizer. At the center of that work is one unwavering commitment: creating spaces where students—especially those who have been underserved, overlooked, or underestimated—are challenged academically, affirmed culturally, and reminded that they belong.

But my work has never stopped at the classroom door.

I am currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational and Organizational Leadership at Samford University, where my scholarship examines leadership, educational systems, identity, belonging, equity, and the experiences of Black communities within schools. I move between theory and practice with intention—building what I study and studying what I build.

Over the years, I have developed community programs, led outreach initiatives, supported fundraising and organizational strategy, designed curriculum, facilitated professional learning, and created spaces rooted in racial justice, cultural pride, and Black joy. Whether I am working with students, educators, families, or community partners, the goal remains the same: to build something meaningful, sustainable, and worthy of the people it serves.

I call myself a Social Architect because I do more than work within systems. I study how they function, question who they were designed to serve, and imagine what they could become. When something is broken, I am interested in more than fixing it. I want to understand it, redesign it, and build something better in its place.

My journey has also included entrepreneurship and creative work rooted in culture. I previously owned a bookstore centered on Black excellence, literature, joy, and truth-telling. From that vision grew The Cool School, a homeschool co-op and cultural learning space created to educate children in ways traditional systems often could not.

We did not simply meet standards. We expanded them.

Today, that same creative spirit lives through SamCol by Hicks, a brand inspired by my children, Sammie and Colby Jr. Through pins, acrylic charms, books, and culturally rooted statement pieces, I create products that celebrate our history, humor, institutions, language, memories, and everyday Blackness. What began as something personal has grown into another extension of the work I have always done: preserving culture, telling stories, and creating things that make people feel seen.

Because for me, education, culture, creativity, and community have never existed in separate boxes. They are all connected.

I do not simply follow culture. I document it, protect it, teach it, and create within it.

Across classrooms, community programs, scholarship, storytelling, and entrepreneurship, my work is grounded in radical care, rigorous thinking, and unapologetic Black joy. I believe data matters. I believe history matters. I believe culture matters. And I believe the people most affected by our systems deserve a voice in redesigning them.

I come from bloodline and audacity—no blueprint.

This work is personal.
This mission is spiritual.
And everything I build carries a piece of where I come from.

Whether I am developing curriculum, leading professional learning, conducting research, organizing in my community, writing, or designing something beautiful that honors our people, the intention remains the same:

The work is intentional.
The vision is expansive.
And the impact is real.