Researcher

Daniela DiGiacomo is originally from Southern California, though her heart also belongs to the many European and Latin American cities in which she has lived. Whilst doing a Masters at Cambridge University, Daniela became excited by the unbounded potential of learning, when involving a diverse mix of people being encouraged to pursue their own interests. Deciding to dedicate her working life to addressing educational inequality, she now supports teachers in fostering a love of learning in young people from diverse backgrounds. Daniela received a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences and Human Development from the University of Colorado, and is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Riverside.

Currently learning… how to make young people feel valued in educational settings.

Founder/Head of Policy

A native of Edinburgh, Richard was lucky enough at school to be taught by a teacher who fired his imagination and showed him what it was to love learning. This experience propelled him to degrees at the Universities of St Andrews and Cambridge, where he studied theology, completing a Ph.D. on the poet R.S. Thomas. Whilst at Cambridge, not only did Richard enjoy teaching undergraduates, but also working with the Sutton Trust, helping non-privileged young people discover the joy of studying poetry. Having finished his studies, he spent a year bagpiping on the streets of Cologne, and then returned to Scotland to establish Light Up Learning with Will.

Currently learning… the language of the ancient Greeks.

Mentor

Originally hailing from Invergowrie, a small village on the outskirts of Dundee, Calum grew up surrounded by books and music. Diagnosed with ADHD at 11, he struggled with the social aspects of school life, before going to Edinburgh Napier University to study Journalism. After leaving formal education, Calum worked as a youth worker for a variety of organisations and taught himself how to write and produce music, eventually going back to college to study sound engineering. This self-directed, practical approach to learning informs Calum's practice, both with LUL and also as a recording engineer working primarily with 16-25 year olds in some of Scotland's most deprived areas.

Currently learning… about early medieval history and video editing.

Jen is an art teacher, designer and illustrator whose interest in education began aged 18 when she lived in the Dominican Republic for a year and taught English. That year was also her first experience of reciprocal learning and teaching- with Jen picking up a variety of skills including speaking Spanish, dancing bachata, the rules of basketball and how to build a fire from scratch. In the 18 years since, Jen’s working life has involved a mixture of education and design, with the two overlapping regularly. She believes wholeheartedly that engaging in creative activity and learning has the power to build self-esteem and resilience, and is passionate about breaking down any barriers that young people face to accessing these opportunities through LUL.

Currently learning…about the stages of brain development in toddlers.

Head of Research & Development

After leaving school, Nadine worked in the hospitality sector for many years before deciding to pursue further education with the Open University. She gained her undergraduate degree while also working in various social care and school settings. She is now studying for a Psychology Masters part-time with the University of Glasgow and loves the independent research aspect of the programme, which has enabled her to explore issues she cares about, such as inequality in education, mental health, and poverty. Having developed a keen interest in the various barriers which young people face when accessing education, she was thrilled to have the opportunity to join the Light Up Learning team and is excited to help the organisation develop. When she is not working at LUL or studying, Nadine loves to walk her dog, Trev, spend time with family and friends, go to kettlebell classes, and read.

Currently learning…. about resilience, Adverse Childhood Experiences and disability studies

Mentor

Art has always been a big part of Lauren’s life. Growing up as an especially shy child, being creative allowed her to enjoy spending time by herself and to connect with others, like creating books out of stapled printer paper to put on classroom bookshelves for her classmates to read. Fast forward a couple of decades and Lauren has a foundation diploma in art & design and a masters in creative writing, works as a tutor in fine art and English & maths, and is very excited to be starting her first mentoring role with LUL. Having been a quiet child herself, Lauren feels especially satisfied when she is able to work with other introverted young people and see them have joyful and rewarding experiences. She was a member of the National Youth Arts Advisory Group (NYAAG) for seven years, working with Creative Scotland to improve and expand youth arts provision in Scotland. She remains passionate about providing quality creative experiences for young people to engage with and benefit from.

Currently learning… Spanish and how to play the piano.

Mentor

With her background in educational and arts outreach projects, speech therapy and youth mental health, Hannah was thrilled to join the Light Up Learning team. Throughout her career, Hannah has been struck by the transformative impact of giving young people the space to express themselves, build their resilience and recognise their own potential. As a poet and literacy tutor, she is particularly passionate about the power of books, storytelling and creative writing as a means of exploring identity, fostering imaginative empathy, and empowerment. She believes passionately in working towards dismantling educational inequalities and looks forward to creating opportunities for holistic, youth-led learning.

Currently learning… neuroplasticity and meditation, and how to handstand!

Mentor

Megan is a visual artist and writer who has worked in a variety of creative learning environments, from a local primary school to a prison on the west coast. She recently completed a traineeship with Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, where she has worked as Learning Assistant for the last year. A school careers advisor once told Megan she would have to choose between her two biggest passions, art and writing, yet she was determined not to give up on either and ten years later graduated with a Masters degree in ‘Art Writing’ from Glasgow School of Art, following her undergraduate degree in Sculpture. Through installations, writing, and making, Megan has explored a variety of topics including shipbuilding, ghosts, reproductive rights, Scottish rivers, the colour pink, Witch Hunting, metal foundries and many more! This varied and creative approach to learning led Megan to join Light Up Learning as a mentor, where she hopes to encourage and empower young people to follow their own learning journey, no matter how unique that might be. She is deeply passionate about the enriching potential of learning yet recognises the many inequalities that exist when attempting to access education. She hopes that the work done by LUL can be a step towards addressing the barriers faced by young people today.

Mentor

Originally from Suffolk, Mazz spent her childhood around Dublin, bounced over to Edinburgh, completed a degree in Scriptwriting in Bournemouth and now lives in Dundee, so must admit a tendency to gravitate towards the Eastern coasts...

Growing up, she was deeply involved with a camping charity that had a strong commitment to social inclusion and encouraged playfulness, nature connection and community-building. Through a philosophy of ‘learning by doing and teaching by being,’ Mazz witnessed countless times how different ages could learn from each other, thus embracing learning as the fluid, living thing that it is.

With experience in many sectors, Mazz is now a qualified EYP also working in a fully outdoor nursery, where she trained in the Hand in Hand listening tools, an empathetic model for supporting children’s emotional life. She writes poetry, creative nonfiction, and a regular blog, and although unable to read music is a self-taught pianist in the process of recording an album. A committed improviser, Mazz is thrilled to be joining LUL in supporting young people to discover the diverse, barrier-smashing potential of self-led learning.

Currently learning… About the origin of apple orchards and different apple varieties.

Mentor

Caitlin is a former support worker and English teacher who balances her passion for redressing inequality in education with her dream of being a writer. She has spent the last few years in the classroom teaching the value of creativity as a tool for personal development (or trying to!). She has also been lucky enough to work with some wonderful young people facing barriers to learning. Through working as a pupil support worker, she learned all about magic, anime, gaming and F1 racing from her students.

As a writer, she runs local workshops in her community built around the idea that imagination is a radical act for dreaming up new possibilities about the world. She is working on her first novel (slowly!), combining social commentary about class and female friendship in Scotland with ancient Scottish folk tales.

She is so excited to be joining Light Up Learning. She has seen the way young people develop self confidence when they have someone to listen to them, and looks forward to being that listening ear as a LUL mentor.

Currently learning… how to be the caller in a ceilidh

Mentor

During her time at school, Alison became disengaged and viewed learning as something that she was forced to do to pass an exam. She then met a fantastic college tutor who sparked her interest in learning and this experience motivated her to become a primary teacher. After several years of teaching, she became frustrated with the education system and the lack of opportunities for 1:1 support. Last year, Alison was diagnosed with ADHD. This diagnosis has helped her to better understand herself and has strengthened her commitment to helping young people discover and celebrate their own unique strengths.

She is passionate about equality and breaking down barriers to learning for young people. Alison is delighted to be joining LUL and is looking forward to supporting young people to lead their learning, discover their interests and reach their full potential.

Currently learning…. about Self-Regulation

Head of Mentoring and Operations

After gaining her undergraduate degree in Psychology, she went on to work in higher education, supporting university students which led her to working for her first non-profit focused on student volunteering, fundraising and employability. Seeing the commitment of those involved in third sector organisations, she decided to pursue this path and joined Light Up Learning in an operational capacity hoping to assist with supporting disadvantaged young people realise their full potential. In her spare time she creates and sells both digital and analog collages. This also involves a lot of charity and antique shop hunts for materials which is her happy place.

Currently learning...to drive

Mentor

Fuelled by a love of learning, Natalie first came to Scotland from New York State to study for a Masters, followed by a PhD, at the University of Edinburgh. This was unfamiliar territory for her family; she was only the second person to go to university - and the first to travel across an ocean to do it! When deciding what to study, Natalie found she loved piecing together what life was like for people in different times and places through the things they wrote, places they lived, and objects they left behind. Natalie drew on many different subjects for her research projects, such as classics, history, archaeology, geography and theology. This variety of interests inspired the conversations of university-level tutorials she led and eventually her secondary school classroom, too.

Since moving to Scotland, Natalie has been interested in education and the issues young people face in accessing and enjoying school. She loves Light up Learning because of the moments when inspiration strikes, time flies, and mentees leave knowing a little more than they did an hour ago. In addition to Light up Learning, she works with Edinburgh College students with academic support and the University of Glasgow on their access to university courses.

Even though she’s no longer a student, Natalie can’t help but continue learning. She is an avid reader, often learns new recipes in the kitchen, and taught herself how to knit, weave, play guitar, and read French.

Currently learning… How to draw better through daily sketches in her sketchbook and 11th-century monasticism for a book she’d like to write someday.

Mentor

Sophia was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City. She attended a school that emphasised experiential learning and outdoor education, which worked really well for her learning style. Her later experiences of formal education, studying Social Anthropology, and later, Outdoor and Adventure Therapeutic Practice, have been engaging and have challenged her to learn in new ways.

Sophia has worked in several settings, but was drawn to LUL as a way to combine her desire to support others and to apply her creativity. Sophia enjoys how dynamic every day is at LUL, and is inspired by watching mentees develop their unique strengths and personalities through learning projects. In addition to her work as a mentor at Light Up Learning, Sophia works as a mental health support worker with people of all ages.

Outside of work, Sophia can be found taking day trips within and beyond Edinburgh, exploring some of the many beautiful outdoor spots Scotland has to offer, cold water swimming (if it's bigger than a puddle, she's probably going in), working away on one of her many crochet projects, or cooking up a new recipe she's never tried before.

Currently learning...about organising hacks, crochet products, and local history