Educational History of Emma Mayerson

Activist Emma Mayerson has a rich educational history, which has inspired much of her work with literacy and education for girls. Growing up in Berkeley, CA, Emma Mayerson attended Tehiyah Day School in El Cerrito, where she spearheaded multiple initiatives to partner students and improve reading and writing skills. Emma Mayerson then attended Berkeley High School. During this time, she worked with the Jewish Coalition for Literacy, and received a Youth Leadership Award from the Youth Leadership Institute in San Francisco for her literacy work.

Emma Mayerson left the Bay Area for college. She attended Tufts University, located on the border of Medford and Somerville in Eastern Massachusetts. At Tufts, Emma Mayerson majored in American Studies. She graduated cum laude, and received the Ted Shapiro Outstanding Senior Thesis Award, and was inducted into the Honos Civicus Society for her achievement in community service.

As a result of her educational history and the encouragement of her family, Emma Mayerson has built much of her community organizing efforts around literacy and educational opportunities. As a teenager, she helped her fellow classmates improve their reading and writing skills through the creation of a pen pal program. Emma Mayerson also created the Generations program at the Jewish Coalition for Literacy, which fostered relationships between Jewish youth and elders through reading lessons and literacy activities. Emma Mayerson also started the Jewish Youth Foundation Teen Board, which taught twenty Bay Area teenagers about philanthropy and the importance of giving back to the community.

Now as Program Director of the Alliance for Girls, Emma Mayerson uses educational resources to bring together multiple girls’ groups from throughout the Bay Area. Through lecture series, networking events, and activist conferences, Emma Mayerson helps programs learn about the importance of funding girls’ causes, and the most effective methods of doing so. Many of these organizations focus on educational access for young girls in the Bay Area.