Kimberly Hufferd-Ackles is the founder and head of school of Open Wings Learning, a microschool serving neurodiverse students in Kenosha since 2012. Through the Drexel Fund Alternate Path program, she will be working to open a new Open Wings location in the city of Milwaukee in fall 2025—and create a blueprint for potential replication to additional cities. Kimberly holds a PhD from Northwestern University in human development and social policy and brings a wide array of educational experiences to her current work with complex and neurodiverse learners. After teaching at the Latin School in Chicago and working as an assistant principal in the suburban Winnetka public school district, Kim followed the dream of opening a school. Open Wings prioritizes individualized instruction as students learn in small, multi-age classrooms. There is additional emphasis on experiential learning, the arts and unleashing student joy in the learning process.