Meet Jayda Batchelder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jayda Batchelder and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jayda, what matters most to you?
This is a hard question to answer, as my personal and professional values are intertwined. Our core values have been a driving force for Education Opens Doors, and for me personally, over the past eight years – specifically the values of empathy and equity. Being an empathetic leader who is grounded in integrity is foundational to who I am, and while I may misstep, I strive to lead with love. In addition, equity and equitable access to opportunities and information is at the core of my work and my life. I like to say I’m on my own personal journey of learning and unlearning as it relates to equity and racial equality. I also realize that to truly be an equitable leader and organization is an undertaking that doesn’t have a finish line; we will have to lean into constant learning, innovation and consistently do things differently.   

What should our readers know about your business?
Education Opens Doors was born out of a need I saw in my own 8th grade classroom back in 2012 to help better equip students for high school and their journeys into college and a career. So much is being asked of middle school students now, yet there’s a lack of dedicated time in school to adequately prepare them to make critical decisions about their future – from important life skills to understanding GPA and post-secondary options to career pathways. What excites me most is that this is where our organization shines; we have a best-in-class Student Guidebook, in-class and digital lessons, teacher support and training – all centered around middle school, and year after year, we see through data that our program is having an impact. One of the aspects of Education Opens Doors that I’m most proud of is our commitment to equity. Our organization is grounded in ensuring students from low-income communities, communities of color and first-generation college students receive the knowledge and support they need to succeed. In fact, we’re now in the 10th edition of our Student Guidebook after having gone through an extensive equity review; we felt it was critical that we evaluate our core curriculum with an equity lens to ensure we’re providing our students culturally responsive content. As for other pride points, we’ve significantly, intentionally grown our amazing EOD team, and with that, we’re expanding our impact, the investment in innovation and our ability to rapidly pivot, such as how we’ve gone fully digital in response to COVID There are certainly always challenges, too. Our biggest are probably legitimizing the need for college and career readiness to be taught in middle school (as opposed to high school), building a name for the organization and a network of supporters in Dallas – since I am not originally from here – and striving to fund as much strategic growth as possible both in Dallas and across the U.S. I’m always learning, and I try to foster a learning culture. That said, there are a few lessons that have always stuck with me: – Your next choice isn’t your last choice. We will make mistakes, we will fail, and that’s part of the process. We have to have a willingness to take risks and learn when things don’t turn out how we expect. In fact, those outcomes are often even better. – Diversity of ideas and perspectives is the best way to evolve and build, whether that’s the next version of something, the next solution to a problem or something you never even thought about. Surround yourself with people who aren’t like you to thrive and grow. – Lead with empathy. You can never go wrong by stepping back, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and wondering “what’s driving this decision?” or “does this person need my support and I’m not seeing it?” People know when you take the time to care about them and their well-being.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Over the years, I have found more and more areas of Dallas that I’ve grown to love. For my visitors, it’s about finding a balance of spending time with the amazing people who make this city my home, exploring neighborhoods I love, and indulging in delicious meals. One of my favorite things about Dallas is the restaurant scene. Hands down we would visit Petra and the Beast for one of the most unique and delicious meals. We would have dinner on the patio of Uchiba for some of the best bites in the city. And for lunch one day we would visit the Market at Bonton Farms for the Green Mater Sandwich. On a different day, we’d enjoy the food trucks at Klyde Warren Park. Finally, a visit to Dallas isn’t complete without dining at Cafe Momentum followed by wine outside on the patio of Times Ten Cellar or cocktails at Revelers Hall to listen to live jazz. Beyond the great food, we would do our fair share of exploring as well. For starters, we would take my pup to White Rock and walk around the lake and visit Norbuck Park. We would also walk the Katy Trail for a glimpse of nature in the middle of the city. We would certainly make time to visit The Dallas Zoo. As a Board Member, I have grown to love – and have a deeper understanding of the importance – of the Dallas Zoo in our community. Sharing the animals and the Zoo’s conservation initiatives with visitors would be a treat. On our way back from the Zoo we would stop in Bishop Arts for a dining, drinking and followed by a walk through my favorite area, the Kessler Park Conservation District.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

This is such a great question. It truly takes a village to be successful and live out your passion. I owe the successes of Education Opens Doors and my journey as a social entrepreneur to the support of many. That said, I would like to dedicate this shoutout to a mentor, friend, and an early Board Member of Education Opens Doors, Bob Wright. If you do a deep dive, Bob is behind the scenes of much of the social innovation in our city. From Social Venture Partners of Dallas to the United Way’s Social Innovation Accelerator to a professor of social entrepreneurship at UTD — he is an innovator, a connector, an educator, and a mentor. Bob took a chance on me nine years ago. He dedicated his time to coach and advise me as I worked to transform an idea into an organization. He helped interview my first hires, coached me on fundraising presentations – and even attended – when I felt like I needed the support. He was always willing to lend an ear and to help solve problems that felt too daunting for me to navigate on my own. I can’t begin to quantify the time and energy he offered me, and continues to provide, and I truly owe much of the growth, success, and innovation of Education Opens Doors to his early and ongoing support over the years.