Maria
Kopicki LABORING FOR LOVE AND EQUITY BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
making a difference By Jane K. Asher, Ph.D. Photos by Jessica Laine Photography
Even though Maria Kopicki no longer spends her days shaping young minds in the classroom, her love for education, for educators and for underserved children remains at the heart of her career in real estate and continues to live on — and grow — through EVOLVEK12. Throughout Maria’s 30-year career as a public school teacher, she was revered for her dedication, generous spirit and compassion, and known for her mantra: “It’s all about the love.” After making the difficult decision to retire from teaching in June 2019, Maria wanted to continue the legacy of love that had shaped her pedagogy and her life for so many years, and that’s what inspired her vision for EVOLVEK12 as well as its name — LOVE spelled backward, followed by “VE” for Vesting in Education. Founded by Maria in fall 2019, EVOLVEK12 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Metro Detroit with a mission to “close the achievement gap by closing the funding 42 • July 2021
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