December was another exciting month for the ARK Blockchain Education Initiative here in the Sunshine State and beyond. From promising meetings to closing out the year at the third annual Blockchain Association Summit, we’re generating a lot of traction and our efforts are getting noticed at both the state and national levels.
Here’s a quick look at our December highlights:
- Polk County School Board
- Senator Danny Burgess
- Manatee School Board Chair Chad Choate
- BA Summit in Washington D.C.
Meeting the Polk County School Board
Closing out the year also meant addressing the final county that borders Hillsborough, Polk County to the east. I emailed all of the board members an introduction to myself as the ARK Blockchain Education Liaison and told them what our initiative aims to achieve here in Florida. Based on their reactions during my 3-minute speech , several of the board members seemed keen to learn more. I will be sending along this update to them and following up in the new year with them as well as all other local school boards I’ve addressed.
Private Audience with Senator Danny Burgess
After missing our original meeting in October due to Hurricane Milton, ARK CEO Ray Alvarez and I had an incredible meeting with Senator Burgess. He was warm, funny, and constantly curious about blockchain technology and how it could help our students move forward in the 21st century, giving them a competitive edge over their peers in the nation and around the globe.
Our conversation ran the gamut when it came to the various ideas we shared, but during our spitball session, he had suggestions we hadn’t even thought of, such as including a section on digital assets as part of a broader financial literacy course. Needless to say, Ray and I are excited to follow up with Senator Burgess and his staff next month!
One-on-One with Chair Chad Choate
On the heels of speaking in Polk, the very next day I was able to have a solo meeting with Chad Choate, the Chair of the Manatee County School Board. After addressing the entire board last month, he had wanted to follow up with me to learn more about what we could offer Manatee students.
Much like our meeting with Senator Burgess, our dialogue touched on all sorts of novel ideas, from creating an online course that could offer a certificate of achievement on blockchain basics (for both students and teachers) to perhaps one day potentially drawing students to an older high school that the county would like to repurpose into a polytechnic institute.
Similar to Senator Burgess’ suggestion, Chair Choate believes we should be sharing these ideas with Commissioner Diaz and the FLDOE, and outreach has been initiated to him and his staff.
Third Annual Blockchain Association Summit
ARK Education Liaison Ryan Haczynski and ARK CEO Ray AlvarezTo close out the month in the most spectacular way possible, Ray and I attended the BA Summit in Washington D.C. where we were surrounded by some of the biggest decision makers at the national level.
Whether we were hobnobbing with titans of industry or chatting with the aides of our Representatives and/or Senators, all were keen to learn more about our initial efforts here in Florida. Anyone we approached realized the value of bringing blockchain education to classrooms so that we can ensure America remains competitive as it transforms into “the crypto capital of the world.”
U.S. Representatives McHenry and Hill discuss FIT21Our plan for early next year is to go back to D.C. and, with the help of the BA staff, attend as many meetings as possible with Florida-based legislators to inform them about what we are striving to achieve here in the Sunshine State. Many of our federal lawmakers came up through the political ranks first in Florida, and they retain strong ties to the state legislature.
Ray and I left the BA Summit invigorated and encouraged by the tailwinds that are coming to the blockchain industry, and we cannot wait to see what 2025 and beyond will bring!
On behalf of the entire ARK blockchain ecosystem, thank you for reading our updates over the last few months. We look forward to bringing you more next year and wish you and yours a pleasant holiday season.
ARK CEO, Ray Alvarez, BA CEO, Kristin Smith, ARK EL, Ryan Haczynski
