A two-time HBO Def Poet and Emmy Award-Winner, Joe Hernández-Kolski is a poet/educator. Originally from Chicago, Joe now lives in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of Princeton University where he worked closely with respected academics Dr. Cornel West and Nobel Prize Winner Toni Morrison. He is the proud host and co-founder of Downbeat 720, an open-mic for high school youth now in its 20th year.

Jonathan Williams is a Mexican American raised in East Los Angeles, California on unceded Tongva territory. He is a published poet and creative visionary most notably for "40 before 40" and "Latino is Just A Name". His poems illuminate the diversity and underrepresentation of the emotional repression in my family and millions of others.

Peggy Burt is a dance and theatre educator, yoga and mindfulness teacher and arts education coach/mentor. Her current work focuses on the intersection between the arts, social emotional learning and mindfulness, with English Learners. Her affiliations include the Los Angeles County Office of Education TEAL/TELA, the Los Angeles County Dept of Arts & Culture, the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, and CREATE CA. Peggy has her own consulting firm, Mindful Strategies, Inc., and is the co-author of the newly published Strategic Arts Education Planning Guide: Expanding Access to the Arts in Schools and Communities. Peggy was formerly the Executive Director of the Foundation for the California State Summer School for the Arts and is dedicated to uplifting the next generation of literary, performing and visual artists. She enjoyed a long and rewarding career in dance and holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Utah and a Master's degree in Information Science from the University of Michigan.

Serafina Kenwood is a costume designer, artist, and art educator. Serafina taught at La Canada High school in the visual and performing arts dept. for 24 years and Citizens of the World Charter for 2 years. She received an MA in arts education from Columbia University Teachers College, and a BFA in costume design from SUNY Purchase. Previous judging includes the Nation Reflections Contest, and also Calibration/Assessor for the CALTPA Teacher Preparation Program. Serafina currently designs costumes and works wardrobe for music videos, short films and theatrical performances and is also a private consultant in portfolio preparation for high school and college arts programs admission. Her wearable and visual art has been exhibited in Los Angeles and New York galleries.