Leonie Swords has worked in education for over eight years, spanning education policy and research at both local and national levels, school governance, and more recently secondary teaching in English. She is passionate about disrupting traditional educational methods, focusing on creativity, critical engagement, and seeing classrooms as important spaces to share culture and stories. She advocates for this in her work in youth poetry collectives, deconstructing gender norms in education, and her classroom practice. She believes kitchens and classrooms have a lot in common: they’re places where people learn from each other, experiment, and build confidence. As a trustee, she is excited to support Made In Hackney’s work using food to connect communities, celebrate culture, and inspire social change.