2024 Fellow

Kyra Mungia
TRiO Plus

Website
https://www.trioplus.org

Personal Bio

A passionate advocate for racial, social, and educational equity, Kyra Mungia is committed to making systems work better for everyone, especially those most marginalized. As a former Oakland public school teacher, Kyra experienced firsthand how our educators – especially our Black, Latine, and other educators of color – struggle to afford to live in the cities they work. This experience and the disparities she witnessed are what drove her to co-found TRiO Plus to tackle housing & affordability for educators, so our kids stop paying the price for our broken housing system.

Kyra has been recognized for her work as a Forbes 30 under 30 lister in Education, Diablo Magazine Agent of Change, and a Surge Institute fellow. With everything she does, Kyra always gives 100%…except when donating blood. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Brown University and a Master’s Degree in Urban Education with a focus on Policy and Administration from Loyola Marymount University.

Project Description

The high cost of housing is driving out all teachers – but especially Black, Latine, and other teachers of color – thus exacerbating the student-teacher representation gap and contributing to stark racial disparities.

TRiO Plus is revolutionizing the way housing is provided for our most valuable yet underpaid workforce — public school educators. TRiO Plus’ two-sided marketplace serves as a user-friendly "Zillow for teachers," providing an easy-to-navigate platform with additional support such as institutional guarantees, low-interest security deposit loans, and free financial coaching. Our innovative model is championed by some of Oakland's most prominent property owners, state & local leaders, and one of the country’s largest banks. By focusing on groups historically denied access to economic mobility, TRiO Plus paves the clearest path to long-term wealth creation & stability, positioning educators — especially educators of color — for success.