A Decade of Light Honoree: Linda Mindaye ‘16
Since 2016, Linda has grown from a Citizen Schools Fellow to a Specialist in Organizational Learning & Development at Boston University.
Linda is an alumni honoree at A Decade of Light, CFSI’s 10-year anniversary fundraiser on May 7, 2026. Support future student outcomes like Linda’s with your gift.
As the Citizen Schools Fellow in our first-ever cohort, Linda worked on curriculum and instruction across programs in the Boston area and taught poetry in two middle schools.
Linda says that what she loved most about her time in Semester in the City was the trust; her mentor offered autonomy with clear expectations, and she rose to meet them. That trust deepened her sense of responsibility and care for the work and the students in front of her.
Since then, Linda’s path has been rooted in learning, teaching, and building. She graduated from Clark University in 2019 with a degree in Community, Youth, and Education Studies and went on to earn her Master’s in Education from Boston University, where she focused on curriculum and instruction. She has worked as a special education teacher and later as an instructional coach supporting humanities educators. Along the way, Linda has led work in relational practice and restorative justice, in spaces where conflict becomes a doorway rather than a dead end.
She’s grown into mentoring, coaching, and strategic planning roles, partnering with individuals, startups, and organizations to reimagine how work happens: how relationships are built, how conflict is held, and how culture becomes something we practice, not just name. By day, Linda works in Organizational Development and Learning at Boston University, but by heart, she co-hosts The Messy Part, a podcast dedicated to the lessons messing up teaches you.
What sparks you to make change?
“A grounded belief that a more collaborative, kind, and thriving world is possible, if we choose to live its values before it fully exists.”