Rock the School Bells is a completely volunteer-Based Leadership model. all educators, artists, professionals, and community members invest their own time, resources, and love. RTSB LeadErship team invest their heart & Soul into running intentional, fun, and culturally relevant conferences every year for our youth and community members to experience.
it takes a collective to spark a change. here we highlight this year’s Bay Area leadership squad.
RTSB LEADS
Nate Nevado
founder & Executive Director
Nate Nevado is a college counselor at Skyline College. He is also the CIPHER Hip Hop Learning Community Coordinator since 2014. He founded Rock The School Bells (RTSB) in 2007 to provide youth and students with experiences that integrate Hip Hop and higher education. For the last decade, RTSB has proven to be the most educational and socially responsible Hip Hop conference nationwide.
Hip Hop has always been marginalized in the field of education, deliberately silencing the voices and lived experiences of communities of color. RTSB amplifies youth voices, encourages creativity and innovation, and highlighting the importance of cultural preservation and healing through the arts.
Our vision is to inspire the next generation of leaders, educators, and practitioners who can take Hip Hop education to the next level. From Live at the Barbecue with Main Source, to Illmatic and It Was Written, Nas' rhyme schemes and visually authentic street poetry makes him one of my favorite storytellers in Hip Hop.
Bing Lozano-Lim
RTSB18 Lead Coordinator
AKA: humanBING, Go Bing Go, Mentos the Freshmaker
IG handle: @gobinggo.info
Short Bio: Event Coordinator. Community Organizer. Basketball Aficionado. MCU Fanboy. New K-Pop Stan. Hip Hop Practitioner. Competitive By Nature. Father of Two Crazy, Fun and Amazing Kids. RTSB Vet.
He loves putting together events and mastering / memorizing every nuance of those events he produces. He loves the pre-production, the setting of timelines, and the rollercoaster ride of helming an event. He loves it even more being a part of an event like Rock The School Bells that has the power to change lives for the betterment of the students attending the conference and even those who are part of it mentoring the youth to take that next positive step towards the future.
Alexandra "Alex" Urbina
Marketing / Social Media Lead
AKAs: AYEEYOUDOPE
Group Affiliations, Businesses, etc: College of San Mateo, Promise Scholars Program. TikTok/IG: Ayeeyoudope
Bio: I am a first generation Latina from San Francisco. I am a Promise Scholars Counselor at College of San Mateo and an advisor at SF State's Metro College Success Program. I am passionate about supporting students and creating beautiful experiences for my community. Besides being an educator, I like curating my expressive ideas through makeup and photoshoots.
Joseph Jaballa
Volunteer Coordination Lead
AKAs: JAYBALLA, Jaballa
Group Affiliations, Businesses, etc: IG/TikTok @jaaayballa
Bio: Joseph Jaballa was born and raised in the Bay Area and currently serves in higher education as the lead coordinator for Counseling @ Skyline College. Aside from work, he is also a social media creative who rocks with everything fitness & fashion-related.
Marisa Thigpen
Skyline College Resource Fair Coordinator
Group Affiliations, Businesses, etc: Skyline College
Bio: Marisa is a San Francisco Bay Area native, having lived in SF, Concord and SSF throughout her life. Marisa spent three years in her 20s living in Germany and Austria learning German and teaching English and worked for many years within the CSU system at SFSU, CSU Channel Islands and Sonoma State. She’s been a part of the Skyline College Learning Communities program, supporting the CIPHER Hip Hop Learning Community and others since 2015.
David “D4” Nguyen
Website / DESIGN TEAM LEAD
AKAs: D4
Group Affiliations, Businesses, etc: D4 Music Marketing
Bio: Based in Sacramento, David "D-4" Nguyen is a project and marketing manager for music artists such as Lyrics Born, Butterscotch, Eligh (Living Legends, G&E) and Rocky Rivera. He is also a content creator (photographer / videographer / blogger) that goes by the “Swiss Army Knife for Independent Artists." In addition to music marketing, David is working towards becoming a systems health coach for music artists.
RTSB SQUAD
Mandy Lucas
Conference Logistics and Workshop Support
AKA: Mandizzle
Group Affiliations, Businesses, etc: Skyline College Promise Scholars Program
Bio: I identify as Chicana and Pinay, and as a first-generation college graduate and professional. I am a Promise Scholar Program Counselor at Skyline College. I am an advocate and educator focused on creating equitable and social-justice programs that predominantly serve first-generation, low-income, students of color.
Jayde Tijero
Marketing/Social Media Committee Member
AKA: JB by my Grandmother Olivia :)
Group Affiliations, Businesses, etc: Mills High School
Bio: I'm a first generation Chilipina (Chicana + Filipina) from the Central Valley of California. Currently, a school counselor at Mills High, trying to make school fun for everyone!
Brianna Clay-Fuller
Volunteer Committee Member
Group Affiliations, Businesses, etc: Skyline College
Bio: I am a Full-Time Counselor for the TRiO, Promise and Project Change special populations, along with being the co-advisor for Black Student Union. During my "off" time, I am an assistant basketball coach for an AAU travel team; along with being a mother of 2 beautiful children.
Kim Davalos
Conference Logistics Member
AKAs: kd, Kim Dizzle, BK's Fur Mom
Group Affiliations, Businesses, etc: Skyline College Promise Scholars Program
Bio: Kim Davalos (kd) is a third generation Pinay (Filipina-American) born and raised in Stockton, CA. For the last decade, Kim has resided in the Bay Area as an educator, artist and creative.