From Hidden Potential to Global Impact: Aimee Meditz's Journey in International Education

"I don't ever remember a time when I didn't sing," Aimee reflects, tracing back to her school days filled with music and performance. But the real melody and rhythm of her life that would guide her toward empowering learners, came much earlier, when a six-year old struggling to see the board first learned what it meant to be overlooked and then truly seen. 

The Seeds of Empathy: A Teacher's Origin Story

Viewing herself as a global citizen, Aimee Meditz infuses her work in international schools with a holistic perspective. And it’s a perfect fit for her role as Director of Inspired Experiences and Lead Facilitator with Inspire Citizens. (image supplied)

Aimee's formation as an educator began not when she first stepped into a classroom to teach, but when she sat confused and lost as a young student with an undiagnosed visual impairment. "I developed a sense of not being enough in school and did not understand why," she recalls. "I was awful in school when I was young. And rather than being rambunctious and turbulent and entertaining the crew, I just kind of was super quiet. And wanted to hide."

The transformation came with a pair of "Coke bottle glasses" and a teacher named Mrs. Best who, Aimee insists with a smile, "truly was the best." In those huge flowery printed dresses, Mrs. Best went beyond teaching Aimee to read; she showed her what it meant to be seen, understood, and supported as a learner.

"I read my heart out for Mrs. Best. I adored her," Aimee remembers. This experience of being a learner with unmet needs, both academically and socially, would become the cornerstone of her educational philosophy decades later.

From Casablanca to Global Citizenship

After university, Aimee made a move that would set the course for her career: she moved to Casablanca, Morocco. What started as teaching English in a language school quickly evolved into a decades-long journey in international schools, where she worked as a teacher, instructional coach, middle school and elementary school principal, always guiding learning toward empathy, agency and authentic impact. This would later play a role in what would become the Inspire Citizens vision.

"Aaron Moniz [co-founder of Inspire Citizens] came to our school in Casablanca as an intern, and we hired him as a learning specialist in middle school," Aimee recalls. Together, they launched a program for students identified as talented and gifted, but not in the usual way. "We didn’t want to label or segregate students. Instead, we put them to work on community-centered projects, building on their strengths while growing in empathy."

These early initiatives led to remarkable outcomes: students re-piping mountain water to villages, organizing medical caravans, and even constructing a preschool and women’s literacy center. "It started as a handful of kids with ideas," she says, "It was the seed of experiential learning."

The Why: Hope, Purpose, and Empowerment

For Aimee, the heart of education lies in empowering students to see themselves as capable of meaningful change. "I get super excited about kids doing things with their learning that I and their teachers have never come close to doing in our entire lifetime," she explains. "When we resource kids with tools, mindsets, and frameworks to accomplish things that are impactful, meaningful, and sustainable. That’s my why."

Now based in France and working as part of the Inspire Citizens team, Aimee helps educators and schools design learning that aligns their mission and values, while strengthening wellbeing, purpose and community.

She ties this vision directly to the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 4.7, which emphasizes education for sustainable development and global citizenship. "We’re raising kids who often feel anxious and powerless about the future," she says.  Aimee believes that students of any age can make a meaningful impact when their learning connects to purpose and is supported with the right tools and guidance.

The How: Regenerative Education and Bhutan

Now based in France and working as part of the Inspire Citizens team, Aimee helps educators and schools design learning that aligns their mission and values, while strengthening wellbeing, purpose and community. She sees that many schools are already doing meaningful work, yet often have untapped potential to connect learning more intentionally with social-emotional growth, community needs and real-world purpose. Her role with Inspire Citizens helps them discover and build on those possibilities.

Her newest project is in Bhutan, where she is designing two experiences: EducatorX Bhutan, a regenerative professional development program for teachers, and YouthX Bhutan, an empathy-to-impact experience for students. "Educators will reconnect with their purpose; what brought them to teaching in the first place," she explains. "They’ll explore joy, purpose, and belonging in their work and then bring that to their students."

Coming Full Circle

Reflecting on her journey, Aimee sees herself in a place where her work and her deepest passion and purpose finally move in the same direction. "For the first time, I can follow my passion and really bring it to my work with educators, leaders, and students," she says. "I always found ways to weave in my passions, but it was never the mainstay of what I did. And now it is."

Her voice, once quiet and unsure as a child, now reaches learners and educators across continents. And it’s a voice for inspiring hope, belonging, and the power of learning to see differently.