Former KIPP middle school teacher Luna Rey is the new executive director of Mission Squash, which focuses on empowering students from Houston's underserved communities to achieve a college education through the intensive academic programs and the sport of squash.

Rey is an energetic, innovative leader and educator who has worked with students from kindergarten through 12th grade through the Teach for America program, KIPP Connect Middle School in Houston, Portfolio School in Manhattan and Columbia University.

"We're excited to continue to grow Mission Squash with Luna's experience supporting first-generation and low-income college students at Columbia University and other schools," said Alistair Barnes, board president and founder of Mission Squash.

Rey received her Bachelor of Arts in American studies with a concentration in English from Columbia University, where her work focused heavily on problems of equity in education. While at Columbia, Rey worked in the Office of Financial Aid and Educational Finance, where she developed extensive knowledge of admissions and financial aid and worked to support first-generation and low-income families.

"I am excited to officially congratulate Luna Rey on her new position," said Vanessa Saldaña, head of James Hogg Middle School. "As a school leader, I am thrilled to see someone with a background in education become the executive director for Mission Squash. I look forward to continuing to work together to provide support and resources to our students."

In 2015, Rey became the founding admissions coordinator for Portfolio School, a mixed-age, project-based school in Manhattan. During her time at Portfolio, she drew on her experiences working in the High Tech High Graduate School of Education to connect with educators and curate creative, rigorous projects for her elementary school students.

"I look forward to continuing this work with Mission Squash and developing impactful work with my scholars," said Rey. "As a first-generation college graduate, I'm passionate about enabling scholars to succeed both in college and in life beyond the classroom."

Mission Squash empowers students from Houston's underserved communities to unlock and maximize their potential through intensive, year-round academic, wellness and enrichment programs. Squash is played by over 10 million people across 180 countries, and the sport has strong ties to top-tier colleges in the US. Starting in middle school and extending through college graduation, Mission Squash scholars make a seven-year commitment to attend 200 hours of tutoring sessions and practices throughout the school year: after school, at weekends and for much of summer.