Amanda Linton

Amanda is a high school teacher in Hillsborough County, Florida. Originally from the Memphis, Tennessee area, Amanda earned a B.A. in English from the University of Memphis. She has the experience of an everyday working person and business owner; she is well-equipped to address the real life impact of state policy. She's driven, passionate, and a worker who doesn't stop until the job is done.

• Amanda will fight for fully funded public schools to make high quality education accessible to every student, regardless of their zip code.
• Amanda believes healthcare is a right. She supports access to affordable healthcare and Medicaid expansion.
• Our waterways are the key to our economy in Florida. Amanda supports environmental protections and climate justice.

Amanda's primary passion in public policy centers around education. In 2014, Amanda applied to Hillsborough County's Alternate Certification Program that aims to provide a pathway to certification for teachers who have subject area degrees rather than education degrees. Since then, she has become a highly effective teacher in her district and a recognized swim coach. She has spoken at school board meetings, lead leadership teams on her campus, and taken on the necessary role of educating our English Language Learner population. The day-to-day work she does in the classroom with her students is one of her biggest motivators. You'll rarely see her face brighter than when she's working alongside kids. Amanda is also the mother of three children who attend Hillsborough County Public Schools. Taking on the task of reinvigorating our statewide public school system through common sense policy is more than just a professional interest for her - it's personal.

The first significant historical event I remember is 9/11. I was 13 years old, a freshman in high school. I was in World History; I could draw the arrangement of the room and identify my desk, I remember this moment so vividly. The teacher next door who taught American History and US Government, Mrs. Jenkins, opened the door and the look on her face told us that something was seriously wrong. This was shortly after the first plane struck. She had a television in her room; she often had it tuned to a news station on mute so she could keep tabs on what was happening without disturbing her students. After she told my teacher what had happened, we were all shuffled into the auditorium and held together. It was a small school, so we all fit. Our teachers and administration were with us. They had the news playing on a projector; we watched in collective horror as the footage of the second plane striking rolled across the screen. I remember my friends and I fearfully wondering whether our city was going to be next or if our parents would need to go help. My father was in the Air Force before I was born; I was terrified he would be called for duty. My friend's father was a firefighter; he was on a plane the next day headed to New York. I do not remember if we were sent home early that day, but I remember the conversations had with my parents that night. It was the first time I saw my mother cry over a world event. It was scary and impactful, but it was also the first time I experienced the American spirit. I watched in the days following as people and animals were pulled from the rubble. I read stories of survivors and cried as I listening to those final phone calls and voicemails. In the face of terrible loss and destruction, I watched our country come together to help, to fight, and to heal. In 2006, I visited the memorial. I was struck by how big the hole in the ground still was, 5 years after. I share this story in my high school classroom every year to remember.