Austin Fellman was born in August 2005 in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. From an early age, he displayed creativity through drawing, art projects, puzzles, and playing card/board games with his grandma. Since seventh grade, Austin aspired to become a teacher, aiming to overcome the poverty stigma he was born into.
In high school, Austin excelled academically, graduating with honors from Lincoln Senior High School in 2023. He broke educational barriers and developed leadership skills by piloting a Media Broadcasting class and strengthening Special Olympics within his district. He participated in the Polar Plunge, a Unified Physical Education Course, and various Unified Sporting Events. In his junior year, Austin joined the Student Directors board for Special Olympics Minnesota and became the Co-Vice President in his senior year. This role allowed him to attend Unified Sporting events statewide, speak at Student Leadership summits, and make numerous friends.
Austin and his Unified Partner, William Duncan, were selected as U.S. Youth Ambassadors for Special Olympics North America, serving a two-year term. They traveled to New Mexico, Washington D.C., and throughout Minnesota, speaking at conferences and schools, including the national CASEL conference in Atlanta, GA.
Austin is currently pursuing an Elementary Education degree at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, with minors in German and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), set to graduate in May 2027. At Concordia, he has actively networked, working as a Student Ambassador in the Admissions Office and interning for Special Olympics North Dakota.
National Education Leaders Network Members
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Andrea Cahn
Senior Vice President, Unified Champion Schools -
Dr. Betty Edwards
Co-Chair -
Molly McCloskey
NELN Facilitator -
Dr. Steve Amaro
Member -
Dr. Sheldon Berman
NELN Co-Chair -
Dr. Christina Cipriano
Member -
Dr. Tami Jo Cook
Member -
William Duncan
Member -
Austin Fellman
Member -
Dr. Frances Gipson
Member -
Dr. Terry Jackson
Member -
Lindsay Jones, J.D.
Member -
José Muñoz
Member -
Erin O’Sullivan
Member -
Jennifer Paolantonio
Member -
Karen Pittman
Member -
S. Kwesi Rollins
Member -
Daryl Smith
Member -
Brenda Welburn
Member -
Dr. Lu Settles Young
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