Wouldn't It Be Cool If...
Brian Buntz |
TEDxGunnHighSchool
• January 2018
After serving in the Peace Corps in Guatemala in the mid-90's, Brian returned home to California as a middle school teacher. He worked with students recently arrived from Latin America, teaching English as a second language (ESL) and bilingual core-subject classes. Excited by the opportunities that opened up for his students as they developed fluency in a second language, he went on to create a video-based ESL software program that is used throughout the world today to teach beginning English language learners of all ages. In early 2004, Brian joined the team at Dream Careers, Inc., an organization dedicated to providing exceptional hands-on summer career development experiences for college students to serve as its VP of Education. In 2007, he founded Dream Volunteers & Young Dreamer Network, serving at the helm on a pro-bono basis. Since then, Brian has supported over 100 youth internationally with their education and has personally led an average of 12 service trips a year for high school students, college students, and young families interested in making a difference in communities throughout Guatemala, Costa Rica, India, Vietnam and Ghana. Throughout these trips, he has witnessed the transformative power of service, cultural immersion, and self-reflection. Brian developed the personal growth curriculum that students use on the trips to answer questions that young adults often face: Who do I want to be? How can I be deliberate in my decisions, not just letting life's current carry me where it will? What choices can I make that are in alignment with who I want to be? What are the values, interests, passions, and fire that get me out of bed in the morning — and how can I use them to make a real impact? When he's not flying out for a service trip or on the ground in one of our international locations, Brian lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Edna, and two young sons, all avid and enthusiastic world travelers. Brian has a Bachelor's degree in Business from the University of Iowa and an MA in Education from San Jose State University. He also holds a multi-subject teaching credential in the State of California.