Michael Jordan, Travis Scott, Eminem, Nicki Minaj, and many other celebrities had Nike shoes named after them, but only one sneaker was created for a civil teacher advocating for a social cause.
Ms. Virgina Wright, better known as S.P. Gina, was a teacher in Franklin McKinley School District for 35 years. She spent the majority of her life inspiring young students and guiding them towards a better future. Because of her love for sneakers, she gained the name SP Gina and was famous for buying Nike Jordans for her students. One could say that she was a ‘sneakerhead’.
She started collecting shoes in 2015 to connect with her students. It made her feel like she could relate to them and understand them better. This connection helped her grow as a teacher and inspired her to become a sneaker social media influencer. This caught the attention of Shoe Palace. Those within the company loved her enthusiasm for sneakers and education. “They liked that I was a teacher, [and] they liked the way I was giving back to the community, so instead of going to an athlete or a celebrity, they chose to go with a teacher,” said Wright. With Shoe Palace,she administered a test for their love of sneakers, using a Scantron, a bubble sheet that can be fed into a scanner for quick results,. If someone passed the test, they would get Jordan sneakers. She used this to advocate education and how important it is as she loved education from a young age. As a passionate teacher and social media influencer, she had over 6,000 followers on Instagram and shared her inspiring message about the importance of higher education and her love for sneakers with the world.
In her opinion, children need to know that you believe in them. At school, she always had high expectations for her students as that they will go to college, and that they will have good behavior. She cares deeply about her students because when she was young, the expectations for a young woman was to get married and have kids. Going to school and college was never on the list. The students need to know that you care about them, that you have their back. Giving them the correct education and materials will help any child reach their highest potential. This support caused her students to follow her, to work with her even when they had many reasons to stay disengaged with school
S.P. Gina’s story inspired Shoe Palace and the Jordan Brand to create a shoe for this amazing teacher. She was shocked to discover that she was getting shoes named after her. It was not because she would be famous or rich or important. It was simply because she got a chance to share her message with the world through the two things she loves most: education and sneakers. She was excited to get a chance to connect with others and talk to those around the world. Her story advocates that just because she’s not famous to the world, she is still famous in her community and that is enough to deserve recognition for your actions. Society must start dedicating more to the unsung heroes in our community.
The creation of this sneaker for S.P. Gina really brought out who she was. Gina was always different and unique from the crowd. She fought hard for her students and used her ‘sneaker game’ to connect with them. Her goal for all of her students is for them to go to college and to choose a path for them. She encourages them all to try as hard as they can. The Air Jordan 1s created for SP Gina motivated Gina to tell the world to be unique and be the best version of yourself.
“Never let anyone define you. Be the best you can be of being you.” – S.P. Gina
Sources:
Do you know SP Gina? The Teacher with her own Jordan Sneaker! | Franklin-McKinley School District
San Jose teacher honored with special Air Jordan 1 shoes, ‘SP Gina’
