Arden Santana (“Fire”) rose from the social-emotional ashes that a teen-aged mother, an absentee father, and the crack pandemic leaves in the streets of a small city with huge historical significance. As a little girl, Arden played school and office. She grew up observing her grandmother, an assistant librarian, during times when self care wasn’t a goal. Arden loved attending school- going and excelling in spite of no hard push; she completed her freshman year of college at Howard University. To avoid the pitfall of student loans, Arden transferred to Southern Connecticut State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and eventually became a public school teacher. A drive to comprehend human behavior and consciousness led Arden to a master’s degree in Conscious Evolution from the Graduate Institute in Bethany, CT. Every job Arden held since graduating from high school was in the field of Education. Today, she spearheads her own school as Founder of SĀHGE Academy. Fire has left and returned to her hometown of New Haven three times. The charm is being able to give back to the city that raised her. Arden’s calling to teach, and a mature awareness of what she wasn’t taught, guides an educational philosophy that centers the students and civic literacy. Fire’s quest for wholeness, purpose and inspiration is a continuous one. Being a “MAMA” has been the greatest contributor to Arden’s path of self actualization. Arden’s next goal is to earn a Juris Doctorate. Arden is grateful for the divinity found in sisterhood and prays that every woman attracts her circle. In her’s, Fire is known as the mixologist and the one to say what everyone’s thinking but won’t.