Rock the School Bells is a completely volunteer-Based Leadership model. all educators, artists, professionals, and community members invest their own time, resources, and love. RTSB LeadErship team invest their heart & Soul into running intentional, fun, and culturally relevant conferences every year for our youth and community members to experience.
it takes a collective to spark a change. here we highlight this year’s Bay Area leadership squad.
RTSB LEADS
Nate Nevado
founder & Executive Director
Nate Nevado is a college counselor at Skyline College. He is also the CIPHER Hip Hop Learning Community Coordinator since 2014. He founded Rock The School Bells (RTSB) in 2007 to provide youth and students with experiences that integrate Hip Hop and higher education. For the last decade, RTSB has proven to be the most educational and socially responsible Hip Hop conference nationwide.
Hip Hop has always been marginalized in the field of education, deliberately silencing the voices and lived experiences of communities of color. RTSB amplifies youth voices, encourages creativity and innovation, and highlighting the importance of cultural preservation and healing through the arts.
Our vision is to inspire the next generation of leaders, educators, and practitioners who can take Hip Hop education to the next level. From Live at the Barbecue with Main Source, to Illmatic and It Was Written, Nas' rhyme schemes and visually authentic street poetry makes him one of my favorite storytellers in Hip Hop.
Bing Lozano-Lim
RTSB18 Lead Coordinator
AKA: humanBING, Go Bing Go, Mentos the Freshmaker
IG handle: @gobinggo.info
Short Bio: Event Coordinator. Community Organizer. Basketball Aficionado. MCU Fanboy. New K-Pop Stan. Hip Hop Practitioner. Competitive By Nature. Father of Two Crazy, Fun and Amazing Kids. RTSB Vet.
He loves putting together events and mastering / memorizing every nuance of those events he produces. He loves the pre-production, the setting of timelines, and the rollercoaster ride of helming an event. He loves it even more being a part of an event like Rock The School Bells that has the power to change lives for the betterment of the students attending the conference and even those who are part of it mentoring the youth to take that next positive step towards the future.
Alexandra "Alex" Urbina
Marketing / Social Media Lead
AKAs: AYEEYOUDOPE
Group Affiliations, Businesses, etc: College of San Mateo, Promise Scholars Program. TikTok/IG: Ayeeyoudope
Bio: I am a first generation Latina from San Francisco. I am a Promise Scholars Counselor at College of San Mateo and an advisor at SF State's Metro College Success Program. I am passionate about supporting students and creating beautiful experiences for my community. Besides being an educator, I like curating my expressive ideas through makeup and photoshoots.
Joseph Jaballa
Volunteer Coordination CO-Lead
AKAs: JAYBALLA, Jaballa
Group Affiliations, Businesses, etc: IG/TikTok @jaaayballa
Bio: Joseph Jaballa was born and raised in the Bay Area and currently serves in higher education as the lead coordinator for Counseling @ Skyline College. Aside from work, he is also a social media creative who rocks with everything fitness & fashion-related.
Matthew Embry
Volunteer Coordination Co-Lead
AKAs: Matt, Matty
Group Affiliations, Businesses, etc: Skyline College, San Francisco State University, College of Marin
Bio: Embry is a proud Skyline College alum, born and raised in the Bay Area. A former CIPHER Hip Hop Learning Community student leader and Promise Scholar , he’s got roots so deep in community colleges, articulation agreements might as well be in his DNA. Now serving as a counseling intern at the College of Marin, he’s guiding students through their academic journeys while grinding through San Francisco State University's Counseling Graduate program because the hustle in higher ed is just as real as it is in hip-hop.
Your "What Now?" in your own personal life: My “What Now?” is surviving grad school and leveling up as a counselor! During the journey, I strive to find joy in every assignment and no matter how many levels I gain, I’ll always be a student at heart.
Your "What Now?" for RTSB. Creating spaces where young people’s voices matter, their education reflects their lived experiences, and their creativity and authenticity aren’t just acknowledged but truly valued.
David “D4” Nguyen
Website / DESIGN TEAM LEAD
AKAs: D4
Group Affiliations, Businesses, etc: D4 Music Marketing
Bio: Based in Sacramento, David "D-4" Nguyen is a project and marketing manager for music artists such as Lyrics Born, Butterscotch, Eligh (Living Legends, G&E) and Rocky Rivera. He is also a content creator (photographer / videographer / blogger) that goes by the “Swiss Army Knife for Independent Artists."