A Heart for Community: Honoring Sandra Wright

If you’ve spent time in the Twin Ports, you’ve likely felt the ripple of Sandra Wright’s quiet leadership and generous spirit.

Maybe she taught you or your children. Maybe she sat beside you on a community board. Maybe she handed you a scholarship application or simply offered a hug when you needed it most. Her leadership doesn’t come with fanfare. It comes with warmth, wisdom, and an unwavering belief in what’s possible when people care.

This summer, Sandra officially concluded her service on the board of Boreal Waters Community Foundation. But stepping back? That’s not in her vocabulary. At 81, despite a summer of arthritis flare-ups brought on by heavy rain and stubborn humidity, she’s still tutoring, mentoring, and volunteering.

“The pain might slow me down,” she says. “But it’s not stopping me.”

A Life of Service

Born and raised in Chicago, Sandra earned her bachelor’s degree from Chicago Teachers College (now Chicago State University) and a master’s in education in Indiana before moving to Superior with her family in 1971.

For 36 years, Sandra shaped young minds—27 of them teaching 3rd through 6th grade at Pattison and Cooper Elementary, followed by a decade at UW–Superior, leading a multicultural, nonsexist education course required for all aspiring teachers. The course, created in response to racial tensions surrounding Indigenous rights, challenged students to see, and serve, all people more justly.

Sandra was the only Black teacher in the Superior School District for 27 years. Her presence has shaped generations.

“My banker is one of my fourth graders,” she says with a laugh. “My lawyer? I taught his grandkids. And two fellow Boreal Waters board members, Heidi Sigfrids and Kerstyn Hendricks? They were in my classroom, too.”

For Heidi Sigfrids, now an assistant principal for the Superior School District, those memories are vivid.

“I had the pleasure of being in Mrs. Wright’s third-grade class at Cooper Elementary,” Heidi says. “She made every student feel special, and pushed us to be our absolute best. Her classroom was full of laughter and joy. Every day felt like something to look forward to. I feel blessed to have had her as a teacher. Serving with her on the Boreal Waters board has been an honor.”

Kerstyn Hendricks, now at a Vice President at National Bank of Commerce, echoes that sentiment.

“Ms. Wright was my fifth-grade teacher, and she’s still impacting the community decades later,” Kerstyn shares. “She’s always been a leader, inside the classroom and out. Having the opportunity to serve on the board with her all these years later feels like a full-circle moment. And I’m still learning from her.”

Sandra’s service reaches far beyond the classroom. She’s sat on the Superior Police and Fire Commission, the Essentia Patient and Family Council, and countless committees at UW–Superior and the school district. She belongs to the Red Hat Society, Retired Educators Association and the Forth Tuesday Book Club. She’s even in the Bowling Hall of Fame, “for service, not skill,” she’s quick to add.

Still, it wasn’t always easy.

“When I moved from Chicago, I was wary,” she says. “It was such a rich, diverse place. Here, my daughter was often the only Black student in her class. But we were embraced. And while I know I’m sometimes asked to serve because of the color of my skin, I also know I’m respected.”

A Legacy at Boreal Waters

When Sandra was first invited to join the board of Boreal Waters, she hadn’t even heard of the organization.

Over the past six years, Sandra has become one of the Community Foundation’s most trusted champions. She served on the grantmaking and scholarship committees and supported the development of the Unity Fund, dedicated to advancing equity and opportunity for African Heritage communities across the Northland.

“The Community Foundation’s work changes lives,” she says. “I was fortunate to attend college for free, but if I were a young person today, I would have needed scholarships to make that possible.”

“We are so much better because Sandra was at the table,” says Shaun Floerke, President and CEO. “She brings wisdom, warmth, and a fierce love for this community, and she makes us all better just by being herself. She has also been a champion for me as I’ve come into this space. I will be forever grateful to be her friend.”

Sandra says the feeling is mutual.

“I’ve never worked with an organization where I walk in and get ten hugs,” she laughs. “Everyone is working their butts off, but they’re still having fun, staying healthy, and showing up with joy. It gives me so much hope.”

And though she’s rotating off the board, Sandra isn’t going far.

“I’ll keep volunteering as long as I’m able,” she says.

A Lasting Impact

Sandra Wright’s life has been defined by service, and by resilience. She has weathered profound loss. Her husband, Dr. Pope Wright, the first Black professor at UW–Superior, passed away in 2015. Her daughter, Brynnetta, passed in 2022.

And yet, Sandra remains rooted in the community she’s called home for more than 50 years.

“After my family members passed, people asked if I’d move away,” she shared. “But I always said no, my support system is here.”

It’s here in the students she once taught, now city leaders, bankers, and lawyers. It’s here in the nonprofits she’s strengthened, and the community she’s helped shape with wisdom, warmth, and steady love.

All of us at Boreal Waters are deeply grateful for Sandra Wright. Because of her, our region is more connected, more compassionate, and more courageous.

Inspired by Sandra? Here’s One Way to Say Thank You

If Sandra has ever taught you, mentored you, or inspired you, we invite you to honor her legacy with a gift to the Unity Fund, where she continues to serve as a committee member.