Meet Khristopher Fields of WISE UP TO RISE UP FOUNDATION, INC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Khristopher Fields.

Hi Khristopher, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I launched the Wise Up to Rise Up Foundation in 2023 with no car, no home, and no income—just a borrowed laptop and a calling I couldn’t ignore. There was no full-time staff. No fundraising team.
Just a conviction—and a belief that somebody had to fight for the kids nobody sees.

I started as a one-man force behind the movement. I built the website. I edited the videos. I led the events, mobilized the volunteers, wrote the grants, and ran daily nonprofit operations—while battling personal storms: medical issues, mental health struggles, and sleepless nights that would’ve broken most.

But in just 18 months, I mobilized over $31,000 in support—primarily in-kind—from more than 40 corporate partners, including Google, Microsoft, Raising Cane’s, and Chick-fil-A. Walmart became one of our largest financial contributors, donating thousands of dollars in direct funding. I directed 91% of all resources straight into the mission. I built partnerships. I served meals. I inspired crowds. And most importantly—I changed lives.

Through those efforts, over 300 at-risk youth received top honors from the White House, U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Education, the State of Texas, and the City of Houston. My motivational presentations have reached more than 1000 people, and my programs have served over 800 meals to underserved youth and their families—proof that dignity doesn’t require a dollar, just heart.

I also led a groundbreaking initiative that brought together all five At-Large Houston City Council Members’ offices to honor 100 students with prestigious certificates—but what mattered most wasn’t the formality of the gesture. It was what was written on those certificates: words that recognized their growth, affirmed their value, and began to reshape how they saw themselves.

Throughout all of this, the mission of Wise Up to Rise Up™ has never changed. It’s to bridge achievement gaps by connecting youth with mentors, recognition, and motivation that spark long-term success. By forming community partnerships and creating unforgettable moments, we make achievement visible, character admirable, and education exciting—especially for those who’ve been overlooked or underestimated.

At Wise Up To Rise Up, I challenge students to see themselves at the top—not just surviving, but leading in science, literature, computing, public service, athletics, and the arts. I don’t believe in “saving” kids. I believe in helping them realize they were never broken. They were brilliant. They just needed to be seen.

With nearly 7,000 volunteer hours logged, the foundation now works across 752 square miles of underserved communities in Texas—spanning from the northwest to the south. And with every mile, we’re reminding youth that potential doesn’t belong to privilege—it belongs to effort, to hope, to vision.

To date, Wise Up to Rise Up has received over 20 honors, awards, and distinctions—ranging from city proclamations to national recognition. Personally, I’ve been honored with over 30 awards, including a U.S. Presidential Gold Medal, a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, seven Congressional Honors, and an appointment as an Admiral in the Texas Navy by the Governor of Texas.

In 2025, I was awarded the Tiffany D. Thomas Community Impact Leader Award by the Houston Area Urban League Young Professionals—an honor that means the world to me because it celebrates leadership rooted in service, not status.

I was also nominated for an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by a sitting member of the Texas House of Representatives, who submitted the nomination to a major Texas university. Additionally, the District Director for Texas House District 27 nominated me for both the State of Texas Board of Education’s Heroes for Children Award and the Forbes 2026 30 Under 30 list in Education.
Furthermore, My work has been endorsed or affirmed—directly and indirectly—by over 20 elected officials across every level of government.

But none of that has ever been about the spotlight. It’s always been about the unseen.

And what most people don’t know is that long before any of this… I was invisible, too.

There was a time when I walked the streets of Los Angeles and across California, searching for purpose, healing, and a reason to keep going. That journey—full of uncertainty, silence, and seemingly unanswered prayers—eventually led me to a youth shelter in California, where I was housed during one of the lowest points of my life. I had no idea that season of solitude was actually preparing me—planting the roots of a movement that would one day impact not just hundreds, but hundreds of thousands of lives.

And now, as this story finds its way back to California, I’m not returning with lights or cameras or applause. I’m simply bringing the truth. This is the update to a chapter that was never supposed to be forgotten.

I didn’t start with much—
Just a borrowed laptop, a heavy heart,
and a vision too bold to keep quiet.
No connections. No polished resume.
Just nights that stretched longer than my odds…
and the courage to build anyway.

What I built wasn’t just for me.
It was for the forgotten.
The underestimated.
The ones buried in statistics but born for greatness.
This isn’t just a nonprofit.
It’s a wake-up call.

A movement.
A living, breathing reminder that success belongs to the struggling too—and that a different story is possible.
Every award.
Every headline.
Every life changed—
isn’t just a win.

It’s proof that when purpose is personal,
you don’t need power to make an impact.
You just need heart that won’t quit.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
People often see the awards, the recognitions, the polished graphics—but they don’t see the pressure it took to hold it all together while I was falling apart. I built Wise Up to Rise Up during one of the hardest seasons of my life. I was struggling with my mental health , living without stable housing, and trying to pour into others from a place that didn’t always feel full.

There were nights I didn’t eat. Days I couldn’t focus. Moments when it felt like no one believed in the vision but me. I was applying for grants with borrowed Wi-Fi, editing promotional videos on a cracked screen, and pushing through speaking engagements while silently dealing with panic attacks.

Fundraising was especially hard—not just because of the lack of money, but because I didn’t come from a background where people knew how to give or where to start. I wasn’t someone with a fancy board or generational wealth backing me. I was just someone with a story—and a lot of faith.

And even as the momentum grew, so did the weight of responsibility. People started depending on me. Kids looked up to me. Elected officials started calling. But I was still figuring out how to heal while leading others.
But I didn’t quit.

Every setback, every “no,” every silent season gave me something I couldn’t have learned any other way: humility, empathy, and fight.

I don’t lead because I’m perfect.
I lead because I survived.

And I’m still here—not because it was easy,
but because the mission is worth it.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about WISE UP TO RISE UP FOUNDATION, INC?
Through mentorship, recognition programs, motivational events, and creative community partnerships, we make achievement visible, character admirable, and education exciting—especially for those who’ve been overlooked. Our inspirational mentorship has already helped over 300 mentees—elementary, middle, and high school students—receive Presidential Awards, Congressional honors, and other high-level distinctions.

At Wise Up To Rise Up, we introduce kids to the highest level of human achievement across every field—science, literature, computing, public service, athletics, the arts—and challenge them to imagine their place in that history.
We don’t just help kids dream big. We help them redefine what’s possible.

To continue this mission, we are preparing for one of our most impactful events yet—Winner’s Circle 2025, happening Saturday, August 2nd, 2025, at Powerhouse Church in Katy, Texas. This half-day experience will welcome 200 at-risk and underserved students across Katy ISD and Cyfair ISD and connect them with dynamic speakers, interactive learning, and actionable mentorship.

What makes this national media-worthy is we’re flying in Jahkil Jackson—who has been a national headline since the age of eight. Jahkil has been honored by President Obama, LeBron James, NIKE, CNN, BET, Forbes, NBC, ABC, Cartoon Network, and The GAP. He’s participated in Disney’s “Be Inspired Black History” campaign, LeBron’s #AlwaysBelieve, Nike’s “Until We All Win” and “You Can’t Stop Our Voice” campaigns, and has now been immortalized as a Marvel Super Hero. Jahkil is also a CNN Hero Young Wonder and a TEDx Talk speaker.

He has formed partnerships with the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation, Invisalign, The GAP, NASA Clip, and Crisis Text Line. He was named one of BET’s “15 Under 15” and collaborated with Crate & Barrel to launch the Power Pillow Collection. Now, for the first time ever, he’s graduating high school this June and heading off to college. This is Raising Cane’s opportunity to step into the national spotlight alongside a youth icon’s defining moment—and own the headline. (https://jahkil.com/)

Jahkil Jackson a 17-year-old global humanitarian who has made it his mission to assist those in need who are residing on the street and in shelters while engaging other youth to become change agents. In just a few years, Jahkil has led Project I Am’s efforts in raising $650,000 for the unhoused, has impacted over 135,000 men, women and children globally and has recruited over 2,000 youth to service those in need.

We’re also flying in Marquis J. Hill. At 16, after a heart condition suspended his basketball career, turned pain into purpose, launching a viral message of inspiration that earned 1.5 million views accross social media and landed him on NBA on TNT with Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade. Today, as a 20-year-old motivational speaker, best-selling author, and entrepreneur with a following of over 300,000, he speaks across national stages—Disney, Discover, the U.S. Department of Justice, Chicago Public Schools, and Morehouse College—shaping what youth excellence and emotional resilience look like for the next generation. (https://www.realmjhill.com/)

Between Jahkil, Marquis, and myself, we have a combined social media following of over 332,000. Jahkil has appeared on national television multiple times, and Marquis’s content has reached millions. This moment isn’t just impactful—it’s historic, emotional, and tailor-made for national coverage.

Winner’s Circle 2025 isn’t about the spotlight. It’s about the shift.

The shift that happens when a kid who’s always been overlooked finally hears, “You matter. You belong here.” This event isn’t for show. It’s for the ones who’ve been sitting in the back, wondering if they’ll ever get a chance to lead from the front.

We’re not here to hand out trophies. We’re here to change the way they see themselves. To help them think different. Move different. Choose different. Because once a young person sees themselves as a winner—really sees it—everything changes.

At Wise Up To Rise Up, we’re not just helping kids dream bigger. We’re helping them think deeper. We expose them to Nobel Prizes and Olympic gold, to MacArthur Genius Grants and Presidential Medals—not as fantasy, but as future. Their future. We make achievement visible, character admirable, and education magnetic.

Winner’s Circle 2025 isn’t a conference. It’s a mirror.
And when these kids look into it, they won’t see statistics anymore. They’ll see leaders. They’ll see fire. They’ll see legacy.

So we start with the questions no one’s asking:

What makes someone a winner? It’s not being the loudest, the most liked, or even the smartest. It’s being consistent. Being disciplined when no one’s watching. It’s making good decisions when it would’ve been easier not to.

Who’s in your circle? Because truth is—you can’t rise if everyone around you is stuck. We teach students to look at their friendships and ask, “Is this helping me grow—or holding me back?”

What is peer pressure, really? It’s not just kids pushing you to do wrong. It’s the fear that if you do right—you’ll be left behind. We teach them how to stand their ground without losing their soul.

What’s the real Winner’s Circle? It’s not a stage. It’s not applause. It’s getting up again after you fall. It’s staying focused when everything around you is chaos. It’s choosing purpose over popularity.

How do winners think? They ask better questions. They learn from losses. They don’t wait for permission—they move with intention.

How do you deal with failure? You don’t hide from it. You study it. You figure out what it taught you—and then you get back up, smarter and stronger than before.

What is success? Success is stepping outside the box. It’s empowering people. Inspiring change. Making something better than how you found it.

On Saturday, August 2, 2025, 200 students across Katy ISD and Cy-Fair ISD will walk into Powerhouse Church—and walk out with something no school test can measure: a deeper understanding of who they are, what they’re capable of, and how far they can go.

This isn’t just an event.
It’s a turning point.
This is Winner’s Circle 2025.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is this: You don’t have to be the most qualified to be the most called.

There were times I felt completely unqualified to lead—no degree, no money, no safety net. Just a borrowed laptop, a burning purpose, and a whole lot of unanswered questions. But what I’ve come to realize is that credibility doesn’t always come from credentials—it comes from character.

From showing up when no one else does.
From loving people when they have nothing to offer back.
From building something out of absolutely nothing but conviction.

I’ve learned that impact isn’t about polish—it’s about presence. It’s about being willing to go where the pain is, stand in the gap, and speak life where people have only heard silence. The world doesn’t need more perfection. It needs more people willing to lead with purpose, even when the odds are stacked against them.

That doesn’t mean I stopped growing. I eventually earned multiple credentials from Harvard University, completing coursework in Leadership, Communication, Exercising Leadership, Rhetoric, Persuasive Writing, and Public Speaking. Not to prove anything to anyone—but to prepare myself for the kind of leadership my calling demanded. That was never the goal—but it became part of the testimony.

I used to pray for doors to open.
Now, I just pray for the strength to keep knocking—until they do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wiseuptoriseup.education
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everybodyloveskris/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khrisfields/
• Other: https://www.Khristopherfields.com

Image Credits
WISE UP TO RISE UP FOUNDATION
89.3 KSBJ’s Reyna Reyna
Houston Area Urban League Young Professionals
Alief Independent School District
Austin Perine, President Austin # Showlove