Hometown: Harlem, NY

Current Program: Urban Education Policy

Undergraduate Institution: Smith College 

What drew you to the UEP program at Brown?

I decided to apply to graduate school when I was working for a charter school network recruiting teachers. I knew education policy was what I wanted to study because of the many disparities I saw in my work that I didn’t quite have the tools to address, and I applied to a few public policy programs as well. I chose Brown after visiting, mainly because of the small cohort model, and the ability to learn closely from faculty who are experts in the field. Compared to other education and public policy programs I was considering, I was really excited about how intentional and structured the course sequence was at UEP. I also hadn’t spent any time in Providence, and I was excited by the adventure of being in a totally new place that was unlike home. 

What’s been your favorite UEP class and why?

"Race and Democracy in Urban Education Policy" with Professor Collins - for so, so many reasons! I loved that the class was discussion-based, and I genuinely felt like I watched my classmates learn and grow so much by having conversations that were difficult and approaching challenging scenarios. We were all pushed to think deeper about how we’ll approach our work when we graduate and the communities we’ll impact. I learned so much from Professor Collins and my classmates as well, and I’m really grateful to have had that experience. 

Where is your internship placement and what are you working on?

I work at the Swearer Center here at Brown, supporting work on the Community Partnership Team. I work on a variety of the team’s initiatives, like recruitment for the Swearer Center’s AmeriCorps program and designing speaker series that will bring local community organizations to campus to engage with students about their work. I am also working on analyzing one of the Center’s education-based partnerships and providing recommendations to scale Swearer’s education partnerships in Providence. 

What are you hoping to do after graduation?

Whew, what a question! I’d like to ideally be working in the realm of educator effectiveness or continuing community-based education work. Working at the Swearer Center has definitely sparked a new interest in the ways in which community resources (a university, businesses, non-profits) can support educational experiences inside and outside of the classroom. I’d also like to eventually run for a city council seat in NYC and represent my community. Harlem Forever! 

If you could wave a magic wand and fix one challenge in the world of education, what would it be and why?

Desegregate our school systems, please! Separate is still unequal. 

I am most passionate about… 

Where I’m from, teacher and school leader representation, school desegregation, rethinking the ways in which we define student “proficiency," abolishing public schools that are test-selective, my plants, being a dog owner one day, my family, my friendships. 

— interview by Sam Stockwell UEP'20