Name: Celenah Watson
Hometown: Hackensack, NJ
Class Year: 2023
Concentration(s): Education Studies
Favorite Education Studies class and why:
It's very difficult to choose a favorite Education Studies class because I truly enjoyed all of the ones I've taken so far! However, to answer the question, I would say that my favorite class was Politics and Public Education with Professor Thomas. In addition to learning about public schools today, we learned a lot about the history of our public schools, the purpose of public education, the aftermath of Brown v. Board of Education, the school-to-prison pipeline, the opportunity gap, charter schools, school choice, and so much more! It was great to have conversations with my peers and Professor Thomas about these topics, and the class definitely encouraged me to continue my path towards becoming a teacher.
What drew you to study education?
I decided to study education because I want to have a positive impact on our public education system. It wasn't until I came to Brown and took Introduction to Education that I realized how incredibly lucky I am to have had access to well-funded and well-resourced public and private schools filled with high-quality curriculums and experienced teachers. I had no idea that this is not the norm for many students in the United States, and immediately felt the urge to get involved in education in order to help improve the quality of our schools.
What has been your favorite part of this concentration as a whole?
My favorite part of this concentration has been the people! Over the years, I enjoyed meeting like-minded people who are just as driven to make change in our public schools as I am. Although I am worried about the state of our public schools today, meeting so many professors and peers who are focused on issues in public education has made me feel much more optimistic that our public schools can and will be improved over the next few decades.
Have you had any cool education-related projects or internships during your time at Brown?
During the summer of 2022, I had the incredible opportunity to work with Professor Page to develop her course Current Issues in US Higher Education. We worked together to find articles, documentaries, and podcasts on institutions of higher education (e.g. HBCUs, TCUs, and for-profit colleges) and on topics related to higher education (e.g. student loans and the use of race in admissions). I also had the opportunity to work with Professor Owens in the Sociology Department on her research project on racial disparaties in school discipline. The project included a national survey of thousands of teachers across the US, and it was really fun to read their responses to the survey questions and get an understanding of how our public school teachers today think about their work and their students.
Are you involved in any extracurricular activities?
I am a Bonner Community Fellow and had the opportunity to work with Lifespan Connect for Health, a program that helps residents of Rhode Island find access to housing, clothing, healthcare, and so much more! As a Bonner Fellow now, I work with Tougaloo College (an HBCU in Mississippi that Brown has a partnership with) and am helping them figure out how they can improve an education-related program offered to their students. I am also a CBLR Fellow and had the opportunity to work with Professor Qazilbash this semester as a TA for her class EDUC 1320 and I also work at the campus center!
What are you planning to do after graduation?
I plan to be a history teacher after graduation! I love history, working with students, and plan to work in Providence Public Schools. I also plan on traveling all around the world because I love to explore, meet different kinds of people, and eat good food.
What are you most passionate about?
I am most passionate about music and education! I love listening to music and talking about it with others just as much as I love talking and reading about topics in education, particularly the state of our public schools and ways to improve them.
What does the Education Studies DUG have planned for the year?
To close out the year, we plan to have a fun holiday event for concentrators! We will have food and activities so that concentrators have the opportunity to decompress, get ready for finals, and catch up with others in the concentration. In the spring, we will have a few more fun events like this and also plan to have a panel with alumni so that concentrators can ask them questions about their experiences post-graduation and can think about future career options. We also plan to have an event for juniors to prepare them for their senior thesis or capstone.