On October 29, 2024 three alums of the Urban Education Policy (UEP) program visited Brown to share their experiences working to improve education in Rhode Island with current students in the program. Denezia Fahie, Steph Primiani, and Awilda Reinoso Lopez all work in educational non-profits in Rhode Island where they use what they learned in the program to effect change in schools by partnering with school districts or state departments of education, adding capacity in schools or district offices, and advocating for policies that will lead to greater outcomes for students.
The “un-panel” event allowed current UEP students who are in the early months of their year-long internship in an educational organization to converse in small groups with each alum about how their own internship experiences prepared them for the work they are doing today, what it means to work in their professional capacities, and their perspective on how to make positive impacts in education. Alums rotated around the room, having three different conversations with the three groups.
Emily Qazilbash, interim director of UEP, explains “the goal of the event was to foster engaging small-group conversations between UEP students and program alums, providing students with insights into how internship experiences might translate into impactful careers in education.” She notes that the event “aimed to deepen students’ understanding of the practical applications of their learning and inspire them to think about their potential next steps after UEP. UEP alums maintain a close connection with the program’s students, given that many of them are working on the same issues in similar organizations in Rhode Island and across the country.”
Denezia Fahie is executive director of the Providence Student Union, which advocates for youth-led initiatives. Denezia, who did her UEP internship in the central office of PPSD, spoke about that internship experience and how critical it is in her current work for her to understand the inner workings of the district office. Steph Primiani, director at The New Teacher Project (TNTP), talked about how her work supports curriculum implementation strategy at the Providence Public School District central office as well as the Rhode Island Department of Education. Awilda Reinoso Lopez is a policy associate for the Latino Policy Institute. Her work primarily focuses on innovative approaches to bringing mindfulness, community empowerment and overall healing and wellness for the BIPOC population.
The discussions covered wide-ranging issues from what keeps the three alums up at night related to their work, and how they strive to make an impact as “change agents” in the education space. Although they all work in very different types of organizations and approach the work from different angles, the alums found common ground as they discussed the urgency they feel related to making change for students and the need to have diverse stakeholders involved collaboratively to address systemic issues.