Department of Education

Olivia Knowles is attending Brown following a Fulbright English Teaching Grant in Ås, Norway, where she utilized language-affirming strategies to support diverse learners at the university and secondary-level. Prior to her Fulbright grant, she served over 1,700 hours in Title I schools in Orlando, Florida, with AmeriCorps. In Florida, she worked as a Student Success Coach for under-resourced students.

Knowles graduated from Eckerd College in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in literature and philosophy. While at Eckerd, she was nominated for the Johnston-Ford Scholars Program, which prepares its cohort for careers in academia. Through the program, she conducted research on literature in the U.S. South and developed a deeper interest in the relationship between language, culture, and education.

Olivia believes academia should be a space that fosters equity, empowerment, and self-efficacy. Through culturally responsive and inclusive pedagogy, she seeks to help students recognize their strengths, develop confidence in their abilities, and build fulfilling commitments to the pursuit of lifelong learning. At Brown, Knowles looks forward to refining her teaching practice within a community that shares her commitment to educational equity and student empowerment.