Department of Education

Xavier Samuel graduated from Wesleyan University in 2026 with a B.A. in the College of Social Studies. As a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, Xavier learned to conduct and present qualitative research at various levels of the research process, culminating in his Honors thesis that focused on community schools within the School District of Lancaster in Pennsylvania. This experience shaped his understanding of the ways in which school–community partnerships can work to address systemic barriers occurring within schools and cities, enabling families, community members and school faculty to create vibrant networks of support for students of all ages. Lessons in building community and working against systemic barriers were further developed in his time at Wesleyan while working as a Lead Teaching Fellow in a National Education Opportunity Network (NEON) class teaching philosophy, as a House Manager in Residential Life, and while co-directing a student-run R&B Hip-Hop band known as Black Raspberry. As a student in Brown’s Urban Education Policy program, Xavier is focused on further gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to design policies that enable more cross school–community partnerships to become reality, helping promote equity and culturally sustaining education within historically marginalized communities.