Use the space you occupy as a moment to teach, to enlighten, and to facilitate the practice of empowerment and social justice.  

 

I reflect multiple generations of teachers and social activist. My grandmother was a teacher in New Jersey, my mother served as a teacher in New Jersey, Missouri, Oklahoma, and for her children. My parents were activist and public servants; they believed in empowerment and the idea of sacrifice. I spent the majority of my early life in an inner-city, surrounded by a community of teachers and neighbors who were invested in my well-being and became bridges to educational advancement. Through these experiences, I practice social justice and engage principles of resilience.

 

I began my professional career as a middle school teacher and will end my career as an advocate and change agent for educational equity and empowerment. Education continues to be the cornerstone of my research and the vehicle that creates pathways for economically fragile youth to transition out of poverty and into higher education, the workforce, and doctoral studies.

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In my personal and professional journey, "resilience" is central to my research and professional work. Resilience is a process, not an end state, and all youth have the capacity to engage social resources and assets to navigate their social ecology. I actively seek to identify and build the institutions, resources, and assets needed to increase the capacity of youth to navigate and negotiate transitions across their social ecology.