Honestly, initially, when I was looking at The Creative Process website, I was like–I'm not very artistic in the traditional sense. So, I didn't actually think I was a good fit at all, but I was looking at the Young Artists page and things that other people wrote and how they were bringing in their own little quirks. Someone wrote about teaching. Another was a neuroscience major and said–I want to write about the art of the brain. I just thought it was so cool.

I’m a sophomore at Pace University majoring in Language, Culture, and World Trade and minoring in Statistics. I’m collaborating with The Creative Process on celebrating the art of teaching and community arts programs, especially through travel and language learning. I firmly believe global competency is vital in such a rapidly changing (and often hostile) world. Living in Africa and NYC has allowed me to recognize different perspectives, appreciate different cultures, and inspired my love for learning new languages. Unfortunately, not many low-income students in NYC have this opportunity. So, I help bring travel to classrooms by teaching Global Education lessons to middle schoolers in the Bronx to inspire them to become curious about the world. I am looking forward to exploring the connection between teaching and traveling as well as sharing my students’ stories!

A teacher who has made a difference in my life is my 8th grade teacher Ms. Nolan. Throughout that year, she built my academic confidence through her encouraging words. I was the only Black girl in a pre-dominantly White middle school so I always felt that I had to work extra hard to prove myself and often felt insecure when I couldn’t. Ms. Nolan would consistently praise my work in class to boost my confidence. She reminded me that my reading skills were above my grade level and constantly challenged me to become an even better reader and writer. I would not be the student I am today without Ms. Nolan’s encouragement.

My plan for the future is to get a Master’s degree in Public Policy. One of my recent projects is a research paper on de facto segregation in Harlem schools. I will be presenting this paper on March 7th at the annual meeting of the Society of Fellows of Dyson College.