My experience at SEED was formative. And as a graduate of the founding class, I had a very unique experience that even my sisters who attended later didn’t have. I like to say, “I grew up in a start-up.” The combination of what it takes to build out a place—physically and programmatically—while you’re living there is an experience, kind of like building the plane while you’re flying it. Because it was an innovative idea, they were always looking to make things better—there was a high tolerance for change. I keep that in mind in my public service and my job—I want to make progress that our people can be a part of. I often ask myself, “What are the levers I can help pull to make sure kids have the same investment I’ve had in my future?”
SEED being a small school really shaped my experience. My relationships with the adults in the SEED community were also very important to me. How could they not know us in such a small community? I still know them well now. I actually live right down the street from SEED, and I represent the school as Chair of the Ward 7 Education Council, so I have a continuing relationship with the school.
Two of the experiences that most shaped me while I was at SEED were the opportunities to go to Greece and Australia. My time overseas piqued my interest in international relations, with the idea of joining the Foreign Service. In Australia, we learned about Aboriginal cultures, among other things, which in turn led me to take a look at the dynamics around race and culture in the U.S. It was eye-opening, and I still think about it to this day. It continues to influence me in the work that I do.
When it came time for me to go to college, I chose to attend the University of Pennsylvania. I liked that it was in a city and away from home but also close enough for me to get back if needed. My transition to Penn was fairly smooth and didn’t really feel like a shock. I studied international relations. With 9/11 still fresh in people’s minds at that time, classes in international relations were a lot about security versus people and cultures, which is what I was drawn to after my time studying abroad. By the end of my time at Penn, I realized it didn’t really feel right to go somewhere else and do something else when there was already so much need at home. Instead of going into the Foreign Service, I started working for DCPS, supporting neighborhood schools, then with Save the Children, and then America’s Promise, and now I do consulting on social impact. I also serve as President of the DC State Board of Education and am very involved in my community.
In my work with the State Board of Education, I strive to help provide the kinds of opportunities SEED gave me. It is not lost on me that DC has one of the lower graduation rates but highest rates of graduate degrees in the country. I want to build access to the highest degrees and incomes attainable for kids growing up in my world , to put them on pathways to be part of a thriving DC . I can’t see the opportunities and not want them for other people, the same way SEED envisioned a future for me and my classmates.