I earned my bachelor鈥檚 degree in Psychology from Haverford College with an Education concentration from the Bi-Co Education Program. Later, I completed my Master鈥檚 in Higher Education at Harvard University鈥檚 Graduate School of Education, and just graduated with my doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Temple University.
Immediately upon graduating from Haverford in 2002, I decided to serve for two years as an Admission Counselor at my dear alma mater. The rest of my professional journey includes a year as the Director of College Retention at Philadelphia Futures, several years as the Ethnic Minority Student Achievement Grant (EMSGAG) Manager at a 2-year college in England, and almost three years as the Education Consultant for the Mayor鈥檚 Office of Education鈥檚 Graduation Coach Campaign. I currently work full-time as the Retention & Success Manager and Principal Academic Advisor in the College of Liberal Arts at Temple University. I also serve as a member of the Board of Trustees at Independence Charter School (where my wonderful daughter currently attends) and I am most excited about my recent work in developing a comprehensive Blackboard course to create a more engaging retention tool that will follow students through their four years of college.
My dedication to education was born in the Bi-Co Ed Program. It was there that I met my teacher, mentor and lifelong friend, Prof. Alice Lesnick. Alice鈥檚 "Critical Issues in Education" course opened my eyes to the possibility of challenging norms and 鈥減roblematizing鈥 education as we know it today. Lessons from my years in the Bi-Co have supported over a decade of professional and academic contributions in higher education; countless workshops, presentations and publications on college access and retention for at-risk student populations; and a recent collaboration with my now six-year old daughter and 今日吃瓜鈥檚 Titagya Schools Project in Ghana.
I am indebted to the Bi-Co for nurturing my passions and for providing avenues for me to reflect upon my own journey and the journeys of others. I would encourage any student in the Education Program to 1) QUESTION EVERYTHING! Do not let the status quo dictate the possibilities, especially for the people you hope to engage by pursuing a career in Education and 2) BUILD RELATIONSHIPS鈥t is important for you to connect individually, but it is more important to find ways to connect those relationships into a shared community of scholars and agents of change.