SITE DEAN, YOUNG SCHOLARS PROGRAM
SEEDS came into my life one summer when I was looking for a summer school job. At the time, I was searching for a history teacher position and a job posting for SEEDS showed up. I clicked the link, applied, and have been here ever since. I currently serve as the Site Dean and Step 3 History Teacher for the Young Scholars Program.
At the time of my application to SEEDS, I was really just in search of a summer job. However, once I realized the mission of SEEDS, I reached out to Imani Gilliam, who served as the Programs Director at the time, and asked if there were any positions open during the school year. Fortunately, there was, and I never looked back. I started as an Assistant Site Dean at Far Brook School, I realized very quickly the impact that SEEDS has on the lives of students and their families.
Over the years, I have seen brilliant students get accepted into top-notch schools and have witnessed the success of some of those students. Listening to the success stories of SEEDS Alumni during graduations and alumni panels are just some of the ways that I know SEEDS has had and continues to have, a positive impact on our students. As the Site Dean at Newark Academy, I’ve spoken with some of my Young Scholars who attend school there and have spoken to them about their successes. I have seen firsthand how SEEDS changes the lives of our students.
I live and teach in a very multicultural town and have been around people of all types of cultures, races, and religions. The population of SEEDS students is what I’ve known for as long as I can remember. I recall when we had one of our first Food for Thought lunches and were listening to some of the stories our students told about their experiences transitioning to their Independent Schools. As a middle school teacher, I was expecting to hear about the usual issues of going to a new school: anxiety, the idea of fitting in, questions such as, “Are the teachers nice?”. However, I learned that the experiences at their schools not only involved all of those normal transition worries but there was also another component: the non-SEEDS students were not used to having students of color in their classrooms. Not only was I surprised, but shocked, and even angered to hear some of the things the students would say to or ask our scholars. Yet, the resilience and determination of our students to persevere were not only heartwarming but a moment of pride.
I would encourage the next perspective SEEDS faculty applicant to follow through and become a part of the SEEDS family. The experiences I have had working with SEEDS have been fulfilling, satisfying, and gratifying. I would also say that if making a real difference in the life of a student is your reason for being in education, then SEEDS is the place where you can not only be a part of that but witness it firsthand.
Outside of SEEDS, I am a Social Studies teacher at Kawameeh Middle School, where I taught 8th-grade US History for the past 12 years.