Flonora Merritt, FNN Advisor & Alum December 10, 2020 By wpengine It’s deeply rewarding to offer students a platform they can use to delve into issues that are close to them. I encourage them to speak freely and honestly about important issues. What do you do at Friendship Public Charter School? I teach video production at Collegiate for Friendship News Network (FNN). I’m also FNN’s webmaster and after school advisor to advanced students. Many people know my face at this point because I am a teacher at most events at Collegiate. This is the most fun part of journalism — just having the students, even the shy ones, participate in Collegiate events big and small. I also push my students to cover things going on in their community and the country’s top news stories. In the past, I have taken my students to rallies. We had a record-breaking turnout for our March Against Gun Violence a couple years ago. Before we were quarantined, I was also taking my students to community meetings that addressed gentrification in the city. We got to experience the grassroots movement and work with all the people involved like Link Up and ONE DC. It especially touched scholars, because a lot of them are witnessing the displacement of friends and family due to gentrification. It’s deeply rewarding to offer students a platform they can use to delve into issues that are close to them. I encourage them to speak freely and honestly about important issues. An exciting challenge right now is to try to do video production at home. When we first quarantined, we were asking, “Can we still do this?” We’ve still been able to produce content. Even over the summer, we continued to work on The Gentrification Project, Fading Color, and now it’s turned into a full documentary. We received a $30,000 grant from the DC Arts and Humanities Council. My advanced group of graduating seniors got paid to produce this. They’re still working on it, even though they’re in college right now. My goal is to show them that, yes, you can get paid for doing this work. It’s a valuable skill set and a viable career path. How have you seen students carry these skills with them into college and beyond? Do you see many students follow this career path? Many students are into politics and very vocal about social issues, but their career paths differ. One student is an artist, another is into international relations. Recently, I’ve been seeing more students go into journalism or film production. Often, when they first start, they’re very quiet, like I was in the program. The most gratifying thing about this program is witnessing a student’s transformation as they find their voice about issues close to them. At first, they may rather be behind the scenes. Then they finally say, “Oh, no, I want to be in front of the camera and talk about this.” Their parents tell me they see a positive change in their children, too. You see their personalities bloom, and they carry this confidence with them. How long have you been at Collegiate doing this? My connection to Friendship goes way back. I’ve been doing this work ever since I graduated from Collegiate. I am an alum of the class of 2008. I had been interning with the Friendship News Network on and off since I was in college. I returned to FNN as an advisor in 2014, and then started teaching a class in 2016. It’s been a wild ride, but, yeah, I’ve been pretty devoted to the Collegiate bureau ever since I graduated. Ms. Tindle was my teacher back in the day. She introduced me to Ms. Kaufman, the Director of FNN. She recommended me because I was such a good writer. She could see how outspoken I was in my writing. That’s where my involvement with FNN started. We started as a magazine called “Rated T.” From there, we started to dabble in videos, and it was like, “Okay, now I have to speak on camera.” It was intimidating at first, but once I got into it, it got easy. Once the spotlight was on me and everyone was watching, I found my rhythm. During my senior year, I had to interview Bill Gates’ father. It’s a funny story. Originally, we thought we were going to be interviewing Bill Gates. Then, at the last minute, I found out, “Oh, it’s his dad.” I had to think on my feet and switch up my questions quickly because they were about Bill Gates and his company. I’d thought I was going to interview him one-on-one — just me, him, and my cameraman. Then it turned out that, “Oh, you’re doing the interview in front of all these important people, all the higher-ups at Friendship. All of them are going to be watching.” And I was like, “Oh, okay. Well, that’s not intimidating at all…” As the old saying goes, pressure can either break you or turn you into a diamond. Sometimes you just have to go for it. I carry this philosophy into my work with my students. Before the pandemic, I’d started a tradition of taking my students to a comic book convention, Awesome Con towards the end of the year. I pushed them to really talk to people, whether it was other attendees or some of the celebrities. At first, they were a little bit hesitant, but I said, “Go for it. The worst thing they can do or say is, ‘No.’ That would be fine, too. Just move on to somebody else and ask them, ‘How do you like the convention?’ They’re regular people. You can talk to them.” It was a huge success. At first, they said, “Nobody’s going to talk to us.” Afterwards, it was, “Okay, that wasn’t so bad.” This pushes them to step out of their comfort zone in front of the camera, too. Can you talk more about your experience as a student at Collegiate? Being a product of Collegiate has certainly benefited me. When I was a high school student, I was part of the early college program. I’m very thankful for that opportunity. I earned 44 college credits, which took a year off of my college requirements. Instead of graduating from college in four years, I graduated in three, which saved my parents some money. The program also prepared me for what college was going to be like. The professors had a syllabus, and I needed self-discipline to get all of the work done and on time. Having that early exposure to college at the beginning of high school really prepared me. Everything was such a breeze for me. I heard stories of other people struggling during their freshman year at college, and I just couldn’t relate. I’m so glad they’re pushing for the whole Collegiate campus to get involved in dual enrollment. They have more options now, too. Students can enroll in college classes online. In addition to UDC, I think they’re also working with Trinity, Georgetown, and other universities, too. Maybe this will help them obtain early acceptance into these colleges. It’s amazing how much our programs have grown since I graduated 12 years ago. Are there any tips you would offer other teachers who want to help their students gain confidence? When we’re trying to figure out what stories to talk about, I get my students’ input. I find out what their interests are and build off of them. In the past, we tried to give them a general topic to talk about. Some got into it and some didn’t. When you give them the freedom to choose their topic, it unveils what they’re passionate about. The difference in their enthusiasm is clear. They’ll put forth more effort if it’s a topic that touches them personally, something that they care about. While we’re learning from home, I’m helping my students become YouTube stars. We’re using the platform to talk about issues important to them. We’ve provided them with ring lights and microphones so they can look professional. I’ve offered them lessons on how to set up their newsroom to reflect their personalities. They’ve done a good job with their first video project, which was to introduce themselves and share what’s unique about them. I’m already learning about their interests. Some students already wanted to be YouTube influencers, so I was like, “Oh, then this is the right class for you.” Are there any fun facts you’d like to share? Those closest to me already know that I’m a huge comic book and anime nerd. That’s where I can connect with many of my students. We can have a debate on something and turn it into a project. I do like sharing this bond with students. If you hear my ringtone, you might recognize the Power Rangers theme song. I grew up with them. I had the opportunity to meet most of the original cast at Awesome Con. That was pretty cool. I’ve been experimenting more with my photography, whether I’m out in nature or taking self-portraits. I’m trying to sharpen my skills. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough cameras for all of my students to use right now, but one of the most fun aspects of my class is the mix of technology and art. We look at basic skills like composition and how to adjust the settings of the camera to take amazing photos.
Coy McKinney, Urban Agriculture Teacher June 17, 2020 By wpengine I like that we’ve started this Academy of Urban Ecology, which is geared around urban agriculture. In my own opinion, part of the reasons that we’re having issues with climate change and climate justice is because we feel separated from the environment. We don’t really understand or appreciate our role within the environment. How did you arrive at your current role? I initially came to DC for law school in 2009, and while I was in law school, I had an environmental epiphany when I wondered where my food was coming from. I learned about environmental justice, and previously I hadn’t known what that was. While I was going to law school at UDC, I learned that they have a College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Science. They also have a research farm in Beltsville, Maryland. And so, while I was in law school, I was also doing a work study with them, learning how to grow food. I started a UDC Garden Club, which was an effort to start gardening on the UDC campus. Then during my final year of law school, I wrote a paper on all the fundamental problems I saw with it, essentially, paving my path away from being a lawyer. I chose to instead do the urban agriculture thing. I implemented a grant at UDC to create a sensory garden with different trees, plants, with different textures and smells. After that grant, I worked with a nonprofit organization called City Blossoms. They’re all about connecting kids with gardening. And then after that I worked with Compost Cab for a bit, learning how to compost people’s food waste and turning it into soil. My mother had been very lenient with my decision to not become a lawyer, since I had paid for three years of law school. I wanted to show her I was making progress with this new path. I found a list of principals in DC and reached out to them all saying, “Hey, I’m interested in being a school garden coordinator.” At the time, they were just opening up the new Tech Prep building with a greenhouse and they needed someone to run it. It was perfect timing. How has your experience been since then, teaching Urban Agriculture at FPCS Tech Prep? I never thought I wanted to be or would be a teacher, but this is definitely the right place for me. Not only is my office technically the greenhouse, which is pretty awesome, but there’s also a lot of space at the school to grow, figuratively and literally. Once I got my bearings, I said, “It’d be pretty great to start a school farm.” Each year, I’m trying to add another piece to that puzzle to eventually get us a school farm, so that we are able to expand our offerings and be a food hub for the surrounding community. Can you talk about what students learn in your class? First, they learn about the food system, how it works, the issues surrounding it, food deserts, food justice, and then they get to grow their own vegetables and plants. They learn how to take care of plants, how to do it sustainably, organically, and how to mitigate any pest issues that come up. We have three worm bins in the greenhouse for composting. So, whenever we have food scraps, we use that. They see how a banana peel can turn into soil. Then, the other component that I think is important is cooking. Students will grow things in the greenhouse, then they’ll come up with recipes for those ingredients and we’ll have cooking demonstrations. We always try to go on at least 2 or 3 field trips per year so they can see how other community gardens or urban farms run, they then bring some new ideas back to Tech Prep. What have your students’ reactions to your class and lessons been? The cooking part gets everybody excited. Last year, two graduating seniors wrote a thesis about food justice and related obesity issues, exploring the food sold near the school. They’re perceptive and recognize what’s going on in their community. They see that there are multiple liquor stores and carry outs, but no real place to get fresh vegetables. Now, they have the vocabulary and a broader sense of what’s going on. That’s one thing that they definitely get out of it. Also, hopefully they’ll gain some cooking skills-one or two recipes that they can make. They’ll know the basics of taking care of plants, how to water them, and how to identify diseases and other issues. What kind of careers would they pursue if they were interested in continuing this kind of work professionally? They can pursue botany if they want to study the science around how plants grow. Culinary arts is another field they may pursue. We took a field trip to the USDA; if they want to work in policy, they can be involved with that. DC is a good place for urban farming; there’s a vibrant scene here. They can start their own community garden, get involved with other community farms, and continue to expand their knowledge. Can you talk more about food justice? Food justice is about everyone-regardless of race, sexual orientation, etc.-having access to healthy and affordable produce. In our class we talk about the existence of food deserts, where it is difficult for people to access healthy fresh food at affordable prices. Our school is located in a food desert and many of our kids live in this food desert. It is an issue they understand. One project we’ve worked on was when the students had to work in groups and each group was assigned a ward. Then they were tasked with conducting a demographic study on that ward-race, median income, etc. Then they’ll count the number of grocery stores in each ward. They’ll see that in their ward, there is a clear contrast to other parts of the city. When they compare at the median income, they get a better idea of why this is happening. We are not just growing food for the heck of it, but we want to eventually offer affordable and healthy food to more people. We offer our school garden market during the fall and spring. We started a CSA program with teachers and school staff. It’s a short-term CSA and teachers determine how much produce they want – five or ten pounds-then they pay us a fee to deliver it every week for the season. We’re trying to find a way to broaden our offerings; it’s one of our goals for upcoming years. Can you talk about the bees and chicken? We rented the chickens last fall but are trying to bring them back on a permanent basis. The bees, however, are here to stay. We have two beehives. The first year of beekeeping is all about the bees making their own honey for their winter food reserve. After the first year, we can start to collect the honey. We’ve applied for and obtained a grant for an outdoor classroom, which will be an incredible addition to the school campus and will also be another piece in the school farm project. It will come with a rain garden and cooking station to prepare and wash food. What do you like about Friendship Tech Prep? I like that we’ve started this Academy of Urban Ecology, which is geared around urban agriculture. In my own opinion, part of the reasons that we’re having issues with climate change and climate justice is because we feel separated from the environment. We don’t really understand or appreciate our role within the environment. Having an academy geared towards urban ecology will hopefully play a role in resolving this issue. The kids will go on camping trips, go hiking, and grow plants. This will hopefully draw their attention to and inspire a wonder for our environment. This is an important and good thing for the future.
Eric Blood, A.P. Government & Politics Master Teacher June 17, 2020 By wpengine I work hard to ensure that my students are able to handle a large reading workload. I give them at least a four-week calendar that outlines all of their reading and upcoming assignments so that they can prepare and know what is expected of them, just like a college syllabus. It helps them gain independence and become more responsible. Can you tell us about your experience teaching at Collegiate? Sure! I primarily teach two different AP courses: AP government and politics and AP United States History. More recently, I’ve taken over a lot of our dual-enrollment online classes through Granite State and Arizona State University. I’ve been at Friendship Collegiate for eight years. I was the lead teacher of the Early College Academy for over five years and I’ve served in a few different roles around campus. I’ve really enjoyed working with our students and I especially enjoy getting them ready for college and immersing them in college-level academics, which is the main goal of our AP courses. I continue to evolve the courses to be more like college classes. Even if they don’t pass the AP exam at the end, students will get the benefit of experiencing college-level instruction, so that when they walk onto a college campus for the first time, they can be successful right from day 1. Can you talk a little bit about how you specifically offer students a college-level learning experience? I really want students to be able to experience what a college class is like. We do a lot of seminar-style classes, which is like your typical college class. They get reading assignments that they have to do on their own, and they’re expected to take strong notes on it. They’re given a series of discussion questions, so they know what to expect ahead of time. Then they come into class, and I facilitate a 60-minute discussion on the topic. We then work to make connections between the topic and what’s relevant to them. I use accountable talk to make sure that my classroom has the same level of rigor and conversation that you would expect to find in a college classroom. Students are expected to support everything they say with actual evidence from either history or from the text they just read. They’ll tell you that if they don’t have a fact to back it up, I will say the same thing every time: “Prove it. I don’t believe you.” I work hard to ensure that my students are able to handle a large reading workload. I give them at least a four-week calendar that outlines all of their reading and upcoming assignments so that they can prepare and know what is expected of them, just like a college syllabus. It helps them gain independence and become more responsible. I find that students come back after they graduated and say it helped their transition into college, because they’ve experienced what college-level rigor is like, rather than heading into college and thinking that they’re going to hand out worksheets. Too many students still have the false belief that college is just an extension of high school. They have to be able to read something for a purpose and take strong notes. In previous classes, they may have learned two-column or Cornell notes. When they come to me, I very much encourage them to take the notes that work for them. I tell them that it’s okay if I can’t read your notes, so long as you can. One day, you’re going to sit down in front of a college professor who is going to talk for 60 minutes, and you need to be able to get down as much as you can, and be able to go back and review your notes. Many of these skills our students don’t learn until college, and it’s a bit of a struggle. It’s no surprise that for many of our students, their lowest semester in college is the first one. Unless you’ve experienced it before, having siblings, or parents who walk you through what college is going to be like, it’s simply different when you step onto a college campus. I try very hard to give them as much of the college experience as I can. I’ve had US history students come to me and say they’re taking a college US history class and “Your class is five times harder than those classes. This is a breeze now. Thank you!” That always makes me feel good, because that means that what I did was more than just instill a bunch of random dates and facts into their brain. As history teachers, we can get kind of hung up on this sometimes. The reality is, what you should be doing is giving students the capacity to think critically and question things-especially in today’s world. Understand and read the news, be media literate, and know the difference between the junk that is out there and real journalism. These are incredibly important skills in this day and age. To me, it’s much more important for students to be able to back up a claim with facts and evidence then to remember who James Madison was. What do you like about Friendship Collegiate? I really enjoyed that during the first handful of years that I was here, they gave me an opportunity to explore different positions-whether it be leadership or mentoring teachers-like what I do currently. I find myself to be someone who gets bored easily. When I first started teaching, one of the things I forced myself to do was, every year, try something different-whether it be a new class, a new course, or some kind of leadership role. And Friendship really allowed me to do that while I was deciding where I wanted to settle. More than anything, I have worked with some really phenomenal people who have made my life here much easier, especially Dr. Shairzay. He’s been a mentor to me; I’ve worked hand in hand with him since the day I started here. He’s the most intelligent man I’ve ever worked with and he has nothing but your best intentions at heart. I trust his feedback; I know that if he’s telling me to implement something, he’s doing it not because he read a study about it last week. He knows it works with our scholars. That ability to have a level of trust with someone that I can work hand-in-hand with for as long as I have keeps me coming back. I know that he has our students’ education and my career here at heart. Is there anything that I haven’t asked that you want to be sure to include in your spotlight? I enjoy mentoring some of the new teachers. It’s a different role, it’s a different challenge, but I feel like it’s one of the ways that I can have a bigger impact on our school outside of my own classroom. About three or four years back, I got a push from our last administrator, encouraging me to become an academy director. And I really questioned whether or not I would enjoy it. I looked into it for a while and determined that the part of the day that I like best is when I’m surrounded by these four walls, working with the kids. If I gave that part up, it sounded like something I wouldn’t want to do. I did want to make a bigger impact, though, so I became a master teacher, which allows me the opportunity to offer professional development three or four times a year with the staff here. That along with the mentoring allows me to have a larger impact, while maintaining myself as a teacher, which is my ultimate goal – to stay in the classroom. What strategies have you found that your students really benefit from? I am really big on routine and procedure. I like the concept of creating a classroom environment that can almost run itself. Students learn and know every little detail, from how to pass the paper, to how to enter the classroom, to where to pick up materials. Students need to be taught routines the same way they’re taught content. And then everything will go so much smoother. If you can do that, then you’re going to reduce downtime in the classroom because each moment is so important. And it’s going to help with classroom management because if they know what to do, they know what the expectations are. The likelihood of any misbehavior goes down drastically. I’ve been doing professional development sessions on routines and procedures based on Harry Wong’s book “The First Day of School” for a long time. I’ve also been offering professional development on effective questioning techniques for awhile now. I’m very big on checking for comprehension, cold-call techniques, and strategies that engage students no matter what content is being taught. I can’t help somebody set up a lab or physics class. But I can help teachers structure their daily schedule and maximize time in that class. Are there any fun facts that you would like to share that your colleagues might not know about you? I have five animals at home! Three German Shepherds and two Siamese cats. My wife and I are really, really big German Shepherd people. We even volunteer at the German Shepherd rescue every weekend. Needless to say, my household is pretty wild with the number of animals running around .
Carlos Richardson, US & DC History Teacher June 17, 2020 By wpengine I am Friendship. I’ve been here a long time and I appreciate all of the opportunities that Friendship has given to me. I’m very proud to be the 2014 Friendship Teacher of the Year. It was definitely one of the highlights of my career. I think people should know that if you work hard, you will be rewarded and acknowledged. What do you like about teaching at Friendship Collegiate? This is my 17th year at Friendship Collegiate. I’m a loyalist; I believe in being committed to people and a place. Collegiate has been home. I taught elementary school in P.G. County before I came to Friendship Collegiate Academy, but Friendship Collegiate Academy is where I started my high school teaching career and experienced the most growth. I even bought my house about five minutes away. I like this community and I like this building. We’ve had many school leaders over the years, but I have stayed at Friendship Collegiate, because for me it is all about supporting the people in this building, regardless of the changes and who comes and goes. What are some student successes from over the years? I’ve seen so many students go to college and finish college. Some of the first kids I taught here at Collegiate are now in their early 30s and I see them in the community. When they call me out by name, many times, they have to refresh my memory because of course at 28 or 30 years old, they don’t look the same as at 18 years old. I love hearing about their successes. I created a post on Facebook, asking my former students to comment about what they’ve been doing in life and how things are. It is great to hear their stories about the paths they’ve taken and when they share that they now realize that all of the messages we offered and taught them were true and helped to guide them. Of course they had to fully grasp the lessons via their own experiences. Teaching is hard work, but when you hear things like this, it makes it all worth it. What do you like about teaching history? In college, I was a social sciences major. I like teaching history, but I’m more of a government and politics dude. I’m a political junkie; The Presidential State of the Union address is like the superbowl for me. I love talking about how our government works, how it compares to the rest of the world, how we can be active participants in our government. I really enjoy history, and teaching students about what has happened in the past, so that we can look at our present and make better decisions so that we do not repeat the past. I love learning about different individuals through history. My favorite books to read are biographies and I enjoy sharing this information with my students; I want them to be well-educated, civic-minded and contribute to the community. What strategies have you found to be most effective to inspire students to get active and involved with their community? When you’re dealing with a senior class, many of them are turning 18 this year. Give them that one-page voter registration form. I do a whole unit on civic engagement. We talk about voting, petitioning, they even learn about going to a meeting with their Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners so they can learn about what is going on in their neighborhood. I stress to them the importance of voting. I always love teaching during a presidential election year; there’s tons of content. Even in D.C. during a mayoral election year. I strive to get them to understand that small things like obeying the law, paying taxes are real life. This affects them. For the students that plan on staying within D.C., I let them know that they’re the next generation, they need to know this stuff. They’re going to continue the progress of their communities. What has it been like to oversee extracurricular activities this year? You know what, I sometimes say doing this full-time might be a dream job. I really believe in after school time and in extended learning opportunities in the summer. Since I’ve been with Friendship Public Charter School, there’s only been one summer during which I didn’t work. I’ve been a Summer School Principal and I was in charge of the Summer Bridge program at Collegiate for quite a few years. I’ve been doing summer enrichment for about the last ten years. I just really enjoy it. Students pursue activities they enjoy–whether academic or athletic, robotics or urban video games, cheerleading, creative writing, or fashion. Whatever they want to do, I like seeing students participate in things that they enjoy. After School programs are some of the hallmarks of our organization. I enjoy being able to offer opportunities for students to work with our staff who facilitate clubs. I love to see the end products of our summer enrichment programs – we have a showcase where students can show off everything they learned during the summer. It allows me to get away from the completely academic side, which I sometimes need a break from – especially during the summer time. Extracurricular activities are essential. Many students who participate in afterschool programs, attend tutoring or homework help. They fare better academically because it takes away that idle time, which they might use inappropriately and make bad decisions. And, you go on a lot of trips with the kids. Can you talk about some of these trips that have been really eye-opening for the students? We have a partnership with Arts and Humanities D.C. and many of the trips we plan are with that organization. I go through the catalogue and find trips that will fit my class and I find trips for my colleagues, as well. I’ll take my kids on any political or history-oriented trip. Also, every April we take a very powerful D.C. walking tour and learn about the different monuments. I prepare them, “We’re going to be walking A LOT and I don’t tire out.” We start at around 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. and go to the Lincoln, Vietnam, Korean, FDR, MLK memorials, we wave at the Jefferson Memorial across the river and we eat after that. Students really enjoy it every year. Even some students who may not demonstrate our core values daily tend to excel on these trips. Even having been born and raised in D.C., many students have never seen these monuments. I know teachers who haven’t seen them either. It’s an enjoyable trip and it’s always around the season when cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Students are able to learn a lot more when they have experiences outside of the building. Students get a better appreciation for Washington. In my D.C. history class, we talk about Washington and we talk about how Washington is the home of our nation’s capital, our monuments, our memorials, where a lot of tourists visit. And then we talk about D.C. the neighborhoods, the culture, the vibe. Many students may understand D.C., but they don’t necessarily understand Washington and how we juggle having both a city government and a federal government within the same city. Every year students complete a D.C. neighborhood project. They are given the opportunity to choose one of dozens of D.C. neighborhoods for a social studies fair. They research their neighborhood, find eight different landmarks, and take pictures at the landmarks so that I know they were actually there. They interview two residents of the neighborhood. They create presentations and write a paper on the neighborhood. It’s just amazing how the students are like, “Oh my gosh, I never knew this.” They see the history and learn about the many legends that have lived here in the places they walk past. I hear them spitting facts about it all the time. What’s interesting as well is many students believe that their street is the whole neighborhood. They might learn for the first time about the neighborhood that they actually live in. They’re just building a better connection with their neighborhood and their city. Hopefully this encourages them to make their city better. Is there anything that I haven’t asked you that you want to be sure to include in your spotlight? I am Friendship. I’ve been here a long time and I appreciate all of the opportunities that Friendship has given to me. I’m very proud to be the 2014 Friendship Teacher of the Year. It was definitely one of the highlights of my career. I think people should know that if you work hard, you will be rewarded and acknowledged. Now, I am a veteran in the game and I’ve definitely taken on a mentorship role for a lot of teachers. Whether they are in my social studies department, novice to the profession, or novice to FPCS. At this point, I am the most veteran teacher in this building. I haven’t always taught; I’ve been a vice principal for a few years as well and a few other roles. So, now I’m in a new phase of helping others within this organization. Is there a fun fact you’d like to share? I think a lot of people know that I’m a world traveler. Tied into my role as a history teacher is my love of travel. Recently I went to Sri Lanka, India, and Hong Kong. During the last five years, I’ve been to Thailand, South Africa, Colombia, Belize, Qatar, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, France, Italy, England. There’s more, I just can’t think of them. I love traveling. I expand my world knowledge. When I go to these places, I’m not just with the tourists. In India, we had dinner with our tuk tuk driver. I like having these authentic experiences. Seeing the beauty of their culture and the love that a lot of people in these other places of the world have. I’m continuously learning all the time. Another fun fact is that I have finished all of courses for my doctorate degree in educational administration and leadership from Bowie State University and am currently completing my dissertation.