My drive for teaching is influenced by my family, who lived in an underserved area that hindered their opportunity and access to equitable education. To me, equitable education looks like meeting students where they are. If there is an individual or group need, it is my duty as a facilitator of learning to provide a solution or resource specific to that individual or group. As a public health researcher who focuses on health disparities, it is my goal to apply the foundation of health equity to the classroom. This includes centering students’ voices inside and outside the classroom, applying an intersectional approach to developing class content, materials, and activities, and supporting students’ learning through experience and engagement.

As a student who navigated academia for almost a decade, I am aware of the challenges faced by underrepresented students in predominately white academic spaces. I know what it feels like to be “the only” one in the classroom. I had many experiences being looked at or called upon to speak for a single group of Black folks who I could merely speak for, because of the multitude of diverse experiences and identities of our diaspora. In those moments I felt tokenized, discouraged, and unenthusiastic to learn. As I transitioned to teaching in those same spaces, it was my goal to never make a student feel the same way that I felt. I wanted my students to have some autonomy over their learning environment and I aimed to decenter myself to create a student-centered space where students can feel seen and heard. There is power in learning, and I ultimately hope that my students can and have felt empowered in the classroom.

As an undergraduate student, I wanted to learn more about health disparities and issues impacting marginalized groups. Thus, I proposed a course focused on social determinants of health and health disparities. In 2021, the department of Health Promotion and Behavior asked me to co-develop and co-teach a course with my advisor, Dr. Tamora Callands, entitled Health Disparities in Public Health. We collaborated to develop engaging material that was relevant to students' everyday lives and experiences as well as their future career goals in health-related fields. Dr. Callands and I were able to create a multi-directional learning experience where students taught us as well as each other through interactive in-class assignments, group projects, and focused classroom discussions. We ended the course with an opportunity for students to learn and teach their fellow students about public health advocacy and health disparities through social media. I hoped that this course piqued the interest of students to pursue careers in public health focused on advocacy, justice, and equity.

During my Ph.D. process, I taught two sections of Chronic Disease Prevention, and have also guest lectured on the topics of social determinants of health, contraception, maternal health disparities, and program planning. As I step foot in front of the classroom, whether it be as a primary instructor or guest lecturer I know that I may not be able to reach each student in an empowered way, but I do hope that they could leave the experience having at least one takeaway and one resource to take back and apply to their everyday lives, communities, and future careers. I want to continue to grow as a facilitator of learning. I want to continue to read and research new and innovative ways to foster an engaging and interactive learning environment. I want my students to be centered and feel seen and heard in the classroom space.