June 10th, 2015
1. She’s from Decatur
I’m from Decatur, Alabama. I went to a really small high school and I graduated with about 70 people. Decatur is a great place to grow up because it has a lot of history. I love going to Old Decatur, and as a history major, I enjoy all the history my hometown has to offer–there’s a Prohibition era tunnel under the Tennessee Valley Pecan Company in downtown Decatur. For me it is really cool to hear about a time in history and know that Decatur played a part in it.
2. She goes to Birmingham-Southern College
I am a senior majoring in history and political science at AP Cornerstone Member Birmingham-Southern College. When I first got to Birmingham, I was a little overwhelmed. It was the first time I had been on my own and that was a major learning experience for me. On top of that, Birmingham has a lot going on which was a major change for me. It was really a combination of these two things that made the transition from a small town so overwhelming.
3. She has a bright future in either law or nonprofits
I plan to go to law school. That’s the goal. I’m also excited to be here at Alabama Possible and see what it is like to work with nonprofits. I’ve always been interested in nonprofit work because it’s constantly changing. In nonprofits, there is constantly room to grow, constantly room to change. We’re working to condense the Blueprints College Access Initiative curriculum and I’m excited to see where this internship will lead me in my career path.
4. Did we mention she loves Steel City Pops?
My favorite thing about Birmingham is definitely the food. I love to go to Steel City Pops and tell all my friends about it. That’s really a big thing for me. My favorite is caramel and I go all the time. I have one of those frequent buyer cards…it’s an obsession.
5. She loves living in Birmingham
There’s so much here to do as a person that’s in their 20s. I think that a lot of people who have lived here their whole life can take that for granted. Since I have only been here for three years, I think that I’ve learned to embrace it and immerse myself in Birmingham life.
6. She’ll be working with Blueprints this summer
The plan is to revamp and revitalize the Blueprints curriculum. I have a couple of ideas in mind. One thing that I would love to see is really to enhance the curriculum so that it can apply to everybody, from kids who are top of their class to kids with learning disabilities. I want to make it so that with Blueprints mentors have meaningful conversations with students.
7. She has a passion for education
Education is really important to me, especially for those with special needs and in impoverished areas. I believe that every person should have the right to further their education no matter what their circumstances are. Education is very important to securing America’s future.
8. She sees the strength of the population of Alabama
I think we have a lot to be proud of as Alabamians. I want to show the nation that we have a lot to offer and go against the stereotypes people have about our state. I think that the key to doing this is coming together as a state. We have a lot of history together; we have a lot in common as Alabamians. We should use those commonalities to work together to make the nation a better place.
9. She has big plans for Blueprints
I have two main goals with my work with Blueprints. I’d like to make it more engaging for students so that they can be better informed about college and walk away feeling motivated about their future. Along with that, students need to know that they have a support system outside their schools and families and that the Alabama Possible community wants to see them succeed.
10. She’s not the most athletic
I’ve never broken any bones, which is really odd because I’m really clumsy and I worry about falling a lot. I don’t play any sports. I have the athletic ability of a walrus.