Debt-free dreams, full-circle purpose
When I was a sophomore in high school, the course of my life changed. It wasn’t a profound life event or a major epiphany, but rather the mere utterance of a few words from my mom: “I want you to go to college and graduate debt-free.” The words were simple. But their power was universe-shifting, purpose-aligning — a gift. A vision of a future overflowing with possibilities that were not available to her or her parents. Those words breathed air into my dreams and ultimately enabled me to step into my life’s purpose: unapologetically advocating for educational equity.
The future my mother envisioned 20 years ago looks very different from the present reality (e.g., the dismantlement of the Department of Education and the rollback of hard-fought wins in diversity, equity, and inclusion, to name a few). These challenges, though monumental, are not a license to be silent or walk back commitments to advancing equity. Rather, they are an invitation to be louder, bolder, and more courageous through the stories we tell, the lives we change, and the commitments we uphold. This is one of those feel-good stories, but its purpose extends beyond mere sentiment. By sharing our stories, we validate the journey and let others know it is safe to do so as well.
A Dream Takes Flight
For me, going to college was a pipe dream. My mom — though well-intentioned — was tripping. “Going to college and graduating debt-free? Nah, impossible,” I told myself. To that point, no one in my immediate family had gone to college, and we most certainly weren’t in a position to assume the full cost of college such that I’d graduate debt-free.
That did not stop my mom, though. She took me to college fairs, researched scholarships, handled paperwork, and set schedules for scholarship applications and college essays. Her unwavering belief and efforts bore incredible fruit just a few years later.
I received the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholarship and was accepted into Berea College, a private liberal arts college that provides full-tuition scholarships to every admitted student. It was a moment of divine overflow — and a humbling reminder to never underestimate a mother’s vision. Becoming a Gates Millennium Scholar more than covered the cost of my undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. Attending Berea College not only prepared me for my advanced degree programs, it prepared me for life; it helped hone my leadership skills and identify the space where my skills, interests, and talents would be of most service in advancing educational equity.
The Scholar-Advocate Emerges
In 2014, I began my doctoral studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Cooper, professor of education in the Urban School Program and pastor of Berean Baptist Family Fellowship (yes, you read that right — Berea). I graduated from UCLA with so much more than I could have imagined. My time there molded me into a scholar-advocate, helped me connect with lifelong friends and purpose partners, and catapulted me from addressing educational inequities at a state level to a national level. To this day, I still marvel at the events my mom set in motion so many years ago.
From Friendship to Movement Building
One day in 2020, I chatted with a close friend from UCLA, Dr. Jalil Bishop, about collaborating on an ambitious student debt project he launched in partnership with EdTrust’s higher education policy team. In many ways, this was the genesis of a dream we discussed during our time at UCLA — building a pathway outside of the traditional roles available to us after earning our doctorates that allowed us to live full lives and not compromise our values, interests, or commitments.
A few months after Dr. Bishop and I started the Black Student Debt Project, I accepted an offer to join EdTrust as a P-12 senior research associate. The role allowed me to connect my passion for helping students succeed in both high school and college while continuing the work we’d begun with the Black Student Debt Project.
Two years later, I set out on a new venture with an eclectic group of scholars, advocates, and like-minded individuals when I joined The Equity Research Cooperative (EqRC), championed by Dr. Bishop and many others. The work we started on the Black Student Debt Project had now morphed into a broader effort — pulling on the power of friendships and shared interests, and it made real the vision my mom had for me so many years ago. At EqRC, as the director of research, I had now become a grantee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — the same funder who made my mom’s dream a reality so many years ago. As a scholarship recipient, I was given the opportunity to pursue my educational interests and passion with one condition — that I be of service to the world. Now, as a grantee helping document the impact of a $100 million Gates Foundation-led project focused on institutional transformation, that early charge turned into my lifelong mission — to advance educational equity for all, unapologetically, and by any means necessary. What a full-circle journey!
New Affirmations
Today, I have a family of my own. The responsibility behind my mother’s words rings especially loud in my ear. Along with my wife, I am now responsible for shifting universes, aligning purposes, and envisioning for my kids a future far better and laden with more opportunities than were present for me. In this moment, that future feels far, nebulous, and sometimes laden with peril. I am sure my mom felt that way too at times. Nevertheless, she said a thing and went about doing it. In that spirit, I offer my affirmations:
I want my children, and all children, to live in a world where their most basic needs are met in abundance.
I want my children, and all children, to have and make choices for their education and future rather than having choices made for them.
I want education to be free for my children, and all children. Full stop.
I want my children, and all children, to live in a world where their future is more beautiful than their present reality — more beautiful than any dream we can imagine.
We’re building toward that future at EqRC with our efforts to redistribute funds to organizations and issues that make real these affirmations and with our work to advance a #FreeCollege agenda! We invite you to be a part of that journey with us. Follow us to stay updated on our progress. Share our story to amplify the message. Donate to directly impact our mission. Connect with us to explore partnerships. Let’s build something bold. Let’s do the thing — together!
Equity Research Cooperative, https://www.equityresearchcooperative.org/
