Here’s a project we started before the Covid19 shutdown in March as part of a Georgia Seminar workshop with the support of Georgia Humanities and Emory's Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry.
Workshop participants helped with the interview and editing process. We planned to interview more of the Clarkston students, high school and college, but then went into shutdown.
Fortunately, we were able to meet with Kon Kon (then an Emory junior) and observe some classroom interactions at Clarkston High School led by the dynamic Mrs. Debra Nealy.
from https://www.stepaheadscholars.org:
Step Ahead Scholars began organically, as a college prep workshop in response to inequality that black and brown students face in under-resourced schools. It quickly became a go-to college access initiative as students and families realized it provided access to information, resources, skill sets and strategies needed for successful college transitions. In 2010, Kamal Carter, an Atlanta public school teacher, in response to students facing educational disparity and unequal opportunities, created Lunch With a Mentor, a volunteer mentoring program that offered students real world life experiences. Debra Nealy, a college access and equity advocate, volunteered. When one senior asked for help, she successfully guided them through the process and began developing the Step Ahead Scholars To and Through College model. Together, Kamal and Debra with the help of volunteers, are bridging the equity divide.