As we enter the new year, we remember the things we carry with us. For the last year, many of us have worn multiple hats, opening our hearts and homes to the unknown.
Here at the IRT, we find support in our community. Our scholars came to us with their hopes, vulnerabilities, and shared goals of educational transformation. It has not been easy as we all work together to work towards our ideals of socially just educational society.
I’m proud of the opportunity to connect with our alumni and share their stories in our program report. We are excited to continue to solicit and support our alumni through the development of our Alumni Committee. Now more than ever, our alumni play a crucial role in supporting our program. By informing us of your successes, challenges, and processes, we can better support our current scholars.
Throughout all the uncertainty, I am also grateful. Grateful to be in a community that works to support each other. Either through PPE distribution or easing nerves while waiting for admissions decisions, I am inspired by how you have shown up for each other.
LaShawnda
It’s been over a month since my last day at the IRT, and truthfully, I’ve missed it every single day. I was employed at the IRT for six years, first as the Coordinator for Recruitment and Admissions (later renamed the Recruitment & Admissions Program Specialist), then as the Associate Director and Manager of Programs, and briefly, as the Interim Director. I’ve seen the IRT go through a host of changes in the relatively short time I’ve been there. But through those changes, the organization has also stayed true to a radical re-envisioning of the American education system.
In April 2015, like now, I was a resident of Baltimore City. That spring our city was in turmoil following the murder of Freddie Gray at the hands of the police. I lived within a mile of the place where Gray attempted to flee from the police one fateful Sunday morning, yet our worlds couldn’t have been more different. Me, a mom, wife, and college professor living in the so-called, “White-L”* of Baltimore (Geographer, Dr. Lawrence Brown coined that geographic phrase to indicate the area of the city most populated by White people, corresponding with an abundance of resources that the “Black Butterfly,” where Gray lived, lack). Yet, all of the city residents were shook by what we witnessed and experienced. International media flocked to our city sending out media representations of a burning CVS and understandably angry residents gathering in protest over the death of yet another Black man at the hands of police.
Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91
“I am very grateful for Leislie’s work. She was my IRT advisor. I admire her work. Also, I appreciate all the assistance of the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT) has provided to us. I feel honored I was selected to participate in the 2020-2021 IRT Associate Program in the field of Linguistics. This program impacted me positively. It could change my life. Especially thanks to Leislie Godo-Solo, Rachel Weissler, Monica Reum, Brittany Zorn, LaShawnda Brooks, Janelle Bonasera, Sara Cerretani, and thanks to all the alumni.” Zahaira Cruz Aponte, IRT ’20