Urban Education Fellows

Sammie is a sophomore from Lorton, VA studying Business and Religious Studies. On campus, Sammie is the Development Coordinator for Kesem at William & Mary, President of Greek InterVarsity, and the Philanthropy Junior for the Omicron Beta chapter of the Chi Omega Fraternity. In the Williamsburg community, she leads a 7th and 8th grade girl's small group at Williamsburg Community Chapel. She is extremely excited to learn more about Urban Education and spend time in Washington D.C. over winter break!

Tasia is a senior from Hampton, Virginia majoring in Government. She works as a Pharmacy Technician at CVS Pharmacy. On campus, she is a mentor in the Merrimac Mentors Group. In her free time, she loves to practice makeup, shop, and travel! Tasia plans to attend law school after she graduates and eventually practice Corporate Law independently. As a first generate college student, she is especially interested in the concepts she will be learning about in the Urban Education class.

Laura is a sophomore studying psychology and English at William & Mary with a concentration in developmental and educational psychology. Her interest in urban education is inspired by her parents who are both teachers and encouraged her love for working with children. On campus, she is involved in the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, Blitz Running Club, and Lafayette Kids. In her free time, Laura enjoys listening to Taylor Swift, watching The Great British Baking Show, and running. She is excited to participate in the Urban Education Seminar and looks forward to furthering her knowledge surrounding the education system and policymaking.

Pursuing higher education in History and Sociology, Ava loves to pair her passion for understanding the past with her desire to grasp society’s social inner workings. Growing up in a single-parent household, Ava feels that every opportunity afforded to her is owed to her mom. For most of her life, her mom would wake up, make breakfast, and send Ava and her sisters off to school. Ironically, her mom would do the same–head off to school to teach. Her mom is more than just a mother, mentor, and support system for Ava, she is an inspiration for the hundreds of little minds that have come and gone from her classroom. Ava recognizes that she is fortunate enough to have a mom who prioritizes education. Following in her mom’s footsteps, Ava pays her privilege forward. Working in her community, Ava tutors middle and elementary school students with diverse learning backgrounds. She prioritizes these students and recognizes that in most cases they aren’t falling behind in school because they can’t grasp the information. Rather, they do not have the proper social capital or support system to succeed in a traditional learning environment. Ava carries this same love for her own community, to the community here in Williamsburg; she’s found herself heavily involved and passionate about William & Mary’s Griffin School Partnerships. She hopes that this program enhances her worldliness and understanding of our country’s education system. Ava wants to learn and experience more so that she can turn around and make significant changes in her communities’ public school systems–even if that's simply becoming a better, more empathetic, role-model for the students she works with.

Griffin is a sophomore, who plans to major in government and minor in data science. He is from New York, New York. On campus, Griffin is involved in greek life and the Merry Men, W&M Men's Ultimate Frisbee Team. He is especially interested in public education and policy, having attended public schools in New York City his whole life. He is looking forward to the opportunity to be in Washington, D.C. and experience the nation's capital.

Denise is a senior at William and Mary studying economics. She currently works in political finance and hopes to break into the non-profit sector when entering the workforce. She is particularly excited about the policy aspect of the course as she wants to understand further what policy decisions are most impactful to our education system and how to increase equity within it. In her free time, she enjoys cycling, work out classes, the farmers market, and tending to her plants.

Sterling is a junior double majoring in History and GSWS. They are a member of Phi Alpha Theta, a history honors society. They transferred to W&M from the Virginia Community College system and have quickly come to love Williamsburg. Sterling believes in the importance of historical education to inform our identities and provide us solutions for our futures.

Devon Oliver is a sophomore studying biology on the pre-med track. He aspires to attend a prestigious medical school after his undergraduate studies at the College of William and Mary. Although he is on the pre-med track, Devon plans to use the Urban Education seminar to expand his horizons with careers and see what other fields have to offer. By doing so, he hopes to gain a better understanding of the world and how other fields may interconnect with medicine.

Lily is sophomore studying Public Policy at William & Mary. She is from Norman, Oklahoma. Outside of the classroom, Lily is a confidential advocate at the Haven, where she assists peers in handling gender based discrimination, such as sexual harassment and relationship violence. Lily is also a member of the Courageous Leadership and Authentic Excellence Cohort, and serves as her sorority, Chi Omega's, Personal Development Chair. She will act as her sororities Secretary during the 2023 school year.

Annamarie is a Sophomore majoring in Data Science and intending to minor in Educational Studies. Outside of classes, they learn about education by doing research for the Global Education Observatory project in geoLab, volunteering at a middle school through Griffin School Partnerships, and being a member of the Assessment Steering Committee. They are also very involved in leadership as the Service Chair of the W&M Wesley Foundation, the Food Delivery Chair of Food For All, and the Webmaster of the W&M Choir. They are excited to learn about urban education in DC and hope to eventually use the knowledge they gain during this program in a career working with education data in the public or private sector.

Kent is a sophomore from Williamsburg, Va. He is majoring in Finance and minoring in Educational Studies with a concentration in Policy & Equity. He chose to minor in Educational Studies because he considers education his academic passion and hopes to gain valuable knowledge and experiences in the field from the course. On campus, Kent plays for W&M’s Men’s Ultimate Frisbee team and serves as Vice President of the club.

Giorgianna Heiko, hailing from West Virginia, is a sophomore at William & Mary majoring in English. On campus, she is involved in the Swing Dance Club, the Gallery literary magazine, and the Creative Writing Club, for which she will be co-president starting in spring 2023. Giorgianna is also involved in establishing the Appalachia at W&M club and founding the Liberal Student’s League, for which she will be co-president. After college, Giorgianna wants to pursue her PhD in English and aspires to become an English professor and creative writer. In her free time, Giorgianna likes reading books, writing prose fiction and poetry, journaling, watching movies and tv, baking vegan treats, playing sports, and grabbing coffee with friends.

Julio Torres is a social sophomore/academic junior from Loudoun County, Virginia who is majoring in government at W&M. His favorite area of study is comparative politics. Julio plans to become a high school social studies teacher in Virginia public schools and looks forward to learning about the particularities of urban education. In his spare time, he enjoys listening to modern metal music and playing guitar, bass, and vocals. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity on campus.

Ren is a senior from Japan studying finance. It will be her first time in Washington D.C., so she is very excited to take her COLL 350 class with other W&M students. Aside from her studies, Ren currently holds a green belt in karate. After she graduates, she plans on moving back to Japan to work in the finance industry.

Ali is a sophomore from Charlotte, North Carolina. She is studying psychology, with a possible double major in government or minor in philosophy. On campus, Ali is involved with TribeTHON as Director of Donor and Alumni Relations, and on the executive board for Griffin School Partnerships. She is also a member of Kappa Delta. Outside of school, Ali enjoys playing piano, guitar, and ukulele, and spending time with friends.