My name is Dominique Garrett and I am the new Memphis Communications and Community Engagement Manager with Stand for Children Tennessee. You may have received emails from me inviting you to attend community events across the city or alerting you to take action to make equity in education a reality in Shelby County Schools. For those of you I haven’t yet met, I wanted to take a chance to introduce myself.
I was born and raised in Memphis to two parents who started me off early on my educational journey. When I was very young, my parents subscribed me to National Geographic Magazine, which was the best gift ever at that time. Just seeing my name on a piece of mail in the early ages of my childhood used to light up my day! As I grew older, science became my favorite subject, and I participated in every science fair I could. I went on to graduate from Wooddale High School and later from the University of Memphis with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. I’m currently working on pursuing a master’s degree in Project Management … so wish me luck!!!
While my educational experience was enriching and fulfilling, that’s not what I witnessed every day within my community. While it was – and still is – a norm for my family members to be high school and college graduates, this is not the norm for many youths in my city. I soon realized that everyone did not have the same educational opportunities I had, so I started to work with non-profits that focused on educational advancement for Memphis students.
I chose to join Stand for Children because of the valuable impact we are making for the youth of Shelby County Schools and because of wonderful supporters like you! Without your dedication and advocacy, I would not be able to shine a light on the educational equity injustices our community is experiencing every day. It is because of your stories that we were able to influence Shelby County Commissioners to Fund Students First by providing funding towards pre-K, facility improvement, and transportation.
Now that you’ve learned more about me and my role at Stand, I hope you’ll connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. And if you know of any community engagement events that we should be apart of, please email me directly at [email protected].
