Julianna Perez

Alumni Spotlight

LEAP Academy Class of 2007

As a young person in Camden, LEAP served as a safe place where I, and many others like myself, felt an urgency and value in obtaining not just a high school diploma, but also a college degree. It was a place where teachers cared for and inspired their students. It is because of this inspiration and high expectation that I even thought of or learned about what it would be to have an Ivy League reputation.

The mere exposure to these ideas sparked my desire to attend Brown University. It was a difficult transition but I was supported by my LEAP family and community. Even after attending Brown, I was still encouraged and welcomed back to interact with the rising LEAP graduates. I was never turned away from an opportunity to serve the very community that helped raise me to be the teacher I am today. After graduating from Brown University, I served 2 years with the education based, non-profit organization called City Year. I actually think there was a video of me talking about my experience used in a Gala a couple of years ago. I have since earned a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts through a teaching program called Boston Teaching Residency. Afterwards, I started teaching within Boston Public Schools. It was really important to me to teach in a public school and serve students that come from similar neighborhoods like Camden. I’m currently getting ready for my second official year as a high school English teacher. I taught tenth grade last year and will be teaching ninth grade this upcoming year. After a few more years of teaching I hope to earn my doctorate in Education Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and continue to advocate for equity in public school education and funding.

 

Julianna Perez

Brown ’12, University of Massachusetts ’15