To The Heights

Transcript

ow we’re going to the Heights with Dr. Latoya Brackett. Dr. Brackett is going to explain what to the Heights means and how the community here aspires to live it in every aspect of the Puget Sound experience. Dr. Brackett over to you.

– Thanks for that introduction Alex, greetings everyone. I joined the faculty here at Puget Sound because students come first for me. Puget Sound’s guiding motto is To the Heights, which is a call to action for us to be better than we were before and to reach beyond our expectations. As an assistant professor of African-American studies, I have the privilege of witnessing many moments of clarity for my students. Many students find that their academics here interact with the social justice narratives that impact their everyday lives. Here at Puget Sound students don’t simply learn how to make a change, they lead it. Like several of our students in the summer of 2020, who led the largest black lives matter march here in Tacoma watching my students was one of the best moments as a professor and as a member of the leadership team for the race pedagogy Institute. As injustices continue we must ask ourselves, how do we best prepare our students to lead. Here at Puget Sound we answered that question each and every day. At the race and pedagogy Institute, one of a kinds community engaged entity, working to end racism and the programs like FIPSE, the freedom education project, Puget Sound, which helps provide educational opportunities for incarcerated women here in Washington. Puget Sound offers bachelor’s degrees in critically engaged disciplines like African-American studies where I teach and gender and birth studies and an environmental policy and decision-making to name a few. With opportunities like the summer fellowship internship, where Puget Sound fun students interested in working with local nonprofits and with an Institute that hosts a conference every four years dedicated to race and education, you will not be left behind in the changing world. With us, you will be the change maker. Each semester I get to launch a new set of students into a curriculum that shows them that the process is the product. And each spring I get to cheer some of them on as they graduate. And I get to witness the beginnings of their greatness beyond Puget Sound. And yet another change begins. Back to you Alex.

– Dr. Brackett, that was inspiring. We should definitely all try to live To the Heights. You and Puget Sound students are doing so much important work, thank you.