Dr. Denise M. Lowe

I would say to young women entering education that you have to feel comfortable about your charge. Politics are everywhere, and politics are in education as well, but I sleep at night because I made decisions that were best for children. They were not popular, and people don't like it when I say it - I'm not here for the adults, I'm here for the kids. Many of our students across the country, whether in affluent communities or not, are still suffering. We still have post-COVID social-emotional needs and mental health issues to address. So what I would say is that you have to feel comfortable about your charge. I can sleep at night because I never compromise my values for children, and I will never do it. That could mean you lose your job, it could mean you're out of a job, it could mean you're not popular or people don't like you, but it doesn't matter. We're here for the children. They need us, and they need us to advocate and to be strong for them and not compromise. So hold your ground for kids. We can never go wrong doing that.

The challenges right now are those boxes and holes with leadership in general, whether you're male or female. The politics of education is a major challenge, and with school board members, many are running and becoming board members for the wrong reasons. That's why I'm taking on this position as governance chair - my focus is to remind board members what we're here for: policy, appraisal, and supporting the superintendent. We're stewards of the tax dollars, and at budget time we should be entitled to ask questions, but we're not going to interfere with the day-to-day running of the professionals. There's a really fine line, and I see that mind shifting. Today it's so difficult because people are so concerned about books, and your hair, and what you're wearing, and what you look like, and the appearance, but none of that means anything. I do see our young people so concerned about the appearances and the superficial things that ultimately, at the end of the day, don't matter, but it's really hard. It's just the times. So my advice is to be your authentic self. Authenticity, unfortunately, I feel has been lost, but you can only be your authentic self. And if people don't like your authentic self, they're not for you.

Family is everything to me. I've been blessed - my mom passed 3 years ago, but my family is so special and unique. My grandfather was part of the Northern Migration, moving from Greenwood, South Carolina, up to Philadelphia with his 9 children. They were always tight, and they really enacted in us the importance of family. My cousin said recently when we were driving back from a family event that the aunts would be proud - we are such a strong family, we love being together, we love eating, and we love supporting each other. I'm an only child, and while I came from a large family where many of my cousins were 3 or 4 in their family, family and friends are what's important to me. I really do think this generation is lost in reference to longtime friends. I graduated from Northeastern in 1976, and this year in April, my friends who I met - one I've known since junior high, another we met at 18 on the dorm - we just celebrated our golden graduates at Northeastern. We've been friends since then, and it's so important to keep those relationships. These people know every ounce of my life. I can talk to them about anything and everything. So family and friends are what's really most important to me.