Shawnta' Cummings, Ed.D., MPH

The most rewarding part of my career is teaching young people and then seeing them when they graduate. I always say graduation is my favorite time of year, because I get to see the fruits of my labor and the fruits of the students' labor, because it was teamwork. It wasn't just something I did, it wasn't just something they did, but something that we did together to help them get to the finish line of graduation. That moment of celebration, being able to witness their achievements after working alongside them throughout their journey, is what brings me the most joy and what I consider my greatest professional achievement. It truly takes a village, and being part of that village, helping students reach their goals and celebrate those milestones together, is what makes all of this work so incredibly worthwhile.

First and foremost, my mother Joyce and my father Edsel have been incredibly supportive and loving throughout my entire journey. Me and my mom are best friends, and my mom, out of anybody in this world, has always been my rock. I've been through pregnancy loss, I've been through neonatal loss, I've been through my doctoral program, and through everything, she has been there by my side. I really have good, loving parents, and I really do appreciate them. My maternal grandma was the only living grandmother I ever knew, and there are a lot of things that I learned from her over the years that I keep with me and share with others, because of her wisdom. I'd also like to point out my Aunt Sandra and my Aunt Mabel, who have been instrumental in my life. Dr. Trinette Nichols is another woman who, even though we've known each other for a short amount of time, has really been instrumental in helping me look at the bigger picture for the work that I do. I'd also like to give a shout out to my dissertation chair, Dr. Linda Wilson-Jones, and my whole dissertation committee, because they were absolutely my support system throughout that journey.

My advice to anybody, especially as educators, is to always be your authentic self. You want to make sure that you are being real, authentic, and have a warm heart, because there's a lot of craziness going out in the world and people are very cold-blooded, unfortunately. I use RAW as an acronym, standing for Real, Authentic, and Warm. I think if you keep that as your guiding principles, or develop your own philosophy for teaching, and stay true to the passion behind the work that you do, then you're gonna find it very rewarding. Yes, we know educators deserve to be paid a lot more than what we are, but at the same time, when you are invested in the students that you're teaching and you're providing mentorship to not only students but even your staff, that is very important to people, because sometimes people just don't have that. They never had it, and their first common experience is when they have this special teacher. So remain true to oneself, be your authentic self, and just exude confidence, because that confidence is actually gonna spread throughout the room, any room that you walk into.

One of the biggest challenges is supporting students from low-income, first-generation, military-connected, and disability-affected backgrounds who need consistent mentorship and additional resources to succeed. At the same time, there is a major opportunity to better invest in educators and strengthen structured support systems to improve student outcomes.

What brings me joy is traveling and being a foodie. I love to go out to eat, and I'm the type of person who likes to try different types of cuisine, whether it's Mediterranean, Jamaican, I mean, it just all depends. I don't leave anything untouched. I'll try it, and if I won't eat it or order it again, at least I tried it. I like to broaden my horizons and experience different cultures through their food, their music, and their traditions. But first and foremost in my life, family is what's most important to me. Spending time with family, that's what matters most.