Class of 2025
(She/Her/Hers)
Hometown: Bishopville, South Carolina
Major: African & African American Studies
Minors: Political Science; Sociology
Mellon Project: Materializing the Pipeline: How Close Proximity Between Public Schools and Prisons Impacts Small, Black Towns
In the town of Bishopville–a small predominantly Black community in South Carolina–the largest prison in the state is situated on the same street as the public middle and high schools. However, this was not always the case. This project’s goals are to observe the progression of the education and prison systems in Bishopville, South Carolina since integration, how the school-to-prison pipeline is manifested geographically in the present-day, and the subsequent impacts on the Black community in both tangible and intangible ways. Through interviews of citizens from various generations, I aim to see the degree to which the education and prison systems bear significance in their stories and how this significance has changed or stayed the same throughout generations. Ultimately, this research will uncover the systemic and ideological ramifications of the pipeline in a small, rural, Black community in the South.
Academic Interests: school-to-prison pipeline, mass incarceration, juvenile justice, Black rural communities
Brief Bio: In the future, my ultimate goal is to work in incarceration reform as well as inhibit the effects of the school-to-prison pipeline for young Black people. Some slightly boring facts are that I like to read, write poems, watch basketball, and workout. A fun fact about me is that I'm learning American Sign Language and hope to one day be fluent.