>> I went to high school here in Silver Spring, Maryland, John F. Kennedy High School.
I went to-- Then I came to University of Maryland as a psych major and I trans--
transferred into African American Studies.
I did that and I graduated in '96.
I had a great time in African American Studies, at the time the dean was--
was very encouraging of us doing our senior thesis and I learned a lot about scholarship
and research methodology through their-- through their supervision.
And I got really into history and--
and public history and teaching people about the cultures that we're all around.
So we did that and I left and I went down to Clark Atlanta University
to pursue another masters in African American Studies.
Then got married, came back up to New York and started teaching.
And later on in life I pursued a masters in educational leadership.
And was at the National Park Service for a few years, doing public history
and youth development and then I just completed my first year
at the Smithsonian a few weeks ago.