story by Claire Miller
In 1995, LaTonya Brown (B.S.E. ’95, M.Ed. ’98) accepted a job as an English teacher at Long Middle School in Atlanta, where she put into practice what she’d learned from then-College of Education faculty members Lucretia Payton-Stewart and the late Asa Hilliard, the former Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Urban Education.
“My initial experience as a teacher was about loving the students for who they were and learning what they needed from me,” she said. “The majority of my professional career has been seeing kids and young adults in extreme poverty and understanding that they’re just as capable as other students. Their circumstances sometimes keep them from being viewed as successful and having people take a chance on them.”
Brown spent 10 years as a classroom teacher and her work in education at both the school and district levels has focused on lifting up students from underserved populations.
Earlier this year, she continued these efforts by launching a nonprofit organization called LB Legacy Network, Inc. that connects at-risk youth ages 10-24 with the resources they need to be successful academically and professionally.
The organization focuses on seven main areas – mentorship, education, scholarship, parenthood and pregnancy, immigrant and refugee services, fighting homelessness and sustainability – and led a 50 Days of Giving campaign to support their work. They’ve already been able to award three scholarships to deserving students totaling $1,250.
Brown hopes her organization can create a roadmap for students to use as they navigate the challenges they face moving into adulthood. When she was a young adult, Brown completed her high school and college degrees while raising her son, who had been diagnosed with cancer at an early age.
“I know what it’s like to finish high school and go to college under those circumstances – when people count you out and don’t think you’re going to do it,” she said. “I know what it’s like to make all of these sacrifices and succeed. I’m creating what I wish someone had created for me.”
In addition to her work at LB Legacy Network, Inc., Brown works in the DeKalb County School District’s professional learning department and has recently begun a three-year term on the board of directors for the Georgia State University Alumni Association. Each of these roles provides ample opportunities for Brown to engage with and support students from elementary school to college.
“If you’re not touching someone else’s life, you’re not living – you’re existing,” she said. “We’re all connected. We must be willing to make sacrifices to help other people.”