About

In high school, my English teacher announced to the class that “Miss Potts is the best writer in this class, and she only received a B+.” That was many years ago and to this day I am not sure if it was said to encourage me, to motivate my classmates, or to provide some context for her tough grading system. Perhaps it was meant to provide all three? Regardless of how she meant it, that teacher’s comment planted a seed in my “writer’s heart.” As an undergraduate theatre major, I received more praise for my writing than I did for my acting. That seed grew and I became sure that I wanted to be a playwright, eventually moving to New York City, attending Columbia University’s School of the Arts and earning an MFA.

After graduation, I pursued off-off Broadway productions of my plays and found a paid job in film that I was excited about. Then the world changed. I consider myself lucky that I only lost my job after 9/11. I was working at a documentary film company in Tribeca when I witnessed the acts of terror on that day. My colleagues and I knew people who perished, but we all survived. It seemed selfish to worry about our jobs when so many people lost their lives and loved ones. A few weeks after the attack it became clear that the company we loved, worked for, and believed in would not withstand the economic devastation of those times. I would be among the last to be let go; nevertheless, the owner would be happy to write me a glowing reference letter. Having received a renewed sense of personal and spiritual purpose through that ordeal, I realized that I wanted to dedicate myself to lifting others through education. I asked for a recommendation letter to a doctoral program and so began my path to becoming a dedicated educator contributing to a legacy of access, opportunity, and transformation for every person through education.