Brittany Richard (CYES Class of 2019)

My name is Brittany Richard. I am from the Main South area (the poorest quadrant) of Worcester, MA. I identify as a white female student and a future educator of young children. As I was navigating my way through the public school system, I was always shy with only a few friends. I was always told by my teachers that I was a quiet student and that I needed to participate more. Continuing on into middle and high school, participation was known to me more as a requirement and something I didn’t want to do on my own. Although, I was with the same classmates from middle school to high school, I still felt uncomfortable expressing myself in front of everyone. Reaching college, I became more comfortable with using my voice and sharing ideas and thoughts with others. I do tend to still be a listener more than a speaker, but I realized that my ideas do matter, even if I may be wrong. Navigating my voice in school was a challenge and I want that to be less of a challenge for my future students.