Ciara is responsible for developing and executing advocacy strategies across states to increase impact, working directly with partners in Maryland, Kentucky, and Delaware. Previously Ciara worked as the external relations manager for EdTrust Louisiana, where she focused on consistent community engagement to highlight education inequities in the state. Prior to joining EdTrust, Ciara was a community organizer with the South Louisiana Coalition for Education, where she collaborated with parents, caregivers, families, and other stakeholders to fight for greater equity and better outcomes for students in urban centers and rural areas, while simultaneously serving as an eighth grade Louisiana history teacher. In 2020, Ciara was elected to the local Democratic Party leadership, where she worked tirelessly to increase voter engagement and advocacy amongst younger generations.
She is an alumna of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, where she graduated with honors, with a bachelor’s in social work.
Proudest moment
Having one of my former students attend an EdTrust Bootcamp as a panelist Student Advocate for our “Can’t Be Erased” event with Ayanna Pressly.
What drew you to education?
I was born and raised in Natchitoches, Louisiana, a small rural town in North Louisiana. My parents made the difficult decision to leave our life in Louisiana for South Florida, hoping to create better opportunities for my siblings and me. It is their sacrifice, and that of my ancestors that guide me. But it was my first year as a teacher in Quitman County, Mississippi, and then North Baton Rouge, Louisiana as a first-year teacher that I understood my calling to support our children. I believe in the promise and potential of every child, despite a system that has attempted to rob them of that promise for so long. It is my hope that students across this country, especially in the deep South, find power in education, but most of all the power within themselves.
Why are you passionate about working at Ed Trust?
I am passionate about working at EdTrust because of our deep commitment to ensuring students, who are like me, students that I have taught, have an equitable education. EdTrust is unapologetic about our belief in ensuring that students of color and students from low-income backgrounds have the opportunities they need to succeed and thrive. Most of all, at EdTrust I have been able to bridge the gap between my skills as a former organizer and educator, to develop tools and campaigns that support thousands of students across this country. It is one thing to be able to do the work you love; it is another to be able to show up as your full self and work alongside like-minded individuals, who are all fighting towards one common goal.
