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Enough is Enough! Addressing Funding Disparities for Black Students: Community-Based Solutions

April 29, 2023 9am - April 29, 2023 9:30am

Presented by Yolande Beckles, Tiara Wicks, & Joshua Montefalcon

Meet The Team

Tiara Wicks, Intern @ TKSLA

Tiara Wicks is a passionate and driven financial analyst from Los Angeles, dedicated to promoting inclusivity and diversity in multiple industries. From a young age, Tiara had a diverse range of interests, including robotics, performing arts, entrepreneurship, fashion, and track & field. Her experiences have inspired her to pursue a mission of inclusivity, creating platforms where everyone feels welcomed and included. Tiara is an active participant in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion organizations, and has turned her experiences as a "first" or "only" African American woman in several workplaces into positive and impactful initiatives. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated and has led multiple events and initiatives for her chapter. Tiara was also a digital content intern at The Knowledge Shop for 6 months.

As she completes her master's program, Tiara is focusing on investing in the next generation of students through her social impact initiative, "Enhancing Representation in Education." She wants to motivate and include students in any space they aspire to be and promote inclusivity and uplift others one community at a time.

When she's not working, Tiara enjoys dancing, watching musicals, and creating content. She aspires to work in the entertainment industry and continue to evolve the industry through DEI initiatives. Follow Tiara's journey as she continues to lead the way in promoting inclusivity and uplifting others on her social media platforms.

Joshua Montefalcon, Intern @ TKSLA

Joshua Montefalcon is a recent Master of Public Health graduate with a concentration in Biostatics/Epidemiology from the University of Southern California. He is a data driven problem solver who strives to use analytic skills to improve and protect the health of minority populations. As an advocate for preventive health, Joshua strives to identify public health issues, predict health outcomes, and create solutions through data analysis and research.

Since his undergraduate studies at UC Irvine, Joshua has taken an interest in the intersectionality between public health and education after interning at an after school program on campus. His experiences at the internship allowed him to explore relationships between school-based interventions and physical, mental, social, and emotional health among students K-6. These experiences have led him to pursue his current role as a data analyst and researcher for The Knowledge Shop Los Angeles.

Joshua currently resides in Riverside County and enjoys spending his time with his Pug Lola, doing digital art and photography, playing musical instruments, board gaming, and, more recently, pickleball!

Aims & Objectives for the Data Report

This presentation discusses the issue of funding disparities in education, particularly for historically marginalized groups such as Black students. The importance of increased transparency, community involvement, and targeted investments is emphasized, with examples of successful models during the COVID-19 pandemic provided.

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