LaShawn Simmons, an Atlanta native, has developed skills in arts programming, cultural work, and curating in order to deepen community understanding of diverse social issues. She entered the education field initially as a City Year corps member. After a year of service in Rhode Island, LaShawn joined Teach for America, with hopes of translating these experiences and insight into the STEM curriculum for elementary and middle school students. Since beginning her teaching career at Blackstone Valley Prep Upper Elementary School, LaShawn has additionally been  trained in restorative practices tailored for classrooms and community organizations, graduated from Rhode Island College where she received her masters degree in education, and plans to continue teaching next year.

LaShawn graduated from Brandeis in 2018, majoring in African and Afro-American Studies with minors in Anthropology, Art History and Creativity, the Arts and Social Transformation (CAST). There, among many other leadership roles, she founded and published an anthology of poetry entitled “Ebony Axis” that centers the complexities of Black womanhood and served as Brandeis' Intercultural Center curator, creating spaces where young artists at Brandeis could be empowered to use their pieces to provoke dialogue about social issues. For her 2018 Segal Summer Internship, she supported local Boston youth in expressing themselves artistically at the Transformative Culture Project.