By Blessed Sheriff
Intern, The NEA Foundation
The NEA Foundation’s summer blog series, “A Student’s Perspective,” explores the experience of public education through the lens of a student, poet Blessed Sheriff, a rising high school senior enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program at Richard Montgomery High School in Montgomery County, MD. She is interning at the NEA Foundation this summer.
On Feb. 7, 2014, when I took the stage at the NEA Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Education Gala with host Phylicia Rashad to recite a poem, I knew that the NEA Foundation was making an important contribution to supporting public education. This summer, I am honored to be a part of that effort by serving as a summer intern for the NEA Foundation. My name is Blessed Sheriff, and I am a rising International Baccalaureate senior attending public high school in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Working with the NEA Foundation has already proved to be an enjoyable and educational experience. I love learning more about how the Foundation supports and honors the people who have dedicated their lives to teaching students like me in public schools all over the nation. One of the many highlights of my internship includes opportunities to develop my interests in poetry while also honoring educators and leaders. I wrote and performed a poem to commend Mark Chichester for his service and dedication as the NEA Foundation board chair, and Dennis Van Roekel for his many years of teaching and leadership as president of the NEA. These outgoing officers will be tremendously missed, and their contribution to the improvement of public education and student achievement is a source of great gratitude and pride for the Foundation.
I am also thrilled about the blog series I will be writing this summer for the NEA Foundation’s website. This blog series, written from my perspective— the perspective of a student—will explore a variety of topics, as well as the thoughts, experiences, and attitudes of the many modern American public school students. I have been enrolled in public school in Montgomery County for thirteen years, and because this upcoming school year will be my last, I am excited to offer you a personal glimpse into the world I’ve lived in for so long.
Subscribe to the NEA Foundation’s blog to receive our summer blog series, “A Student’s Perspective.”
