Conversations with Crystal: Education is Mandatory

In this week’s episode of Conversations with Crystal, I chat with Jaedda Hall, who serves as the STEM Promise Program Coordinator at Tidewater Community College. Jaedda and I had an opportunity to meet last summer as participants in the AAWCC LEADERS Institute, a week-long experience for women who aspire to leadership roles at the community college level.

We connected on a number of levels as the millennial moms with young daughters in the group. As we discussed in our conversation, we both struggled with the idea of imposter syndrome and not believing that we should be in the room with people bearing titles such as vice president or director.

But she’s doing it! In her role, she has been at the forefront of developing a scholarship opportunity for students that was developed in response to the pandemic and leading initiatives that support students dealing with food and housing insecurity. Service at the community college level is special and Tidewater is lucky to have someone so personable and so passionate. She takes the time to develop relationships with students and works to identify both their academic and personal needs.

Above all, Jaedda is definitely about that #MomLife. She takes the time everyday to ask her daughters about something they learned, so when she says education is mandatory, she means it and it starts at home.

About

Looking to contact Crystal? Email: info@crystaleverett.com.

Crystal Everett is an educator who has spent more than a decade working with youth in the K-12, higher education and non-profit spaces. She believes that it is a combination of education and empowerment that equal opportunity for students. She looks forward to connecting with fellow educators as they support Black students in a variety of educational spaces.

In September 2022, Crystal published her first children’s book, Mari and Mommy Move It!, inspired by her daughter and her love for music and dance.

Crystal is also the founder of Everett Consulting Group LLC, an organization focused on educating and empowering both students and their supporters about college and career related opportunities. She recently launched a podcast, Conversations with Crystal, where she talks with education experts in the field, ranging from early childhood to higher education. Through her consulting work, Crystal has also served as a facilitator for the Parent Leadership Institute KC for the past five years, supporting parents and caregivers as they advocate for all children.

She earned degrees in Public Relations and Sociology from Drake University in 2010 and a Master of Education in Human Relations from Northern Arizona University in 2012.

In 2019, Crystal received the Young Alumni Loyalty Award from Drake University, as well as the Rising Star Award from the Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling.

She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In addition to working to support students, one of her favorite endeavors is navigating life with her husband, Marquis, as they raise their daughter, Mari.

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