Episode 93: Interview with Alycia Worthy

Welcome to the Counter Narrative Podcast, a show designed to change the way we talk, and think, about education. By sharing stories of successes and triumphs, we aim to challenge the dominant narrative that often negatively portrays our disenfranchised populations.

I’m your host, Charles Williams. An urban educator for more than 15 years, a current school principal in Chicago, an educational consultant, an equity advocate, and the co-host of Inside The Principal’s Office.

--

In this episode, I chat with Alycia Worthy, a Career and Technical Education and Health Science Educator.  She enjoys giving high school students the foundation for being able to work and interact with the healthcare industry. She also loves training, teaching, and uplifting people.  Prior to entering the education profession, Alycia worked for several years for pharmaceutical companies. It was during her time in the pharmaceutical industry that she recognized that many people were not aware of the vast opportunities available in the industry.  She formed a passion for wanting to inform people about the opportunities and resources available in the pharmaceutical industry and STEM fields.  Alycia transitioned her passion into the education arena where she now works to expose students to a variety of careers and people in the medical and health care fields. She also works to empower students and to help them to pursue their goals and dreams. Alycia currently serves as the Coordinator of the Queen Cobras program, which is a space created for 9th grade girls of color that focuses on healthy identity development, social justice and civic engagement, and cultural affirmation.  She hopes that those young women will love themselves, feel supported during the crucial transition to high school, and understand the benefit of serving the community.

Alycia obtained her undergraduate degrees in Biology and in Chemistry from Emory University and her graduate degree in Public Health from New York University.  She is the proud mother of one daughter, Lisa.

During our conversation we focused on Alycia’s passion - STEM - and discussed why more young people, especially black and brown students, are not entering science and math related fields. It seems that this issue is multifaceted. From students not interacting with educators who reflect their backgrounds to not having access to engaging and interesting courses to not being exposed to the wide array of career opportunities that exist outside of traditional jobs. Alycia recognizes that there exists numerous incentives to increase participation in STEM but stresses that it is our job, as educators, to address all of these areas if we truly want to address this issue. Students need to see authentically passionate educators who are not only excited about sharing their knowledge of science, technology, engineering, and math but who also know how to curate these experiences so they are relevant to our students. Yes, there is much to be done but Alycia helps us to better understand the issue and how to address it.

--

I want to thank you for listening to The Counter Narrative Podcast. If you like what you are hearing, please be sure to like, subscribe, and of course share it with friends and family. I’d also love to hear your thoughts about the show so please leave a comment or two as well.

I’m not sure what platform you’re using but the show can be found on Anchor, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and plenty of other platforms. If the show isn’t on your preferred site, let me know and I’ll be sure to get it up and running.

This podcast is also featured on SchoolRubric.com, where you can find educational articles, videos, and interviews with educators from around the globe.

Be sure to connect with me and other listeners by following the show on Twitter at @theCNpodcast and joining the show’s Facebook Group.