Ms. Rian Brown

What drew me to Lawrence: I have been working with children and families for most of my professional career. Access to education has always been a personal principle of mine, considering that my Mema, who helped raise me, was an educator as well. When a friend and colleague shared with me the work happening at Lawrence, I immediately felt an alignment with the mission, vision, and guiding principles. It is so refreshing to be warmly welcomed in a workplace and encouraged to bring my perspective and praxis to contribute to this community.

An accomplishment I'm proud of: I am published in an academic journal. I have also been a keynote speaker and panelist among people I deeply respect and admire. As a person with many intersectional identities, I think it is important to encourage the youth I work with and mentor to constantly grow, evolve, and achieve. This is not only done through what I say in my classrooms but also through what they see me accomplish.

Something others don't know about me: While I have now developed the extroverted side of my personality that my students and peers know and love, when I was in elementary school, I was extremely introverted in school and sometimes non-verbal. It was the push from my village to get involved in activities like choir, theater, sports, speech, and debate that provided me with a safe space to develop my sense of self-expression and build rituals of resilience.

Spotted off-campus: My hobbies include painting (specifically watercolors and acrylics), writing, playing acoustic guitar, hiking, nature watching, bowling, traveling, experiencing performing arts (theater, dance, film screenings, concerts, especially Beyoncé and local bands), and spending time with my loved ones. I also like to binge-watch shows and anime and play my Switch, but that doesn't happen much during the school year.