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By Magana Kabugi
CER Intern

Based on personal experience, education has always been more than merely an important and necessary aspect of my personal development; it’s been a crucial tool in helping me to understand who I am and what I can be.

My parents home schooled me and my younger brother from kindergarten to the twelfth grade. Homeschooling enabled us to explore subjects such as African and African-American studies that we wouldn’t have been able to probe as intensively in a more traditional school setting. Because my educational opportunities weren’t limited to one or two options, I discovered new interests and received many incredible opportunities. I developed attachments to the works of authors such as Howard Thurman, Paule Marshall, Ernest J. Gaines and Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Drawing on my love of literature, I created a local nonprofit called The Reading Workshop, which instills a love for learning and reading in school-age children. Contrary to common misconceptions of home schooled children not being as academically prepared as their public or private school counterparts, I received my undergraduate degree in Literature from American University.

Just as the homeschooling option opened innumerable doors for me, I believe that widening a child’s education options can expand opportunities for them and broaden their horizons. For this reason, I have begun working at the Center for Education Reform.

Although I only just started today, I have already met many dynamic people and have been working on several engaging projects. This is the first exclusively education-focused internship I’ve had, and I’m looking forward to the work I’ll be doing over the next few months.