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Strength in Discomfort: Krystal Torres Covarrubias

Although during her year in the Education Policy and Management Program she could feel her goals fluctuating, by the time finals came around Krystal Torres Covarrubias was back on track with, she says, “more urgency than ever.”

She came to the Ed School hoping to learn ways in which alternative education curricula could be integrated into existing education policies.

“To me this means first acknowledging the work that community educators, mostly in communities of color, are doing to supplement the information our children receive about themselves, their histories, and the worlds in which we exist through schools and classrooms,” says Torres Covarrubias, citing as an example the work of her friend Patrisse Cullors-Brignac at Dignity and Power Now, an organization that helps people affected by the Prison Industrial Complex. “Part of that involves developing and implementing curriculum for youth to be proactive leaders to address local needs. I wanted to figure out what I could do to make this type of locally grown, reality-informed programming available first to all students in Los Angeles Unified School District and eventually all communities of color who need opportunities to have ownership of our learning.”

Described by peers who nominated her as “driven,” “inspiring,” “fierce,” “courageous,” and “insightful,” Torres Covarrubias will return after graduation to her home state of California to continue working toward her now-solidified goal.

"“I am thrilled with the selection of Krystal as the EPM 2014 Intellectual Contribution winner,"” says Senior Lecturer Karen Mapp, faculty director of EPM. "“I have had the honor seeing firsthand the passion, energy, and courage that Krystal brings to her pursuit of cultivating a vibrant learning community for herself and others, and I have also seen her commitment to equity, fairness, and social justice. On behalf of the EPM staff and faculty, I congratulate Krystal on this well-deserved award.”"

Upon learning that she had been honored with the Intellectual Contribution/Faculty Tribute Award for Education Policy and Management, Torres Covarrubias answered some questions about her time at the Ed School and beyond.

What is something that you learned at HGSE that you will take with you throughout your career in education? As a queer brown xican@, Audre Lorde has always been a huge source of my learning and direction. During my time at HGSE, I was truly led by one of my favorite and one of her most famous excerpts on “The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action.” In sharing her own experience of discovering and speaking her truths, Lorde reminds me “your silence will not protect you.” During my time at HGSE, I learned that the most critical thing I can do as an educator and political actor in this world is to know, honor, and share my truths unapologetically. I hope that this lesson will stay with me throughout my career in education and anywhere else I may wander.

Is there any professor or class that significantly shaped your experience at the Ed School? I had three classes and faculty members that significantly shaped my experience at the Ed School. The first was my Critical Race Theory class with Daren Graves, Kimberly Truong, and Raygine DiAquoi. The whole CRT team created a really important space for me to think deeply about the place of critical pedagogy in education research and practice. I found a lot of friends there that quickly became and remained family. [Senior Lecturer] Karen Mapp and [Assistant Professor] Roberto Gonzales also inspired me throughout my journey at HGSE. Whether knowingly or not, they pushed me to remember the strength in discomfort and were incredibly supportive through the process. They embody an authenticity to their values that I aspire to achieve.

How did you stay inspired throughout the year? I have been embraced very tightly by a group of wonderful educators, activists, artists, and academics that do truly revolutionary work. My inspiration has revolved around our ability to grow community, share knowledge and experience, and care for each other. I’m also fortunate enough to have obnoxiously supportive and brilliant friends and family at home. I am involved in so much genuine love that inspiration is a natural by-product.

The number one, biggest surprise of the last year was … That race, class, gender and other oppression and privilege are not integrated into the curriculum of every class; and how poorly those conversations are mediated when they occur. It astonishes me how many talks about achievement gaps and underperforming student populations and families happen without naming who is in the room, where we come from and how we relate to issues we are trying to impact. With Dean Ryan’s embrace of the DACED Diversity Competencies, I am hopeful that this will change for future cohorts in the form of increased presence of faculty of color using social justice frameworks and more opportunities to honor the knowledge students of color bring into our learning spaces.

What advice do you have for next year’s students going through your program? My advice would be to try to resist the temptation to prove your intelligence. If you show realness — an authenticity that is shaped by the personal experiences that inform the things you know, and the honesty to work on the things you don’t know — then what follows will have value.

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