#througheducation: Treshika Melvin

At the campaign launch in September, Ed.M. candidate Treshika Melvin took part in the #througheducation project, writing that through education, she “found freedom.” Melvin explains what she meant:

“In saying that ‘I found freedom,’ I was thinking about two ways in which education greatly impacted my life and the amazing effects:

1. First, I thought about the first time I understood the literary term ‘imagery’ and how, as a child, I became engrossed in books because of the seemingly limitless places reading took me. Specifically, the term had been a vocabulary word in my language arts/English class. I remember being about 6- or 7-years-old, sitting in my grandma's room reading a book, and having my ‘aha!’ moment. That moment was the point when I began recognizing imagery within the book I was reading, and truly believing that I'd struck gold.

2. Secondly, I thought about how critical my education has been in shaping my identity and connecting me with history. I recalled my early high school years and a teacher I had, Mr. Roth, who went above and beyond to educate my ninth-grade class on Civil Rights history and involve us in civic engagement, while specifically connecting us to current issues challenging civil rights and civil liberties. For a young black female growing up in Mississippi, there were already a number of historical factors and cultural attitudes that were set up to make me feel bound, and my education — and the truth that I found within it — became one of the most liberating experiences of my life.

Ultimately, my education exposed me to new worlds, it gave me pride and a sense of belonging, it supported and encouraged my service to others, and it revealed my own passion for the field, which led me to HGSE.”