Congratulations to our February Member of the Month (MeMo) Chandra Scott! National College Attainment Network (NCAN) staff asked Chandra both professional and personal questions so you can get to know her and the work she does better.
Q: What brought you to the college access and success field initially? A: My journey in college access began at the Mobile Area Education
Foundation, a regional nonprofit in southwest Alabama. During that time, I was leading programs and initiatives that focused on K-12 practice and policy, and understanding the connection to higher education as a facilitator of the Education Commission.
The data truly pushed me into the deep end of college access. Seeing the disconnect between high graduation rates for high school students and low college enrollment, retention, and graduation rates, this drove me to wanting to build a bridge that
will ensure ALL students had access to higher education pathways, regardless of their zip code.
Q: What do you love most about your role or organization? A: That I serve as a living example to students who are raised in non-traditional homes and come from small towns. It's rare you have examples to see what's
possible within such settings. Being able to share my story and the role education played in my journey is always met with, "I would have never thought that about you." Alabama Possible allows me to be authentic in my desire to connect communities
and uplift individuals as a strategy to sustaining upward mobility for generations to come.
Q: What's your favorite thing about being an NCAN member? A: One of my favorite things about NCAN is its ability to connect people and organizations. They have their pulse on the amazing things that are happening
in postsecondary spaces. If they learn you're interested in closing a gap on issue X, they make sure you get connected with others who are navigating or have excelled on issue X. This has truly been an asset to us expanding our network and deepening
our pillars of work.
Q: What advice do you have for people who are new to college attainment work? A: If you are new to college attainment work: WELCOME to the most amazing club! This is a network of people who understand we
are in this for the long haul. The wins may come slow, but you know you're rebuilding or building systems that will remove barriers to access and completion for generations to come. When we do experience the wins (large or small), there are so many
who will be there cheering. More importantly, when the load gets heavy and the data is daunting, you have a network that encourages and supports you along the way.
Personality Questions
Every month, our MeMos will be answering some fun questions to help us get to know their “out of office” side!
Q: If you were dropped into any movie or TV show as a new main character, what movie or TV show would you pick and why? A: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This is my childhood (and adult)
favorite movie. It truly shows that character matters and can take you far in life because you never know who's watching you!
Q: You get to host a dinner party with five people, dead or alive, famous or not. Who are you hosting? A: Singer Billie Holiday, my grandfather Finis Harris, author Toni Morrison, mentor Joyce Payne, and musician
Trombone Shorty.
Q: What's one thing you'd like to cross off your personal bucket list? Is there one thing you've crossed off already that you're really proud of? A: Bucket list to do: ride the bullet train in Japan. Bucket
list done: bungee jumping!
Q: Imagine you could teleport anywhere. Where would you go right now and why? A: I would go to Ghana to experience the history, food, and the tech scene. A great mix of the past, present, and future.
Q: What's your favorite food, and one food you don't like? A: Favorite food: all things potato. Food don't like: anything stuffed.
Q: If you could immediately be fluent in one language AND proficiently play one instrument, which language and instrument would you choose and why? A: I would love to be fluent in Japanese because my 11 year-old
son is now teaching himself and I would love to support him and so I can have conversations when I ride the bullet train in Japan someday. I would pick up playing the alto saxophone again. I haven't played since college.
Q: You HAVE to sing at karaoke. What song do you pick? A: "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack. The title describes what the audience will say about my singing.
Q: What’s one topic, not related to education/college attainment, that you could give an impromptu 45-minute TED Talk about? A: Beating the odds!
Q: What's on your to be read next list? A: The Barn by Wright Thompson.
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