SOE Duo Among Whirl Magazine 20 in Their 20’s Selections

Two people affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Education have been named to the Whirl Magazine 20 in their 20s Class of 2018. Britnee Nwokeji, a current EdD student, and Jeremiah Davis, a member of the Heinz Fellows cohort, were named to the list of movers and shakers who are making a difference in the Pittsburgh area.

Nwokeji is a first-year student in the education doctorate program, concentrating on Health and Physical Activity, and works as a program manager for Health & Prevention in the Community Health division of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. As part of her role with UPMC, she manages community benefits initiatives and teaches community education classes to youth. Nwokeji also dedicates her time to mentoring a member for National Health Corps — Pittsburgh and mentoring middle school students at Pittsburgh Arsenal 6-8 through the hospital’s Health Rangers program.

“I want to create healthier, sustainable communities and schools by creating community and personal enrichment opportunities for youth, and identifying effective strategies to eliminate health disparities,” Nwokeji said.

For more information, visit chp.edu and education.pitt.edu.

As a Heinz Fellow in the School of Education’s Center for Urban Education and teaching artist through the Arts Greenhouse Program at Carnegie Mellon University, Davis teaches music and poetry to high school students. Davis, a walk-on football player at Pitt in 2008-11, now describes himself as a poet, spoken-word artist, rapper, teaching artist, and social justice advocate with one goal: bettering local youth.

“The Heinz Fellow role involves me being a social justice advocate within education as a mentor, teaching assistant, and tutor for students at University Preparatory Academy at Margaret Milliones High School,” Davis says. “Finding different ways to help them further progress not just as students, but as people, is what provides the most joy in my position.”

The Toledo, Ohio, native stays connected to local youth as a coach for Homewood Community sports and is looking to take his work further by earning a master’s degree in social work and his teaching certificate.

For more information, visit cue.pitt.edu/heinz.