2023-2024: Triston Brown
Triston Brown
2023-2024: Underserved Scholarship Awardee
Leadership Psychology PsyD
Educational Leadership
“Each day has a story to [that] deserves to be told, because we are made of stories. I mean, scientists say that human beings are made of atoms, but a little bird told me that we are also made of stories. And so, each one has something to tell that deserves to be heard.” —Eduardo Galeano
Triston Brown graduated from Pepperdine University in 2015 with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and an undergraduate certificate in Conflict Management from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. In 2020, she earned her Master of Science in Cultural Anthropology from Illinois State University. Triston’s greatest accomplishment is writing and defending her thesis during the pandemic. Triston grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and has lived across the world ever since—including serving as an AmeriCorps member in Oklahoma, and working as an English language assistant teacher in Spain. Currently, Triston teaches world history and ancient civilizations in The Bay Area. Much of Triston’s academic and work experience has been centered on youth-development in the educational non-profit industry. Channeling her energy toward the empowerment of youth in their pursuit of scholastic achievement, meaningful interpersonal relationships, and selfhood, Triston believes well-being, imagination, and opportunity is critical. It is with this understanding of the interrelation between education, access, and biopolitics that drives Triston to pursue her doctoral degree in Leadership Psychology at William James College.
Triston shares:
“To have been selected as a recipient of the Serving the Underserved scholarship and to attend William James College is a seed come to fruition... A culmination of my love of learning and my general curiosity about the lived experience, to have received this scholarship is to continue advocating for uplift and sustainability... It gives me the opportunity to create the change I wish to see and have a hand in ensuring every child has the opportunity to take up space and thrive... My experiences as a Black woman, in academia and otherwise, have shaped me to be the student, citizen, and advocate that I am; this scholarship is a manifestation of what I believe in and what I hope for.”
Triston’s passions lie within the area of youth development and education—particularly sustainable education and resource equity – and extend to social ecology and the Arts. It is her hope to contribute to research geared toward trauma-informed praxis and transformative efforts in education and social ecology with special attention given to youth. While at WJC, Triston hopes to continue volunteering, engaging with philanthropic endeavors, and working in the field of Education. Upon the completion of her doctoral degree, Triston aims to work as a consultant and continue working as an educator and researcher in youth development and comparative K-12 Education (inter/transnational) studies.
Triston enjoys reading, painting, playing volleyball, and traveling in her spare time.