News

This past month marked the end of my first year as CEO of the Emily Krzyzewski Center. In reflecting on this milestone, I have thought of my younger self. As a first-generation, Ivy League-bound student stepping into the unknown, I often questioned whether I belonged and if I would succeed, carrying the hopes and pride of my family to campus with me. The idea that I might one day lead an organization dedicated to advancing educational access and economic mobility for young people like me never crossed my mind—not because I lacked interest, but because I did not know such a path existed. Serving as CEO of the Emily K Center represents a full-circle moment for me. It is marked by both deep gratitude and a profound sense of responsibility for leading work that empowers young people to dream without limits. 

Over the past year, I have become increasingly convinced that the work of college access and attainment is no longer simply about opening doors, but about ensuring those doors lead to navigable paths to meaningful opportunity. As more young people grapple with the question, “is college worth it, and is it right for me?” we cannot shy away from the real challenges to the prospect of higher education: affordability, sense of belonging, mental health concerns, and a rapidly shifting career landscape. These complexities have led me to examine my own assumptions about success more deeply–who gets to define success, and what is our role in shaping and supporting students’ aspirations? 

In this work, the answers are not easy—but they are simple.

1. Young people should always sit in the seat of power when defining what success looks and feels like in their own lives. Our goal is to shine the light on all of the possible paths to success, ensuring both investments and benefits are clear. 
2. We work in alignment with the full cast of players in the complex ecosystem responsible for stewarding opportunities for young people. Parents and families, educators, community members and institutions hold invaluable wisdom and expertise. Our best work does not replace their contributions, but rather, it complements it.
3. Although our programs are focused on educational outcomes, we work with students in a manner that is holistic and person-centered. In all that we do, our message must be clear and strong: We do this work because we believe in the value, worth, and potential of every young person in Durham.  

The impact of this message is increasingly showing up in full-circle moments: Students who entered the Center in elementary school crossing college graduation stages; Scholars to College high school students mentoring younger Pioneer Scholars students; alumni leading as members of our Board, committees and alumni advisory council, and even working alongside me as colleagues. Together, these moments reveal the growing power and reach of the Center’s mission, fueled increasingly by homegrown Durham talent. 

This past year of leadership has required holding two realities at once: the extraordinary promise reflected in the talent, ambition, and potential of Durham’s young people, and the very real barriers that can obscure opportunity and diminish belief in what is possible. Just as my own journey was shaped by people who pushed, pulled and cheered me forward, the Emily K Center is here to do the same for the next generation. Our responsibility is not only to open doors, but to walk alongside young people as they move through them with confidence, purpose, and the unwavering belief that they belong. 

If we remain committed to that mission, there is no limit to what they can achieve, or to what our community can become because of their success.