Graduate Ariana Hudson moves from student to teacher
By Emily Hooper
SMU News
DALLAS (SMU) – Ariana Hudson has been doing education volunteer and internship work since she was a freshman at SMU. That kind of service was a natural progression for the child of two police officers, and Hudson intends to stay on that path as she begins a teaching career with Teach for America immediately after May commencement.
 Ariana Hudson |
Hudson will begin nine weeks of training in Atlanta in June, after which she will teach social studies to middle school students in New Orleans. Hudson chose New Orleans because she realized how compelling the story of New Orleans education is, especially when considering the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the educational infrastructure.
“New Orleans is resilient and vibrant,” said Hudson. “I know it will teach me so much about what makes a good educator.”
During her time as a teacher, Hudson also will pursue a master’s in education from John Hopkins University.
In 2013, Hudson began volunteering with Readers 2 Leaders, a non-profit dedicated to helping children in west Dallas read at or above grade level. Tutoring with Readers 2 Leaders was a precursor to Hudson’s long relationship with Teach for America, where she began as a campus campaign coordinator in August 2014.
“I immediately fell in love with the mission of TFA,” said Hudson. “I’ve always wanted to work toward making education more accessible, and I knew this was my opportunity to make a difference.”
Teach for America works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding college graduates and professionals to make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to end educational inequity.
Hudson’s calling to work for educational equity was partially influenced by her parents’ profession as police officers: Hudson grew up understanding the life of a public servant.
“Watching my parents taught me how rewarding public service is despite the lack of recognition,” said Hudson. “I learned how important it is to serve the community in whatever position I hold. It requires a level of commitment and sacrifice, but it is something that every single community member deserves.”
Hudson’s interest in education was reinforced in high school, where many of her friends didn’t go to college because of a lack of resources. “One of my best friends didn’t pursue a college education simply because she didn’t know how to fill out a Free Application for Student Aid (FASFA) form,” said Hudson. “I was shocked at how something so incidental could derail someone’s future.”
While Hudson knew inequity in education existed, it wasn’t until coming to SMU that she was able to fully explore her passion for human rights, communications and ending education inequity. She is graduating with majors in communications studies and human rights with a minor in Spanish. During her time at the University she has ben a Hilltop Scholar, a Provost Scholar and has won SMU’s Multicultural Academic Achievement Award among other honors.
“My courses at SMU have helped me understand how education works in the wider context of society,” said Hudson. “And, more importantly, they have helped me understand what my role as educated and privileged is within that context.”
Hudson has sought out meaningful involvement beyond the classroom, such as her experience on the SMU Civil Right Pilgrimage through Selma, Ala. and other southern cities in spring 2015. “In the greater scheme of my life, the Civil Rights Pilgrimage helped me to understand, on a historical basis, what’s going on now,” said Hudson.
During the pilgrimage, Hudson had the opportunity to meet people who knew Martin Luther King Jr. and learn from others active in the movement what it was like to live in a segregationist culture. “Race is such a huge issue in our society and in education,” said Hudson. “We cannot address inequity in education without understanding how race plays out in society.”
Hudson also is pursuing an honors thesis that examines Café Momentum, a downtown Dallas restaurant that employs juveniles who have been incarcerated. Hudson is researching the effectiveness of the overall program in hopes of facilitating a voice for the young people involved in the program. She recently received the “Outstanding Student in Organizational Communications” award because of her work and commitment to the cause.
Hudson doesn’t plan to stop teaching after her two-year commitment to Teach for America is up. She dreams of making a career out of teaching and someday hopes to work in education policy at the Department of Education.
“It is the biggest blessing to get to pursue my passion and dedicate my life to education,” said Hudson.
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