trevordayschool

I continue to create my own space, and I think that's very much in alignment with Trevor's mission. What are some fond Trevor memories? n It was fun being a part of Cabaret. n Frost Valley our senior year. n When Ms. Casey [Grades 6–12 Library Media Specialist hand Director of Community & Global Partnerships] began to run community projects outside of New York City and we went to Jonestown, Mississippi, an under- served Delta town, where we made home repairs and helped renovate Granny's Daycare Center. In what ways are you living Trevor's mission? I firmly believe that I'm a global citizen. I studied international relations and care about arts and culture, and how we can preserve them to feed the souls of people. I'm a lifelong learner. Trevor taught me that you question, you listen, and then you seek answers. I remember when I went to one of my first college classes, I learned about the Socratic method and thought, "We did that at Trevor." We're all unique beings. I'm living a unique life because I've created my own niche: I know that I'm going to focus on arts and culture and be a government relations person for the arts and culture sector. In addition, I'm the Campaign Manager for Kenya Handy-Hilliard, who is running to be my city council member in District 40. I'm putting my all into it because I think my community deserves the best. Trevor is where we began to believe in our- selves. … Don't ever doubt yourselves. Embrace your successes and failures. Do what is right… right for you, the people around you, and the world you live in. – Nikiesha's commencement speech Left top: Nikiesha credits drama teacher Emmett Smith for teaching her how to speak publicly and recalls practicing her commencement speech with him; Right top: A scene from the Upper School production of Cabaret in 2011. Until she performed in this musical, it never occurred to Nikiesha that she could do so. She is in the front row, second from the left; Right middle: One of many challenging activities during the Class of 2012's trip to Frost Valley; Right bottom: Nikiesha's journal entry Relations. ere, I was able to do what I love—surrounded by art and culture—and utilize skills that I've developed since I was in high school to: handle community relations; do committee work; analyze and understand the government and know how to navigate it. e Brooklyn Museum provided all of that. I thought, "I'm Nikiesha again." I hadn't been this happy since I was in high school. When it was time to leave the museum, I started my own business: Afeni Creative Studios. We work to design new political and cultural frameworks to protect and cultivate the Black imagination and culture for the African Diaspora. People in my community don't have sufficient access to arts and culture—or enough institutions that reflect their values. Such access is essential to our mental health; it helps mitigate violence and other systems of marginalization. erefore, this is our mission statement: "Afeni Creative Studios utilizes policy, art, and design to connect different parts of the African Diaspora so we can sustain and expand the creative economy. We provide resources, programs, and services such as government relations, community engagement, program development, project management, research, data collection, and analysis. "We are committed to making the necessary changes to have an equitable and just society for Black creatives." from March 23–24, 2009, in Jonestown reflects her early commitment to social justice: "e day was tedious, and yet it went quickly. We scraped the whole house. We also talked about how people in the community need more to do; boredom leads to destructive activities and people here want work. ey need work. … People want to help and make their situation better. e people in this town want to engage with the community. You can tell they want to feel they are a part of it." 4 8 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 – 2 0 2 1

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