trevordayschool

58 / TREVOR MAGAZINE FALL 2024–25 Also, historically democratic candidates in Nassau County have not had much success, so my being a 30-something woman of color with no roots in Long Island didn't make the task any easier. All these factors were working against me, but when I'm told I can't do something… I'm going to do it. Any of the faculty from Trevor who remember me, they'll say, "Yup. That was Ayesha." Trevor: Is there any faculty member you are thinking of in particular? Ayesha: Interestingly, I'm thinking of Mr. (Henry) Trevor; I was in his advisee group. When I was in the 7th grade, I gave people such a hard time, but the teachers always knew how to respond. For example, it would be Black History Month and whenever they asked me a question about the Black experience, I'd automatically say, "I don't know" and give some mouthy response about them being the ones who were supposed to be teaching me. I was always just pushing the envelope. I didn't get into any real trouble, but at that point our headmaster also knew me well. We had many conversations. Trevor: You mentioned you went to St. Paul's for boarding school. That must have been hugely different from your Day School experience. Ayesha: First of all, it was a much larger community because TDS was so small. Plus, I was in New Hampshire. I was used to the subway putting me to sleep at night. So, the sound of crickets was offensive to me when all I wanted was the 6 train! That was my existence, and it was really challenging. As much as there was affluence in The Day School community, I didn't feel it like I did there. You knew there were differences, but no one spoke about it. My family did well, and I would have my Trevor friends over to my house in the Bronx and it wasn't a thing. At Saint Paul's I felt so much more intensely aware of the disparity between economic situations. So, it was isolating at times, but I was resilient. I went there to get an education. I knew this would open a door and that was the point of the whole academic journey: Stay in this space; it's going to get you to the next space, which will get you to the next space. So that's what I did. Trevor: What other life milestones have occurred since your time at The Day School? Ayesha: I'm a mother of two, so that is hugely significant. I think the first major milestone was probably Henry Trevor's advisee group in 1991. Ayesha is in the second row, looking at the camera. "I was used to the subway putting me to sleep at night. So, the sound of crickets was offensive to me when all I wanted was the 6 train."

• Cover