Lawanda Walker

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT LAWANDA WALKER

I am a recent graduate of Hampton University and current graduate student at the University of Chicago with a demonstrated interest in nonprofit management and public history. My three younger siblings and I were raised by my mother, an educator, who taught us the importance of being different and “breaking the mold.” My mother was the first to cultivate my love for education and storytelling which I use as motivation for all my professional and academic endeavors. While at Hampton University, I remained active on campus while simultaneously working towards a Bachelors of Arts in International Studies with a concentration in International Relations and pursuing a minor in Leadership Studies. My personal mission was to leave Hampton better than I found it and implemented several programs and initiatives to do so. My interest in the study of the Black experience from a feminine centered and historical perspective is ultimately influenced by my identity. Being a Black queer girl raised in a southern religious household taught me the importance of ensuring inclusivity through the practice of intersectionality and cultural sensitivity in the work. My upbringing as well as my desire to discover people who looked, thought, and loved as I do, has inspired me to pursue a career in historical research and has served as a personal tool of healing while on my journey of self love and validation. As I reflect on what I want my legacy to be, I recognize that I want to share the stories of those who have come before me with intention and dedicate my professional career to advocacy through research.