We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Coke recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

The mission of the Inspire Youth Global Scholars Program is to provide young scholars from marginalized backgrounds with the opportunity to become global citizens and global agents of change in the world. Through methods of active storytelling, service learning projects, and leadership initiatives, Inspire Youth Global Scholars will learn about their own communities, and cultures, and how their own experiences relate to others in different cultures across the globe.

The Inspire Youth Global Scholars Program is built upon the idea of connecting students from diverse backgrounds, learning about different cultures, building meaningful friendships, & fostering cultural awareness that values all humans in our society and the world..

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Jessica Marcia Coke is the lead global scholar at Inspire Youth Global Scholars Program LLC. Her passion for all things international began early on in her childhood years when she would travel to Jamaica for the summers to visit extended family with her Father. There, she became intrigued by the nuances of culture and language. Her predisposition to travel and experience as a first-gen inspired her interests in discovering that there was more to life than the world of her inner-city community-and she became determined to explore it.

During her undergraduate career, she was bestowed with opportunities to study abroad over seven times, living and studying in places she once dreamed of including—China, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Taiwan where she eventually received an Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) scholarship to teach English as a second or other language in Taitung County, Taiwan.

Each of her study abroad experiences proved to illuminate her belief that cultural connections are building blocks towards a brighter future, quenched her thirst to learn new languages, and awakened her calling as an educator. She realized that you can be the change that you truly want to see in the world by: civically and socially investing in self and others, committing to bettering your community through engaging in service, and honing your natural leadership skills.

Jessica joined the Teach For America (TFA) program in 2017 in Jacksonville, Florida. Since then, she has served as an educator for nearly a decade, in various states across the United States of America, teaching a plethora of subjects, and facilitating various leadership roles.

However, her passion for History Education is rooted in the miseducation of mainstream education, curriculum, and materials. In her pedagogical practice, she intentionally seeks to create spaces and opportunities where students of color and from historically marginalized backgrounds can show-up and show-out exactly as who they are, and become the next set of global agents of change in the world.

Her invigoration of the social and the international, affords her the opportunity to intentionally expose the youth to civic and social engagement, and provide interested individuals with a diverse plethora of skills to problem solve modern day issues in our society and world. Jessica currently holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and a Master of Arts Degree in International Training and Education.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients has been getting involved in community service and engagement activities. Being invited to be a speaker at various educational events has helped the program significantly. Parents and students who I encounter at these events hear how my international experiences have shaped the trajectory of my career, and want their children to have also have access to these opportunities too.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I keep in contact with clients via social media and email. I find that many parents whom I interact with may not necessarily be into social media but their children are. Using several platforms allows me to engage with both parties.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Instagram.com/badgyal_jessicaaaaa
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-coke-m-a-ed-9915301b8?trk=contact-info

Image Credits
MCPS Game Changer Conference, Button Farm Living History Center, Josiah Henson Museum and Cultural Park.