We were lucky to catch up with Megan Blaising recently and have shared our conversation below.

Megan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career.

Our system was designed to cater to a specific demographic and still does primarily cater to this group. Thus, creating vast inequalities that still plague our system. I would dismantle and redesign the curriculum to reflect reality and pull away from the institutionalization of education. As I describe in my book – Blunts, Bullets and Belligerence: A Memoir Remembering the Students America Forgot – schools need to be a place students can “expect consistency, protection, appreciation, and loyalty.” Those who have continued to be underserved and neglected need to become a priority which means doing things differently. Furthermore, we need to equip the schools with quality and qualified professionals to fulfill these ideals. Superficially, I would incorporate financial literacy and entrepreneurial courses to empower youth to have a better relationship with money and embolden their business confidence and knowledge. Our educational system will not improve until we move different. Minor policy changes or inventing new professional titles are simply band-aid tactics. This method is giving our current systemic ideologies crutches – which only enables them to walk in an altered manner down the same path.

Megan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Master’s in Applied Sociology, and am pursuing my Doctorate in Education and Organizational Leadership. My professional background lies in mental health and education -namely education reform. I have dedicated my life to fostering visibility to neglected communities and advocating for quality education opportunities for all. I have worked in various charter and alternative education institutions. I have served as a school counselor, social worker, legal advocate, leader, educator, and educational consultant. Currently, I am a Research Consultant at Elevance Health. I always knew that I wanted to serve others in an intentional capacity – what that ultimately looked like I was uncertain. I believe my personal educational experience (attending both public and private institutions) ignited my interest in the education field. Specifically, analyzing the discrepancies within our current system and ultimately motivating me to pursue supporting and leadership roles in education reform.

One thing I am most proud of is completing my first book – Blunts, Bullets and Belligerence: A Memoir Remembering the Students America Forgot. The feedback that I have received has been unbelievable. It seems to be sparking people’s awareness and interest in education – and perhaps most importantly, initiating those over-due solution-based conversations. Soon it will be about implementation. This book not only outlines the academic dilemmas our schools face, but how these feats impact our students psychologically… also how it affects their families and the communities at large. Moreover, it implores readers to start intentionally addressing these matters while perceiving them from a humanistic and wholistic lens.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think being visible, transparent, and candid are things that help build and maintain a solid reputation in my market – I am who I am, unapologetically. It is about taking risks and advocating for self and others in a way that is meaningful. I can confidently say that I give my best daily, and it has allowed me to accomplish my goals thus far.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have made the transition from direct care to macro-level impact. I started on the ground and wanted to ultimately influence and change the systems in which I was working. I went from practicing, to leading, raising funding for organizations, to teaching others how to be effective and intentional in their practice, to now, working to be a voice for communities nationwide. It is possible to pivot and do it well. It is important for me to love what I do each day and feel like I am generating impact on various levels. That said, I decided to make the transition because I was conditioned to serve then feel – and I knew I needed to adequately care for self so I could show up for others.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @megan.blaising
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganeblaising/

Image Credits
Rockcandy Photo (photos) Nick Blaising Productions (book/event photos)