Jha’kira Brown

KIPP Lanning Square Middle alumna across the globe. We want students to learn about structural racism, but also how people have fought against that effectively by using their resources to create change.”

Jha’kira Brown entered the workforce after graduating from high school in Willingboro, New Jersey, following her dream to join the medical field. Today, she works with adults who are mentally disabled in a group home setting, supporting residents with everything from administering medication, to taking them on trips to local attractions. “Ever since I was a child, I’ve wanted to help people. I’m a people person. My mom was my inspiration, and today we are co-workers,” said Brown.

She added that KIPP Forward counselors Kate Esposito and Kris Smith were instrumental in supporting her trajectory. “High school could be hard for me, but Ms. Esposito would always ask me what I needed to succeed,” said Brown. After graduation from high school, Brown was impressed with their personalized approach to support. “It wasn’t just email check-ins, we had monthly or weekly meetings, and I knew they really cared,” she said.

Today, Brown’s longer term plan is to attend nursing school, which her current employer will pay for after two years of work. Short-term? She’s recently purchased a car and is currently apartment hunting!

For freshmen Jacob Cassey, the course stands out in comparison to his middle school history classes. “I like how it includes such a diverse history, where we’re studying everything from the Monroe Doctrine to South American independence movements,” said Cassey. As a Haitian-American, Cassey was particularly engaged by class discussions about the Haitian Revolution against French colonialism.

After its launch this school year, Blount says the course will be mandatory for all KIPP NJ high school freshmen starting during the 2023-24 school year.

KIPP High School in Camden will graduate its founding class in 2024, but KIPP Forward counselors like Paige Portner have been working alongside students from day one as they identify their career goals and college aspirations.

“Last year, I launched a career series for our ninth graders, which focused on bringing in speakers from different fields like technology and healthcare to help students understand what career options are available to them,” said Portner.

Community partnerships have played a key role in helping students identify their career interests. This year, the American Training Center brought in an EKG machine for students to use as they explored careers in healthcare. Hopeworks, a career placement organization, has also visited KHS to offer students opportunities to code and learn more about careers in technology.