Inspired to Help Others She doesn’t hold a degree in logistics, but Damali Slowe ’06 kept thousands of moving pieces in order during her three years working at Prep for Prep, a program which identifies New York City’s most promising students of color and prepares them for placement at independent schools in the city and boarding schools throughout the Northeast. While she recently left Prep for Prep to attend
Damali Slowe ’06 and her brother, Omar
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Westminster Bulletin
the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, also in the city, she is grateful she had the chance to give back to a program that helped her in so many ways. Each year, some 4,000 students in grades five and six are nominated to apply to the section of Prep for Prep that selects students for placement at independent schools in the city. As admissions coordinator, Damali oversaw student applications as the pool of students was narrowed through testing, interviews and document review to the 125 who were chosen to receive lifechanging opportunities. Many of the projects Damali undertook as admissions coordinator focused on creating systems to help families complete the application process and to improve the efficiency of the process itself. “Families don’t always understand the opportunities, which can make the application process seem more onerous,” she explained. “We, therefore, developed an admissions
process to engage all stakeholders in the task of completing a student’s application.” To that end, Damali created a method to update families on the progress of their applications, and she maintained a system that enables public school staff to monitor and assist their students in completing the Prep application process. To ensure that applicants of varied cultures have equal footing in the process, she facilitated the translation of materials into different languages. Damali says that growing up, she wanted to be just like her brother, Omar, who participated in Prep for Prep and attended Saint David’s School and The Gunnery. Damali’s path took her from New York’s Village Community School to Westminster. “I loved Westminster,” she emphasized. “My experience made me a better person.” She remains close to several of her classmates, including fellow New Yorker Juliet Okpalanma ’06. “We brunch together often,” said Damali. While at Westminster, Damali participated in soccer, cross country, swimming, lacrosse and track, as well as the Multicultural Student Union, Serving Our Neighbors, the Asian Awareness Club, Chorale, Seniors as Sisters, Cabaret and the Library TAG Team. She was a recipient of the Richard K. LeBlond II Honor Award, which is given to a member of the Sixth Form who exemplifies dedication to academics and loyalty to the school, and the Timken Scholarship. Among the four Advanced Placement classes Damali took her Sixth Form Year was David Pope’s AP Environmental Science course, from which she became interested in developing economies. “I became fascinated with the idea of helping people raise themselves out of poverty,” she said. That inspiration led her to earn a degree in Middle Eastern languages and cultures from Columbia University and then her work at Prep for Prep. Just beginning the next step in her education, Damali hopes to apply her law degree to working toward the implementation of economic, commercial and financial infrastructures that foster the growth, stabilization and independence of emerging economies, such as microlending companies. She also looks forward to applying to a law school joint degree program in France. “I would not even be qualified to apply if not for French studies at Westminster,” she added.