(The
Septem ber 7. 2011
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
^Jortlanh (Obseruer
Page 11
MET RO
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
A Role Model for Student Success
College dean
speaks out on
staying motivated
C ari H achmann
T he P ortland O bserver
by
As a kid, Tuajuanda Jordan hated
science. Biology was unquestionably
boring, and she did not know a single
scientist. “When I was growing up,
there were no African-American scien­
tists,” said Jordan.
In the 11th grade, however, a chem­
istry class seized her curiosity and the
young introvert realized that many of
the answers to her questions could be
answered in the laboratory, studying
the science of matter.
Jordan soon advanced in the aca­
demic lab world; she graduated from
Fisk University with a Bachelor of Sci­
ence degree in Chemistry, and in 1989
she became the first African-American
woman to graduate with a Ph.D. in
Biochemistry from Purdue University.
Today, as Lewis and Clark’s new
Dean of the College of Arts and Sci­
ences, Jordan hopes to act as role model
for all students who seek higher educa­
tion, while encouraging diversity in
r
continued
on page 17
.
,
PHOTO BY CARI H a CHMANN/T h E PORTLAND OBSERVER
.
'uajuanda Jordan is a role model for diversity in the sciences and other fields. She is starting the school year as the new
Dean o f the College o f Arts and Sciences at Lewis & Clark College.
Empowering
Youth
through
photo by
C ari H achmann /T he P ortland O bserver
Hana Kent o f the Freedom Writers student writing group at Roosevelt High School focuses on community activism by
helping paint a vibrant mural that depicts historical figures on a wall inside the north Portland school’s College and
Career Transition Center.
G
writing
In developing Roosevelt’s College and
Career Transition Center, one goal of the
new writing center is to familiarize high
school students with the writing pro­
cess in preparation for college success.
Angela Nusom, the north Portland
school’s College and Career transition
manager, said the writing center will
also link education with youth empow­
erment.
She said writing gives voice to a
minority population that has historically
been denied access to college.
Within a social justice framework,
students can use the writing center as an
outlet to create a new narrative for them-
continued
on page 17