Tracy Carson
FROM:
Chicago, IL
HEROES:
I know it's cliché, but seriously, my mom. I am also inspired by Barbara Jordan, US civil rights activists, and Albertina Sisulu, a champion of South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle.
PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT:
Surviving my PhD defense
SOMETHING YOU MIGHT TEACH AT THE SUMMIT:
Something about using debate as a tool to help transform urban education.
SOMETHING YOU HOPE TO LEARN AT THE SUMMIT:
I am eager to find out how everyone at the summit has come to terms with the world around us.
SOMETHING YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH IN YOUR WORK:
I'm trying to turn my doctoral thesis into a book. The editing process is frustrating because I have to learn how to change an academic text into something that a general audience would care about.
SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY:
Making other people smile, flowers, and music.
SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU ANGRY:
Arrogance
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY:
My family lives on the south side of Chicago (GO SOX!). My father was born in Mississippi and my mother in Illinois. I have two older brothers, three nieces, and two nephews.
AN IDEA TO MAKE THE 30SUMMIT EVEN BETTER:
Not really sure yet. I guess I'll have an idea once it’s finished.
BIOGRAPHY:
Tracy Carson recently completed her doctorate at Oxford University, where she examined the South African labor movement's use of strikes and boycotts during the height of apartheid. She received a British Marshall Scholarship to fund her graduate studies and later received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach and conduct research in South Africa. Tracy is currently a Presidential Management Fellow working at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
