Sarah Bridgewaters '15
Sarah Bridgewaters graduated in 2015 with a degree in African American Studies from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. Her experiences growing up as a person of color spurred her interest in education; specifically, educational disparities within public school systems. Her research as a Mellon fellow focused on discrimination and systemic racism within the Chicago Public Schools, namely the two-tiered public school system. She completed her senior thesis (Media Analysis of the Chicago Public School Closings) under the mentorship of Dr. Mary Pattillo.
Sarah received her Masters of Arts in the Social Sciences with a concentration in Political Science from University of Chicago in December 2018. Her thesis analyzed how and in what ways levels of racial saliency in Black millennials can affect political identity and participation. Her thesis (Weight of Linked Fate: Formation of Political Identity in Millennials of Color) was completed with the mentorship of Dr. Cathy Cohen.
She is currently working as a special education teacher at Muchin College Prep, a Noble Network charter school in Chicago. She is also studying to receive her Master of Arts in Teaching in Special Education through Relay/GSE (anticipated June 2021).