Posted by Marisa Flores on Monday, October 3, 2016 in Current Students.

Katie Goodman is a second year CDA student, graduating from CDA in December 2016.

Thank you, Katie, for sharing some of your story with us!

Q. Where are you from?
A. New York City (by way of Toronto and Nairobi)

Q. What did you do before CDA?
A. Before CDA, I was working for an international charity/social enterprise working on service learning and social justice education programs for high school and college aged students. I started off in facilitation and then worked in program development and facilitator training. (I also worked at camps for many summers).

Q. Why did you choose CDA?
A. I chose CDA because I was looking for an interdisciplinary master’s program that would provide both insight into how to work in the non-profit sector and provide the contextual knowledge of theory that would enable me to do the most effective work possible.

Q. What are your major interests?
A. My major interests are in positive youth development, social justice education, urban agriculture and organizing.

Q. Where did you do your practicum?
A. I did my practicum experiences at the Oasis Center in the Just Us program, at Hands-on-Nashville’s Urban Farm “Crop City” program, and with the People’s Guide to Nashville.

Q. What has been your favorite class & why?
A. Tie! Community Organizing was a great class for understanding how we can apply the theory and knowledge acquired in other classes to real life, on the ground work. I also loved Building Citizenship in and out of Schools, which was offered through the teaching department. This class was the perfect overlap of the subjects covered in CDA and youth development focused work.

Q. What do you want to do post-graduation?
A. I want to continue to work in youth programs focused on social justice education and service learning. I would like to do this either through an after-school or urban agriculture non-profit program.

Q. What are you involved in on campus? Off campus?
A. On campus I am involved with Crucial Conversations, particularly the inter-group dialogue program. I am a member of the core organizing team and was a facilitator for our pilot season of the program. Off campus I am involved in a group called SURJ (Showing up for Racial Justice) here in Nashville.

Q. What do you do for fun?
A. I love to be outside (when it’s not ridiculously hot) hiking or exploring. I am a nerd and read in my free time. I also love live music, coloring in coloring books, cuddling with my roommate’s dog and being with people. Also, podcasts are my jam.

Q. What advice would you give prospective or incoming CDA students?
A. I would advise incoming CDA students to take advantage of being in a small big city that has A LOT of non-profits and a very collaborative culture. Test out different places for practicum and network! Even if you’re not planning on staying in Nashville after CDA, it’s a great learning experience. I also encourage people to look into courses outside of HOD. Our classes are AMAZING, but at least for me (being interested in education) I wanted to take advantage of being at an education school and took some great classes to enhance my CDA experience.

 

To keep up with Katie and other current CDA students, follow @vanderbiltcda on Instagram.