A Catalyst for Real Change
Root 2 Rise changed Bryanna Montgomery’s view of teaching, education – and life.
“Before Root 2 Rise, I really didn’t want to go to school” and had no career goals, she said.
A proud parent
Bryanna Montgomery’s father, Jovan, saw how Root 2 Rise motivated his daughter.
Bryanna now attends the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and plans to teach special education.
“I expected to be a shadow in the classroom when I started Root 2 Rise, but I was like a second teacher,” she said. “And I learned that teachers don’t just tell you what to do – they show you how you can become the person you wanted to become.”
Her interest in special education was influenced by her cousin with a learning disability who failed to receive adequate help in school. In addition to helping these students, Bryanna wants to be a role model for Black students.
“I’m proud of her,” said her father, Jovan. “It was a big change. Root 2 Rise showed her that she could be anything she wanted to be. It’s an opportunity we should give to every student.”
When the students Bryanna had helped saw her in Wal-Mart, Jovan said their enthusiastic greeting “was like seeing happiness heading straight toward us.
“We’re supposed to help people, right? And this is how we should be helping our kids because they’re our future.”