Paladin Profiles Ep. 3: Brianna Burnette

This is "Paladin Profiles” The Paladin newspaper's biweekly spotlight on Furman community members making an impact on diversity and inclusion. Every other Friday, subscribers on our mail-list like you can expect to receive a video interview that highlights the important work Paladins past and present are doing to improve diversity and inclusion on campus and beyond.

This alumni profile is on Brianna Burnette ’18. Burnette majored in Elementary Education and minored in African-American Studies and DiasporaCultures. Burnette is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Education and Literacy through Furman, in addition to teaching 4th grade in a Spartanburg District 7 Title I school. After her first year of teaching, Burnette was awarded the NCTE Early Career Educator of Color Leadership Award and was invited to give a keynote speech at the African American Children and Families Conference about her teaching practices and projects. In this interview, Burnette discusses the importance of creating a fun, inclusive, and safe learning environment that exposes students to diverse perspectives and encourages empathy -and how her Furman professors and mentors have supported her teaching journey even after graduation.