Marauder pursues passions in education to make a difference in classrooms

When Laketa Wright walks across the stage during the Central State University Commencement Ceremony on May 11, she will undoubtedly hear the support of many family members, professors, mentors, and friends. But one important person will be noticeably missing — Wright’s father, the late Cory Dione Wright.  

Image

Cory passed away unexpectedly on April 22, 2023, leading to Laketa questioning whether she could continue her college education to receive her Bachelor of Science in Education from Central State University. Thanks to the support of mentors reassuring her and sharing their own experiences of losing their parents, Laketa pushed on, culminating in being named the Outstanding Senior Scholar in the College of Education.  

Laketa followed a twisting road to finding her Central State family. Growing up on the west side of Dayton, she graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and graduated from Sinclair Community College with a degree in early childhood education. While teaching preschool, Laketa discovered she had more to learn to advance toward her goal of becoming a second-grade teacher.  

“I knew I could be a great teacher, but I felt overwhelmed,” Laketa said. “A lot of my teachers from Dunbar went to Central State. I went back to my high school teachers and told them, ‘I graduated from Sinclair. I’m kind of at a loss of what to do next. I know I want to be a teacher, but I don’t know what route to go, what school to go to, where to apply, and things like that.’ And they were like, ‘Oh, Central State.’”  

One of the reasons Laketa wanted to pursue teaching is because she believes African American students need to see themselves represented in classrooms from the time they step into a school building.  

Image

“I was very fortunate in fifth grade to have my first Black teacher,” she said. “When I got to high school, a lot of my friends kept telling me, ‘Oh, I didn’t like this subject because of this teacher’ or ‘I didn’t get to see an African American teacher until just this year.’ 

“Our future children are going to be in our seats one day. I don’t want to hear them say that.” 

According to a December 2021 article by the Pew Research Center titled, “American’s public school teachers are far less racially and ethnically diverse than their students,” about 8 in 10 public school teachers (79%) identified as non-Hispanic white during the 2017-18 school year, the National Center for Education Statistics reported in the latest data available. Fewer than 1 in 10 teachers were either Black (7%), Hispanic (9%), or Asian American (2%), and fewer than 2% of teachers were American Indian or Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, or of two or more races.  

“By comparison, 47% of all public elementary and secondary school students in the U.S. were white in 2018-19,” the article states. “In that period, around a quarter of public school students were Hispanic (27%), 15% were Black, and 5% were Asian. Those shares have increased over time as newer generations of young people entered the classroom. Laketa says the statistics are unacceptable. 

“I don’t want to hear (students) say they had to wait till fifth grade, sixth grade, seventh grade, ninth grade to see their first African American teacher. No way,” she added. 

One of Laketa’s mentors is Dr. Joshua Singer, who introduced her during the Academic Recognition Ceremony (ARC). Singer said he met Wright when she showed up to his class early, introducing herself and sharing her gratitude for being at CSU. 

“And I knew then and there that this was a student who was going to go on to do great things,” Singer said. "She has also faced more than her fair share of obstacles along the way, as too many of our students have; but she has overcome those challenges with her strength and perseverance, and usually with a smile on her face."  

One of those challenges was the sudden loss of Laketa’s father. 

“I was in disbelief — my No. 1 supporter wouldn't be able to cheer me on anymore," she said. "One thing I will take away is the word' resilience,' which means to bounce back. In life, obstacles will be placed in your way, but stay resilient and keep pushing forward."

"I did it, Dad. I was the best person I could be!” 

A livestream from the event may be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NRHI1R5t2A.