Photographer: Shayna Naemi
THIS IS MY STORY
I am originally from Baltimore, Maryland and moved to Los Angeles, CA in 2016 when I was accepted as a Teach For America Corps Member. I taught for 4 years at a transformational charter school in South Los Angeles and currently teach at a charter school that serves the communities of Compton and Watts. Some of my proudest moments as a teacher include winning the Rookie Teacher of the Year in 2016, receiving my Masters in Urban Education: Administrative & Policy from Loyola Marymount University in 2018, and founding the Athletic Department in 2019. 2019 was the first time there was football, volleyball, and cheer teams on campus and I was extremely excited that the students got to experience something that meant so much to me growing up. Sports and Athletics has always been a passion of mine.
When my school transitioned to Distance Learning in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, I had the opportunity to pause and evaluate where I was in life.
SURF YOUR SKATE.
I started surfing in high school, but in April 2020 I began skating for the first time as a way to take my mind off of everything that was happening in the world. I had never been able to ride a skateboard and set a goal for myself to simply “get really good…fast”. I skated around 10 miles per day, back and forth from Marina Del Rey, through Venice, and up to Santa Monica. I could not put down my board. I fell in love with surf skating: carving and gliding around just like in the water.
July 2020 was the first time I went to a skatepark. I’m still not sure why I decided my first time should be at Venice Skatepark, one of the most notorious skateparks in the world…but I showed up. I can’t remember the last time I felt nervousness or fear like the way I felt that day. I did (looking back) the smallest roll in and I was proud. After that I became addicted to going to the park.
From the countless hours I put in at the park and skating on the boardwalk, I was able to progress fast. The only thing that makes me happier than seeing my progress is being apart of the skate community. In September 2020, I attended a GRLSWIRL group skate and met a bunch of awesome womxn that I started skating with. There is something about skateboarding that will bond you to someone else faster than any other activity.
In addition to meeting this group of womxn, the local skaters at the Venice Skatepark truly welcomed me into their community. I attribute a lot of my progress to them and I cannot thank them enough.
Artist: Sharlene Perkins
Concrete Queenz
After having all of these priceless experiences skating I knew I wanted to bring this to my school. I decided to create Concrete Queenz and provide the girls at my school with the opportunity to come together and skate.
Often times girls, especially girls of color, are not provided with opportunities to help them succeed or a safe space to allow them to grow and learn. It is my hope that through Concrete Queenz and skateboarding, we are able to foster community, independence, and strength, and the girls participating are left feeling uplifted and empowered.
We successfully implemented our first semester of programming in Spring 2022. We are currently fundraising, selling merchandise, filing as a nonprofit and will resume programming in Fall 2022. Follow on Instagram @concretequeenz.
