Born and raised in Chicago, Aja grew up always knowing that she wanted to use her voice to help others. Aja graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C. with a degree in journalism. She went on to obtain a master’s degree in education leadership from Howard University and is currently a doctoral student at the University of Southern California, where she is earning her doctorate in education.
Prior to starting her career in education, Aja worked as a journalist who left the field to pursue equity for all students as a teacher. While teaching early childhood in Washington, D.C., Aja realized that to fight for equity and access for all students, teachers needed to be at the decision-making level. She stepped out of the classroom to hold positions with the National School Boards Association and the Southern Education Foundation, where she used her platform as a former teacher to help fight for teachers and students at a national level.
As a member of the E4E-Los Angeles team, Aja is excited to continue to push for equitable educational experiences for students while helping teachers be at the helm of policy-related decisions and discussions.