Samantha Wilkerson

NREI Social Justice Fellow

She/her/hers

Area of Discipline: Finance
Office Placement: NREI Rotation

Samantha Wilkerson, a New Jersey native, is a passionate advocate for equitable education opportunities and policy reform. She believes in the power of education to change the world, echoing Nelson Mandela’s famous quote. Samantha attended Drew University in Madison, NJ, before embarking on a transformative experience in Honduras where she dedicated three and a half years to teaching and developing the ESL curriculum. Upon her return to the United States, she settled in St. Louis, where she completed her Master’s in Education at the University of Missouri. In the summer of 2020, Samantha made the decision to return to her roots in New Jersey, joining the teaching staff at Newark Academy. Simultaneously, she began collaborating with Leadership for Educational Equity, contributing to organizations like Newark for Educational Equity and Diversity to craft policies that would enhance the lives of children in Newark. Her commitment to policy change and equitable education was further underlined when she successfully completed the Leadership for Educational Equity Public Policy Fellowship with the Newark Opportunity Youth Network, working closely with the My Brother’s Keeper Newark Initiative. Her journey is marked by a deep commitment to education, public policy, and, most most importantly, positively impacting the lives of the next generation of leaders in the Black community.