As a first-generation college student and Somali-American Muslim woman, Maymuna Jeylani set out to find a major and career path where she could focus on anti-racist, intersectional, impactful work.
Now the 2023 outstanding graduate of the Secondary Humanities Teacher Licensure Program, Jeylani plans to use her experiences as a Black woman to help understand and dismantle sexism, racism, classism, and homophobia in her classroom. With a position lined up for fall as a middle school English language arts teacher in Aurora, Colorado – returning to the community where she grew up – she looks forward to supporting students of any ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, and ability so that they feel represented in their coursework
Jeylani was in 10th grade when she encountered her first Black teacher, but she knows that’s too late. She hopes to help provide experiences and representation that her students need.
As a student and educator, Jeylani exemplifies the Secondary Humanities Teacher Licensure program commitments to teaching for equity and justice, her nominators and program faculty said.
“In the university classroom, her diligence, attention to detail, and high standards led to work that was thoughtful, thorough, and crafted with care,” they said. “The unit plan she generated in her Methods One course was simply outstanding. Growing from her interest in learning more about African American Vernacular English and her desire to question and address linguistic inequities in classroom spaces, she designed a series of lessons guided by thoughtful essential questions and defined by learning experiences that inform, challenge, and inspire students.”
In her student-teaching placement, Jeylani demonstrates an impressive capacity for designing and implementing high interest, culturally affirming lessons that encourage high school students to think critically and carefully.
Highly reflective, introspective, and self-aware, Jeylani creates classroom spaces where students see themselves in their learning – whether they are sharing personal narratives or engaging in discussions about identity and intersectionality. She holds critical insights around systems of schooling, how those systems impact her students, and how to ensure that her students feel seen and heard in their day-to-day schooling experiences.
In her own words:
Please tell us a bit about yourself
I am a first-generation college student and Somali-American Muslim woman from Aurora, CO. I struggled to find a major and potential career path at this predominantly white institution of CU Boulder. My family had made it clear to me they wanted me to pursue STEM or a career path that makes money so I do not struggle financially like I did growing up. But, I found myself immersed in the teachings of Black Feminist scholars and their pedagogy. I was not interested in participating in capitalism. I knew my life’s work had to be social justice-oriented and to take part in dismantling white supremacy by doing alternative, anti-racist, intersectional, on-the-ground work. In my K-12 education, my most impactful teachers were my English teachers yet, I did not have my first Black teacher until 10th grade and the only other one in 12th. That is too late. I do not want students to see their first Black teacher in high school or college. Students' identities should be reflected in their teachers. My unique position as a Black woman allows me to understand sexism, racism, classism, and homophobia. I am very capable of relating to almost any student I come across and I realized that is what my previous teachers did. My commitment and interest in teaching stem from this deeply personal place. In this learning process right now, I’m dedicated to learning how to teach students of any ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, ability, etc, and have those students feel represented in the images I show, the history I teach, and the writings I quote. I joined the Secondary Humanities Education Licensure Program to be mentored by Black teachers and one day teach Black students in my class."
What is one of the lessons from your time at CU Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?
I joined Dr. Awon Atuire’s ETHN 3102 Pan-African Leadership and Cultural Studies with a 10-day Global Intensive in Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana in May 2022. This was one of the most transforming and culturally relevant experiences I have had in terms of social justice, my time at CU Boulder, and in my life as a whole. Firstly, due to the study abroad costs, misconceptions, and ignorance of Africa at CU and in Boulder, I was one of four students who had registered for the class. CU threatened to cancel the class due to low enrollment and my classmates and I took on the challenge of getting the class to ten students. We circulated flyers I designed, did social media outreach, did outreach within the university (advisors, departments, organizations/programs, professors, etc), and pushed the Ethnic Studies Department to give students scholarships and Study Abroad to cut down the expenses for a class full of students of color and first-generation students. During the semester, I read the Love for Liberation African Independence, Black Power, and a Diaspora Underground By Robin J. Hayes and watched documentaries like Eyes on the Prize - America's Civil Rights Movement, LUMUMBA, and more to learn more about social justice figures and the way issues have been tackled in Black communities in and out of the United States. This experience had personal diasporic meanings for me being Black and Somali. The class embarked on a literacy support praxis project where I communicated with the headmistress of Wesley Girls Junior Secondary School in Cape Coast, Ghana. Our focus was supporting young women’s literacy, the joy of reading, empowerment, health, and education through fundraising to buy books that portray Black, African, and Ghanaian main characters and stories that Black, African and Ghanaian authors wrote. I asked what the students wanted and did not push any agenda onto them. The girls already had an expansive literacy that we wanted to support. We raised over 2,000 USD through a GoFundMe as well as got donations from the Denver Public Library, and bought games, soccer balls, jump ropes, board games, etc. Additionally, we donated to build bookcases. We read with them, played games, played netball, went into their classrooms, sang songs, etc, and learned from the girls and community. Alongside achieving this goal on this Global Intensive, I was impacted by how much I learned at the Cape Coast and Elmina Slave Dungeons, markets, traditional food, African drumming and dancing lessons by a master drummer, cultural immersion, peer bonding, deep reflection, and more.”
What does graduating from CU Boulder represent for you and/or your community?
My decision to attend CU Boulder after high school was a decision foreshadowed by high anxiety and stress of leaving my lived reality of Blackness and Somali culture to drop into the white rich Boulder bubble. At CU, I have experienced micro and macro aggressions, tokenism, inappropriate assignments, and astounding white privilege. CU is not home or a place of refuge. Graduating from CU Boulder represents the way I stayed alive at CU by taking coursework and being in a community that represents myself and my lived experiences. My goal was to survive but instead I thrived. I received the college education my refugee parents who fled war-torn Somali, pushed for. My being at CU was an act of resistance. I hope my experiences and presence made room for the next students who look like me.”
What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?
It's okay to not know what you want to study or what career you want right away. I felt lost because I did not have an idea what I was going to do but it all works out! Do not be afraid to follow your passions or interests, even if people say you won't make money or look down on it. ”
What continues to drive your passion for your work after graduation?
Building meaningful relationships and being in community with Black people! striving for an equitable and radical future!”
