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Valencia D. Clay is a Baltimore teacher on a mission to inspire her students by using activism to educate

Teacher and author Valencia D. Clay has taught in public schools for the last 10 years and has committed to expanding opportunities for her students.

Clay a Harlem native now teaches 8th graders humanities at the Baltimore Design School where she gives students life lessons on self-love, black history and more. Clay has also become a social media darling by posting short clips of her inspirational teaching style on Instagram. With her unique teaching style but very effective teaching style Clay pushes her students to think critically, be culturally conscious, and have confidence in their abilities.

In an interview with NBC Blk, Clay spoke about her passion for being a teacher and empowering children.

“My work is a vessel for empowerment. I think the most rewarding part about being an educator is that your work is very reciprocal,” Clay said. “So, as I teach my students, I’m continuously learning. As they grow, I grow and this is on a daily basis.”

“I view my life as a mirror to their own,” she added. “I use my life experience as a way to show them that there is absolutely nothing that they are incapable of achieving, no matter what obstacle they are faced with.”

Clay who is also the co-founder of The Flourishing Blossoms Society for Girls Inc., a support network for young girls from urban areas, has led a delegation of young women on a service learning trip to the Dominican Republic. Clay has also been named a 2019 National Geographic Education Fellow.

According to the news outlet, she describes the opportunity as “the biggest news of her life.” Clay will spend the year focusing on bringing National Geographic resources and experiences to her students in Baltimore and other urban school districts throughout the country.

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