On celebrity impersonations, juicy board gossip, life lessons of  The West Wing and finding love in Atlanta

So you taught at Carver before joining the school board. What did you teach?

High school history. At some point over my three and a half years,  I taught U.S. history, world history, world geography, American government and current issues.

Do you have a favorite memory? A story from class?

Yikes, so every October would be homecoming week, and I always took that week very seriously. On Celebrity Impersonation Day, I would always dress up … 2 Chainz one year, Eminem and Flava Flav. And Friday of homecoming, we would always take the hottest rap song and change the lyrics to be about Carver Early College. Then we would cram all 400 kids in the school lobby, and it was just like totally out-of-control chaos. People were jumping up and down and screaming and going crazy, but it was cool because it reinforced what a special community that was.

Speaking of homecoming … when Grady plays Carver, who do you root for?

Ooooh, aaaah. Caaarver? Fortunately, the only time I ever have to choose is one game a year. At the moment, I’ve sat on the Carver side because for the last four or five falls, I’ve taught most of them. It’s hard to root against kids when you know their names and when they sat in your classroom for 18 weeks. But every other Friday I’m on Grady’s side!

A very diplomatic answer.

That’s right. Political save … you got me.

Politics, journalism … were those your favorite subjects?

I did the journalism thing in high school and college, but Grady is kind of where my interest in education really started. A woman named Maron Sorenson and I started talking about how she had come to Grady … through a program called Teach for America. I would walk into my AP senior English class every day, and I’d sit with a group of kids, mostly white and mostly upper-middle class, but Ms. Sorenson would have a class twice that size with the opposite racial and socioeconomic composition. I saw her do incredible work with the kids in her class who had really difficult challenges and who were not invested in school, and she changed that for them. That got me really excited, so I applied to TFA my senior year of college and was fortunate to get placed back in Atlanta Public Schools at Carver.

So what steps should be taken to help close that socioeconomic gap and stop that segregation in schools?

If I could do anything in my time on the school board, I think it would be to get this city to a spot where every single kid gets access to quality early education. The five years before kindergarten … those are five years where there is a lot of brain development. The foundation is either being laid or it’s not, and the later you wait, the harder it is to address issues. For every hundred kids who enter the freshman class in our high schools, 59 graduate in four years, 35 go to college and 15 go back for their second year of college. To me, the question is how do we bridge what is happening when we go from 100 to the 15 over a six-year stretch. I mean, college is tough. You’re lonely and far away from home. You don’t know anybody, and it’s a different environment. I had the support of a family who had all gone to college. So if that adjustment was a significant one for me, then that speaks to how big a transition it is for a lot of kids. I don’t know what the answer is yet, but I know that we have got to really sink some time and energy and resources into to making sure that we are better preparing our kids to last once they go wherever they go after they leave us.

There seems to be a common thread of journalism, government and education. What interests you the most about those things?

Corny as it sounds-

That’s definitely my favorite lead-in to an answer…

So I’m a West Wing fanatic, it’s a TV show that came on in ’99 and went to ’06 … it ranks up there with Chipotle and Diet Coke as the things that are most important in my life. And in West Wing there’s this scene where one of the characters says, “Government is a place where everybody comes together and nobody gets left behind,” and that it’s a force for good. And I believe that. I think it’s a place where people can come together and solve problems, and for me, the most important problem worth solving is education––making sure that every kid gets a good one. I think that’s the key that unlocks everything else in life. And journalism … I don’t know where that came from. I remember when I was growing up, my dad would bring home the newspaper and set it on the table every night. He would read it, and I wanted to be like him, so I would read it. There’s value in being informed, and there’s value in exposing things that are wrong and bringing up uncomfortable truths that people don’t want to address but need to.

Sounds like you’re a busy guy. How do you balance such an extreme schedule? Besides coffee…

And Diet Coke! I think being 27 helps. I think not yet being married helps. I think not having kids helps. I’ve always been able to throw myself at whatever I’m doing, whether that’s running a newspaper or being a teacher. I was in a position where I would stay at school until six or seven at night, or where I could drive kids home from tutorial. Now, I’m in a position where I can go to community meetings every night of the week, but I’m also fortunate that I’ve got a great group of friends. I like to work hard, but I also like to hang out with them on a Friday or Saturday night. I’ve got a good group.

How do you engage with the community?

By attempting to be everywhere. I graduated from Grady in ’06, and when I got elected, I had to leave Carver because you can’t work for the school system and serve on the board at the same time. Being a board member is a part-time job, but I was able to sit down with every person who wanted to have a cup of coffee or a beer and go to as many school events as possible. I got a chance to meet people who I wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to know and learn better about what opportunities they thought APS had … and what our challenges were.

What is it like being younger than the other members of the school board?

I’m 27, Courtney is 29, Jason is 30, Eshé is 34 and then the other five members are in their late 40s and early 50s. It’s a really interesting dynamic. There are four of us who have taught, and we’re the ones who are the youngest, and then the other five are parents, so there’s kind of that split. I don’t really notice it all that much. We don’t agree on everything all the time by any stretch, but that’s never had anything to do with age.

Meria Carstarphen. Can you give us an interesting fact that no one else knows?

She drives this massive pickup truck, which you wouldn’t really guess. The day we introduced her at a press conference, somebody asked some kind of question like “Who are you?” and she was like “Hi, I’m Meria! I’m 44, and I like long walks on the beach.” She’s got a great personality.

Alright, [email protected]?

For some reason, I decided in third grade that I was going to be president when I grew up. So that was my email address starting in middle school. It speaks to the fact that I’ve always been interested in politics and government. That was the kind of weird little child I was growing up.

So you’re not planning to run for president? You haven’t started your campaign plan?

Interestingly, you asked what changed in college … my interests and theory of change. As a third-grader, you’re enamored with the president and motorcades and AirForce One and all that, but in college, where I wanted to be and where my passions were concentrated was Atlanta. My interest fell into education and urban redevelopment. One of the things that appealed to me about the school board was that you have the potential to effect real change in the lives of 50,000 kids and 5,000 employees, and that’s powerful. I’m a whole lot more interested in solving problems, especially in regards to education.

That being said, what are your greatest weaknesses?

I think I sometimes get bogged down in smaller day-to-day stuff and lose sight of the bigger picture. And so as a board member, this job almost requires me to stand back and not get in the weeds. That’s something that I’ve had to work on.

Speaking of sorting weaknesses and strengths, what Harry Potter house do you think you’d be sorted into?

Gryffindor. It seems like the nerdy folks who are also cool. Obviously that’s my way of saying, “Look how cool I am! I belong in Gryffindor.” I don’t know. I’ve never thought of that before … but definitely Gryffindor.

For Gryffindors, it’s supposed to be courage and bravery that inspires them to succeed. What is it that inspires you?

Growing up, I always wanted to make my parents and grandmother proud. In high school and middle school, I always wanted to do right by my teachers and show them what their contributions have done for my life. In college and after, I think it has taken on a loftier purpose maybe. I want to do things that make a real difference and make life better for as many people as I can.

One of my friends wanted me to ask if you had a girlfriend or if there’s a special someone out there …

I do have a girlfriend. She is a Georgia native and shares my interest in politics. She’s awesome. That’s all you’re gonna get.

What’s your favorite food? Almost out of coffee … I’ll close with that.

The pomodoro at Osteria with an arugula salad and a Sweetwater 420. That’s the perfect meal.