Summer Bridge Spotlight: Toyosi Morgan
Meet Toyosi Morgan, a Ph.D. student in theatre and one of five participants selected for the 2025 Summer Bridge program. She worked with the Promise Zones initiative.
How have you applied your humanistic training to advance the mission of the community organization?
As a theatre scholar grounded in social justice and community storytelling, I’ve always been drawn to work that centers equity, voice, and lived experience. Through my internship with the Promise Zones initiative, I applied those same principles to help research school inequities and promote a college-going culture among Black families on the north side of Champaign.
One of my primary roles was conducting a literature review of successful Promise programs across the country and identifying models that could be adapted to our local context. I approached this work the way I approach research in the humanities: tracing narratives, analyzing structures, and asking who is being served—and who is being left out.
With the support and guidance of my supervisors, I also co-wrote a grant proposal for the organization. Their consistent feedback throughout the process sharpened my ability to align vision with strategy, and I’m proud of how we translated community goals into a strong funding request. It was not only a technical learning experience but a deeply collaborative one.
Interning under the mentorship of dynamic, community-rooted leaderd in Champaign was especially meaningful. Their example, trust, and encouragement showed me how to lead with both clarity and compassion—how to listen deeply, advocate effectively, and stay grounded in the needs of the people we serve.
How has this experience contributed to your career development? What skills have you gained or developed?
This experience has been instrumental in broadening my understanding of how research and advocacy intersect in real-world community settings. I gained hands-on experience in grant writing—something I had never formally done before. Working closely with my supervisors, I learned how to structure a compelling proposal, align organizational goals with funder priorities, and revise based on feedback. These are transferable skills I can now bring into future academic, nonprofit, or collaborative projects.
Beyond grant writing, I also strengthened my skills in meeting facilitation, notetaking for coalition spaces, and translating research into accessible, actionable ideas. Sitting in rooms with experienced community leaders taught me how to navigate complex dynamics and how to contribute meaningfully, even when I’m not the most senior voice at the table.
Most significantly, this internship has clarified that I want to remain in spaces where research, creativity, and community engagement overlap. The mentorship I received throughout the summer modeled how to lead with intentionality and purpose—values I will carry forward in both academic and public-facing work.
What have you learned from working with this community organization?
Working with the Promise Zones has taught me that lasting change begins with radical listening and community trust. I learned how much intentional effort it takes to build initiatives that are truly with community. The leaders helped me see how solutions must be shaped by those who are directly impacted, and how much wisdom already exists within the community.
Working closely with Mama Imani Bazzell and Emily Stone was especially formative. Through their leadership, I witnessed how to hold vision and detail together—how to move between strategy and care. Mama Imani’s commitment to equity and their decades of work in the Champaign-Urbana community offered a living example of what sustained, values-based activism looks like.
I also had the opportunity to attend a school board meeting with Mama Imani, as well as other community forums focused on educational equity. Being in those rooms gave me a front-row seat to the systemic educational injustices Black families in Champaign continue to face; whether in access, representation, or policy. These experiences were difficult but necessary, deepening my understanding of how advocacy must be both grassroots and institutional.
I also learned that promoting a college-going culture requires more than academic resources—it requires cultural shift, family engagement, and systems that affirm students’ identities and futures. Seeing how the Promise Zones approached this work holistically—with attention to schools, caregivers, and neighborhood histories shifted my perspective on what educational justice can look like in practice.
Above all, I’ve come to better appreciate the pace and patience of community work. It is layered, relational, and ongoing. And it’s in those layers that real transformation begins.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your Summer Bridge program experience?
The Summer Bridge program created the space and structure I needed to see how my humanistic training could live outside the university in ways that are deeply impactful. It affirmed that the tools like critical thinking, writing, listening, and ethical reflection—are not only relevant but essential to community-based work.
What made this experience especially meaningful was the mentorship I received from Mama Imani Bazzell-Smith and Emily Stone. Their guidance was not only professional but deeply personal. They invested time in me and I felt seen, challenged, and supported every step of the way.
Being part of the Summer Bridge cohort also gave me the chance to learn from peers across disciplines, all of us grappling with how to make our scholarship matter beyond the academy. I leave this program with more clarity, more confidence, and a stronger sense of responsibility—to continue doing work that is rooted, relational, and justice-driven.