Shakita Van Liew

Shakita Van Liew is an Academic Coordinator for the Upward Bound Program. She is a native of Akron, Ohio. She earned her Ed.S. degree in Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel in August 2016 from Kent State University.  In December of 2013 she earned her Master's in Public Administration from the University of Akron. She is a member of  the Golden Key International Honor Society, Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society and the Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society . In June 2015, she completed an AmeriCorps VISTA term of service in Akron with Summit Education Initiative. During her VISTA term she applied for and was awarded a grant for $13, 548 to fund Parent Engagement at Firestone Park Elementary School in Akron, Ohio. She has worked extensively in her community and for Non-Profit Organizations for over eight years. Shakita also joined the military in 2002, where she met her husband of eleven years. They are the proud parents of two boys. She has been employed by the Upward Bound Classic Program since September 2016 and is very proud to be a part of the TRIO Family. Moreover, she is the Advocacy Chair of the Black Graduate Student Association at Kent State University. She was accepted into the Higher Education and Student Personnel College Teaching Certificate Program at Kent State University in the Summer of 2016. She aspires to pursue her Ph.D. in Higher Education or Cultural Foundations focusing on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and disparities that keep African Americans from pursuing Higher Education and graduating with advanced degrees.