Keisha April

My Greatest Accomplishment: Blazing my own trail. I am proud of myself for listening to my passions and being willing to take a risk, and pivot, so that I could do work that was most meaningful and fulfilling to me. I went back to grad school after obtaining a law degree because I wanted to be a part of changing policies and practices in the justice system. As a lawyer, I was stricken by how so many of my clients faced insurmountable challenges as they navigated social systems, and these clients were often under-resourced, young and people of color. The system often wasn’t working for them, and yet little was being done to understand why. I knew that science was key to bridging the gap and making the argument for change. With my training as a lawyer and a psychologist, I use my work to examine factors that lead to racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system, how these experiences impact people of color and what can be done to improve outcomes. A particular focus of my research has been on understanding interactions and relationships between police and communities of color. I think this is an important place to start the conversation on reform and I am honored to be able to have a career focused on helping to answer these questions.

How Drexel Helped Me: I gained confidence to embark on a new path, when I was getting ready to take a big leap of faith by returning to school and contemplating starting over again in a different field. I felt like I had a solid foundation because Drexel was an environment in which I was free (and encouraged!) to pursue the type of work I was excited about. I also was able to develop meaningful relationships that help to support and strengthen me even after I have left Drexel.

My Greatest Source of Motivation: My older sister, who completed her PhD in public health alongside me in 2020. Starting a PhD program after having finished law school was daunting, but it was helpful to have someone close by who was also going through it, but in a different program and university. We are the first in our family to have pursued doctoral-level educations, so we mostly had each other to consult and lean on throughout the process. And whenever there was a time when things felt to be too much, we were able to give each other perspective and encouragement. Being able to do that with my sister was an invaluable experience.

Where I Hope to Be in Five Years: I am excited to say I recently accepted a faculty position with the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice. I am thrilled to return to my home state of New Jersey and to have an opportunity to engage with the community, students and colleagues who are committed to social justice work. I hope that in the next five years, my work will be instrumental in highlighting issues of racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system and identifying what is necessary to change policies and practices for the better.

If My Life Were a Music Video, the Song Would Be: “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae.