Launch Week Day 4: Learning Systems
Day 4 – Learning Systems
Yesterday I shared how my experiences led me to apply to the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW).
I wasn’t accepted. I was so disappointed.
That summer, I took a job with 10up as an account strategist. I had decades of experience with WordPress, but I quickly realized I wasn’t fulfilled just increasing sales, especially when accessibility wasn’t a priority.
I reapplied to the GCSW. I was accepted into the Fall 2022 cohort, left 10up that summer, and started as a full-time student (lunch box and all).
What followed was a whirlwind of learning and intense experiences.
As part of the program, I studied systems of power and oppression—and how they show up in practice. I interned with a local community aid organization, then worked as a policy analyst (and webmaster and printing expert—IYKYK) during the 88th Texas Legislature. It was infuriating and enlightening. I have so many stories to share from that session — more to come (subscribe!).
I completed my practicum with AnitaB, where I conducted data analysis and helped improve the accessibility of their reporting.
After the legislative session, we relocated to Olympia, Washington. While finishing my degree online, I joined a value-based care organization supporting people with chronic kidney disease.
One of my favorite projects at Evergreen was leading empathy mapping sessions—learning directly from people in different roles about the kind of support they actually needed, not just what leadership assumed.
Again and again, I saw good people trying to do great work—trapped in systems that weren’t built to support them.
And I saw harm:
Leaders who dismissed accessibility with, “No one’s asked for that.”
Organizations that consistently put profit over people.
Policymakers who actively harm the communities they claim to represent.
Through this work, I learned from and about diverse and vulnerable populations, and how our systems too often fail them by design.
I’ve also seen what’s possible when we center justice, dignity, and inclusion.
I’m grateful to my professors, cohort, and colleagues who helped me along the way. My very first class with Dr. Edward Scott set the tone. Those discussions had a lasting impact.
To Carl, Drew, Savannah, La’Dereka, Maristel, LaTicia, Jade, Nzingha, and Stefanie — thank you. I’ll carry what I learned from you always.
Alan Detlaff, thank you for continuing your fight and introducing us to Dorothy Roberts and Ruth Wilson Gilmore.
Hayley Brown, thank you for your patience, insights, and continuous learning mindset.
Sarah Mercier, thank you for supporting my wild ideas.
And to so many others—thank you.
Meaningful change begins when we open our minds, listen, and operate from a place of compassion.
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Tomorrow: what’s possible. (And yes, an announcement.)
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☮️❤️
- Brian
This is part four of a five-day series leading up to the launch of Ethical Methods on Friday. If someone forwarded this to you, you can sign up here to follow along.