Sierra Morris is the Manager of Programming at Live It Learn It, a DC-based nonprofit dedicated to creating experiential learning opportunities for students.
“We work with Title I schools, which means that about 90% of the students are having free or reduced lunch,” Sierra says. “We take them to different historical sites, museums, and nature sites in the DC area.”
Sierra is a passionate educator with degrees in human development and family studies and creative writing. At the start of her career, she thought she wanted to work in an adoption agency, but after an internship at a maternity home, she realized she wanted to work closer with elementary school students.
She spent years teaching English as a Second Language in the Dominican Republic and Taiwan. But, she grew up in the DC and the Prince George’s County public school systems and realized she wanted to contribute to this community.
“At some point, I was living abroad, and I wanted to make sure that students who look like me had a teacher like me,” she shares.
She decided to move back to the DC area to work with local elementary school students. Once she found Live It Learn It, she knew this was the right fit.
“Growing up, my mom and my aunts would take us to different places like the zoo and museums on the National Mall. Now, it’s nice to be able to visit the same destinations with students who didn’t know they existed. It’s important to me that the kids understand they’re welcome in these spaces, ” she explains.
Empower Women and Girls to Show Up Authentically
Many women in Sierra’s life, including her mother and teachers, taught her how to be independent and in control of her own educational experience. Now, she shares those same lessons with the women and girls she works with.
“I make it my mission to empower girls and women to use their creativity to express themselves, advocate for themselves, and show up authentically as themselves – not who other people expect them to be,” she shares.
In addition to her role at Live It Learn It, Sierra also works as a dance teacher and writer. Throughout her life, she has run into her former dance and elementary school teachers. These encounters always remind her of the impact teachers had on her own life and she is thrilled to be able to have this same impact on the next generation.
“This work is what I’m supposed to be doing,” she adds.
Don’t Be Afraid of Failure
Sierra does not let the fear of failure keep her from achieving her personal and professional goals.
“[Rejection] is the thing that motivates me to keep going,” she says. “I’m proud of the fact that I’m always driven to keep working towards my goals.”
Sierra also wants young girls to chase their dreams and believe in themselves. Her advice for future leaders is to trust your gut and don’t let other people’s opinions keep you from being creative or trying something new.
“Let it finish cooking before you tell people dinner is ready, that would be my advice. Everyone doesn’t need to know everything at every step of the way,” she explains.
Sierra believes it is important to visualize what you want and make it happen. Don’t let one closed door destroy your momentum.
“A ‘no’ from person A is not a ‘no’ from persons B through Z,” she adds.