Ayniah Payne, elementary education major, at Clark Atlanta University, in Georgia
Some of my most meaningful growth has come from entering unfamiliar spaces, both in countries I explored with my mom and in communities where I learned to speak up.
As a young child, some of my earliest and most vivid memories are of traveling with my mom: Boarding planes, landing in new countries, and learning how big the world really is. In high school, we traveled out of the country several times a year, sometimes picking destinations almost at random. Those trips shaped me. They taught me independence, curiosity, and comfort with being far from home. It’s the reason I want to become an international teacher.
I’m graduating this May, and I plan to teach math or art somewhere in Southeast Asia. Teaching has always been part of my story. My mom owned day cares in Philadelphia for as long as I can remember, and I worked with her every summer as a camp counselor. I was always around children, learning how to lead, care, and teach. Loving knowledge and loving kids made education feel like home.
Along the way, I also became a children’s book author. My first book, Penny and the Magic Piggy Bank, is about financial literacy, inspired by my mom—an entrepreneur who drilled savings, credit, and independence into me from a young age. My second book, Penny and Her Feelings Rainbow, focuses on social and emotional learning and mental health, inspired by conversations with my little brother. Representation matters to me, and so the central character in these books is a Black girl who helps to share lessons that our community needs.
Being part of the Aspiring Educators program has encouraged me to advocate for student teachers and public schools. I attended my first Aspiring Ed conference “for the food,” but that soon led to leadership, advocacy, and community. I found my voice, my people, and the power of collective action.
Right now, we’re organizing around paid student teaching, because many of us are working 40 unpaid hours in classrooms while still paying for housing, groceries, and tuition. Through social media campaigns like “show your receipts,” where we posted a week’s worth of expenses to highlight the cost of living, along with meetings with state lawmakers and speaking at the state Capitol, we’ve been able to share our real experiences and work toward change. Having the backing of the Georgia Association of Educators gives our voices weight. There truly is power in numbers. Aspiring Educators has allowed my peers and me to make a much greater impact than we could have alone.
