Ashika Parker is a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in education policy and planning at The University of Texas at Austin. She earned a bachelor’s degree in applied learning and development from UT Austin in 2016 and worked as an upper elementary STEM teacher in Austin ISD for five years after graduation. Through her time as a teacher, she dedicated herself to promoting equity and inquiry-based learning practices as well as social justice values in her classroom and campus. Her experience as a teacher and commitment to her students led her to pursue a career in which she can have a voice in shaping policy for children from vulnerable communities. Currently, she works as a graduate assistant in the Office of the Dean of Students at UT Austin, developing and delivering leadership curriculum for undergraduate students. Parker hopes to utilize her experience in the Archer Fellowship to examine the ways education policy works with civil rights, immigration, and urban development to create equitable opportunities for all children.