Gallon-Blackman ’09 Honored for His Work as a Teacher and Mentor in NYC

Xavier Gallon-Blackman ’09 was recently honored for his work as a teacher and mentor by parents at Baruch College Campus High School in New York City. At the time, he credited Prep teachers Dr. Chris Rupertus and Mr. Bill Conners ’80 as role models. He and Matt Harrison ’14 have agreed to serve as co-coordinators of the Young Alumni Leadership Council’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

 

Recently, Xavier spoke with Alumni Prep Update:

 

 

XGB: I'm a proud member of the Class of 2009. After leaving the Prep, I moved to New York City (Queens, specifically) to attend St. John's University, where I received my B.A. in Political Science (2013) and my M.S. in Adolescent Education (2015). I'm currently a 10th grade Global History teacher at Baruch College Campus High School, a public school in the Flatiron District.

XGB: As a native of North Philadelphia who grew up roughly 10 minutes away from the Prep, I can say without question that sending me to the Prep is one of the best things that my Dad ever did for me. There is no way I would be where I am in life without having spent those four years on 17th & Girard.

 

 

XGB: Even while acknowledging my love of the Prep, in recounting things that I've experienced or personally saw during my time there (in addition to reading all the stories on the "blackattheprep" Instagram page -- two of which I posted and publicly acknowledged were mine), it's clear that the Prep has in many respects missed the mark in ensuring that all brothers (no matter your race, sexual orientation, neighborhood of origin, etc.) have the same experience. I'm so indebted to the Prep for helping me get where I am that, as an alum, anything that I can do to help current brothers (particularly those of color) navigate through microaggressions when they manifest is something that I'm excited to be part of. Furthermore, I'm hopeful that we can all work in collaboration with all Prep stakeholders to rid the school of these microaggressions altogether.