CU scholar Chereta Quána Madison is persistent diplomat for those in need
01 Jun 2017
Bridge Walker
By Tanya Ishikawa Chereta Quána Madison wants to help educators and the community to better understand trauma and its impacts on individuals. In her observations in schools, the doctoral student has found “an utter lack of understanding” of the impact of trauma on refugees, in particular. “Many people don’t understand that if you are working with people who are traumatized, whether they are veterans, refugees or survivors of hurricanes, you need to acknowledge the impacts to their psychologies and bodies,” Quána (her preferred name, pronounced Kee-AH-nah) says. “Their traumatic experiences give them a whole different worldview.”
A Survivor Blossoms
Born in Kansas and raised in Missouri as one of the only black children in her neighborhood, Quána survived a traumatic youth marked by repeated instances of major illness, discrimination, severe abuse and neglect. Through the compassionate support of a few teachers, counselors and community groups, she ended up at Colorado College in Colorado Springs studying comparative world philosophies. She excelled, earning several grants and scholarships and touring with the college choir in Italy and Cuba. She was president of her class and commencement speaker, and graduated with a B.A. in philosophy in 2003. She went on to earn her master’s degree in childhood education from New York University, taught at an arts-magnet public school in New York City, and served in leadership roles during four years at Yew Chung International School in Shanghai, China.
Tanya Ishikawa has done a tandem skydive jump, scuba dived at night, walked across cooling lava, run a 5k race at 9,000-feet elevation, rafted the Grand Canyon and ridden a horse into Canyon de Chelly. But she spends most of her days untangling words and sentences to share stories about people and topics she cares about.
