What It Means To Be A ‘Dream Director’ At One Of D.C.’s Struggling Schools

Jessica Valoris is taking youth mentorship to new heights in the nation's capital.

The self-proclaimed "dream director" works with students at a struggling high school in Washington, D.C., which has the lowest graduation rate in the country at a state level.

"Our role as a dream director is to work with students one-on-one through coaching and also to build teams of students who will gain different leadership skills and how to engage their communities," Valoris told The Atlantic in the video above. "I'm creating a space where regardless of what setbacks that you have, you can be a leader and you can experience that power within yourself."

She works to empower students like Emauni Hill, who is featured in the video. The high school senior is on track to being the first person in her family to graduate from high school, though she admitted that school wasn't a priority for her before she met Valoris.

"Who you are has a lot to do like how you're treated when you're growing up," Hill said. "If you grow up hearing 24/7 that you're not smart enough to do something or that's not generally what your people do, after a while you're gonna start to internalize that. Like start thinking that you ain't nothing."

She said Valoris was the first person concerned about why she was always late to class. Valoris even encouraged her to tap into her talents and follow her passion for poetry. This prompted Hill to start a collective of artists who now plan on launching a citywide tour.

Hill said in the future she wants to help her community like Valoris has helped her, no matter what it takes.

"I think Emauni has the potential to be a voice for her generation," Valoris said. "She's like a strong, black, lesbian woman. I just want to see her step into her power. I think she's doing that, bit by bit."

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