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Alumni

Meredith Waites


Class of: 2019
Hometown: Springfield, MO
School: Peabody School of Education
Major(s): Human and Organizational Development
Minors(s): Child Development

Meredith’s passion for service grew in high school when she witnessed education disparities domestically and abroad. She began to understand the power of education and empowerment in overcoming these social injustices. While attending Vanderbilt, she has coupled this understanding with her passion for service to commit to the betterment of communities locally and internationally.

 

Following her first year at Vanderbilt, Meredith worked at the Springfield Missouri Public School District where she authored innovative service-learning curriculum for district-wide implementation. She also collaborated with the Springfield-Greene County Health Department to research open-access play spaces throughout the city as part of a policy reform initiative. At Vanderbilt, Meredith has served at the Martha O'Bryan Center, taking on various roles in early childhood, elementary, high school, and post-secondary education programs. She is a Big Sister with the Middle Tennessee Big Brothers Big Sisters Program and will serve as President for the Vanderbilt Big Brothers Big Sisters Board during her senior year. Internationally, Meredith has participated in and led service trips to Costa Rica and Nicaragua with Manna Project International and to a girls’ school in Tanzania with the Askinosie Chocolate University. She completed her first Ingram Summer Service Project in Salta, Argentina where she partnered with a local foundation to promote early childhood nutrition through education initiatives and by improving access to food diversity. Meredith recently completed a second Summer Service Project at the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee where she led a literacy campaign to promote reading in Girl Scout curriculum and among young girls across Davidson County. 

 

Meredith is truly grateful to have the opportunity to continue her service through the Ingram Scholarship Program. She aims to optimize the opportunities granted through the program, as well as at Vanderbilt, to apply herself as a promoter for education excellence. Meredith is working toward her career goals by focusing on education administration and community development. She aspires to advocate for students of all backgrounds to have the tools to achieve their personal education goals and to empower their community in the process.