Montanez Wade was appointed to the board of the Global Education Center in 2016. She describes herself as “a whole brain sista living at the intersection of creativity, spirituality, and technology.” Montanez is an artist and innovative educator with a Master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering. She has taught computer programming for over ten years. For many years she directed the undergraduate research program for the Center of Excellence in Information Systems at Tennessee State University. Passionate about engineering education, Montanez is active in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) projects, and is called often to present workshops on the subject. In 2017 she will be in involved with Westwood Baptist Church University Center on STEM classes. Known by many in the arts community as the “Soulful Story Weaver,” she shares stories and poems of hope, truth and inspiration. Her work teaches and challenges audiences to reach for their highest potential. For her, creativity is a tool for empowerment and liberation.
We asked Montanez to share some of her insights on living and working in community.
We asked Montanez to share some of her insights on living and working in community.
WORKING COLLECTIVELY WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE CHANGE COLLECTIVELY AND INDIVIDUALLY
By Montanez Wade
For me, being part of a group has helped me to grow. In community I have been able to tap into my authentic self and reconnect to my highest self. My journey through life has been with many different communities. My communities have been places that I go to recharge, renew and revive my body and spirit and expand myself intellectually.
My journey through life has led me to become part of many different communities. Each has helped me to become a better me. Each has aided me in self and skill development. My first community was with my mom and sister. My mom was a first grade teacher who used creativity to teach students. She taught me to love myself. She shared with me her love of art. A believer in justice, she was always willing to speak up for those who were being treated unfairly.
As a Girl Scout for about five years of my young life I worked with girls collectively, learning about camping, tying knots, first aid, archery, arts and crafts. When I transitioned from Brownie to Cadet I gained a lot of skills and increased my self-confidence. Scouts helped me to gain skills for navigating in the unknown areas as I learned to be a good observer.
In high school my clique was comprised of girls who were focused on academics and girls who were artistic – musicians, writers, dancers and visual artists. These groups left deep imprints on my life. Their fellowship reinforced in me a love of learning and school and a love of art and writing. After school and during breaks I wrote poems while my best friend created music. To this day – forty years later—I still like to write while listening to live music.
I know that without the group of friends I had while in college I would not have obtained my degree. As an Electrical Engineering student, life became very challenging around the third year of study, due to the type of classes and the amount of homework required. To be successful required one to work in community. You had to learn to use your strengths and the skills of others. Your classmates are your study partners for extended periods of time – sundown to sunup. When I was tired or felt like giving up, my friends encouraged me to hang in there. The group is where I grew intellectually and personally. In my Electrical Engineering group I was reaching for my highest potential as a student – my friends challenged me to become a stronger student. In this way, I was student, teacher and tutor. I gained a love for helping people understand challenging concepts, which is still a part of me.
In the arts, my improvisation community has taught me how to participate in situations where things are unknown. Learning to say yes is the most powerful lesson I learned. Doing improv, I also learned to trust my intuition and how to work with others even when I do not know in what direction we are going. I learned a lot about myself by simply playing with others.
In community, dreams become reality. I have been able to do more because of my communities. In creative groups dreaming becomes doing. Communities are power sources.
By Montanez Wade
For me, being part of a group has helped me to grow. In community I have been able to tap into my authentic self and reconnect to my highest self. My journey through life has been with many different communities. My communities have been places that I go to recharge, renew and revive my body and spirit and expand myself intellectually.
My journey through life has led me to become part of many different communities. Each has helped me to become a better me. Each has aided me in self and skill development. My first community was with my mom and sister. My mom was a first grade teacher who used creativity to teach students. She taught me to love myself. She shared with me her love of art. A believer in justice, she was always willing to speak up for those who were being treated unfairly.
As a Girl Scout for about five years of my young life I worked with girls collectively, learning about camping, tying knots, first aid, archery, arts and crafts. When I transitioned from Brownie to Cadet I gained a lot of skills and increased my self-confidence. Scouts helped me to gain skills for navigating in the unknown areas as I learned to be a good observer.
In high school my clique was comprised of girls who were focused on academics and girls who were artistic – musicians, writers, dancers and visual artists. These groups left deep imprints on my life. Their fellowship reinforced in me a love of learning and school and a love of art and writing. After school and during breaks I wrote poems while my best friend created music. To this day – forty years later—I still like to write while listening to live music.
I know that without the group of friends I had while in college I would not have obtained my degree. As an Electrical Engineering student, life became very challenging around the third year of study, due to the type of classes and the amount of homework required. To be successful required one to work in community. You had to learn to use your strengths and the skills of others. Your classmates are your study partners for extended periods of time – sundown to sunup. When I was tired or felt like giving up, my friends encouraged me to hang in there. The group is where I grew intellectually and personally. In my Electrical Engineering group I was reaching for my highest potential as a student – my friends challenged me to become a stronger student. In this way, I was student, teacher and tutor. I gained a love for helping people understand challenging concepts, which is still a part of me.
In the arts, my improvisation community has taught me how to participate in situations where things are unknown. Learning to say yes is the most powerful lesson I learned. Doing improv, I also learned to trust my intuition and how to work with others even when I do not know in what direction we are going. I learned a lot about myself by simply playing with others.
In community, dreams become reality. I have been able to do more because of my communities. In creative groups dreaming becomes doing. Communities are power sources.
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