Elizabeth Clay Roy
Phipps Neighborhoods, South Bronx Rising Together
New York, NY USA
"Have enough inner confidence and drive to believe that any little dream you hold inside of you can be big enough and strong enough to overcome people's expectations."
Career Roadmap
Elizabeth's work combines: Education, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I decided to not let my passion and drive be diminished by anyone. If they had low expectations of me, I would go above and beyond them.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Urban Studies/Affairs
Columbia University in the City of New York
Graduate Degree
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Both her grandparents and her parents were teachers who worked hard to get her a good education.
2.
She struggled with a sense of inferiority in school and had to make sure she didn't "carry that with her into adulthood."
3.
Realized that maybe society didn't expect much out of her, but decided that she wouldn't let her star be dimmed by anyone's low expectations.
4.
Serves as co-director of South Bronx Rising Together, a network of nonprofits and community leaders working to improve the South Bronx neighborhood.
5.
Says she never would've said "I want to do community work when I grow up," and yet as she began to do the work, she realized it was her passion.
6.
Believes that in the South Bronx, there's a lot of talent and drive, but young adults don't have enough outlets for their creativity.
7.
Says that the people and peers you keep around you will play a huge part in whether or not you reach your dreams.
8.
By the same token, she advises that you be a positive partner and friend to others, and help the people in your life achieve their own goals.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
Society doesn't expect anything from me.
How I responded:
I decided to not let my passion and drive be diminished by anyone. If they had low expectations of me, I would go above and beyond them.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Growing up, in school I always had feelings of inferiority. I knew that wasn't something I wanted to carry with me into adulthood, so I focused on balancing societies limiting expectations of me and my drive to prove them wrong.