Arianna (she/her) is a third-year student at Georgetown Law passionate about the intersection of civil rights and educational justice. A recent Fordham University graduate, her commitment to serving students began with efforts leading grassroots student activism, teaching across Title I NYC schools, and conducting research promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in higher education. This passion for student access and success has inspired her justice-driven work at several organizations during her law school career, including the Obama Foundation, Department of Justice – Civil Rights Division, and NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Research Project: Breaking the Cycle: The Promise of Title IX in Mitigating Gendered Impacts of the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Though SFFA v. Harvard continues to not only strip affirmative action as we knew it, but threaten diversity measures nationally, there remains no federal constitutional right to public education. Education is a critical social determinant of health: education is not only linked to higher income, but also access to healthcare and other quality of life measures. Particularly at the K-12 developmental stages, the promise of education is not only a moral prerogative for American society, but an obligation to its constituents which it is not currently fulfilling equitably for all. Where Black girls are the fastest growing population in the American juvenile legal system, this project explores what it means for schools to fulfill the promises of education “available to all on equal terms” set forth in Brown v. Board of Education. This will be accomplished by (1) by further exploring the history of the school-to-prison pipeline and current landscape; (2) common practices which disparately criminalize students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and disabled students; and (3) opportunities to use existing law, such as Title IX, and new legislation to enshrine student protections moving forward.