Isaiah L. Lassiter is a Philadelphia native and an alumnus of a Philadelphia Charter school that stood for Excellence, No Excuses! He earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Business from Pennsylvania State University and later a Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, focusing on Talent Management and Organizational Development. Before Drexel University, Lassiter worked in public education for eight years, managing school hiring and onboarding, climate and culture, pathways, attendance, and enrollment programs. Now at Drexel University, his research explores educational and professional experiences of Black educators and learners. As a student research fellow with the JoY Lab, Lassiter currently supports two projects, West Philadelphia High School-Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage project, and the Conflict Resolution, Racial Healing, and Arts-Centered Community Dialogue program that helps him shape the impact he wishes for his research to have in the world.