Tamecah Pinkney, NBCT, M.Ed., is a second-year, part-time Ph.D. student in the Educational Leadership and Policy program at Drexel University’s School of Education. For the last 23 years, she has enjoyed challenging the minds of the 8th-grade Science students she teaches in Wilmington, DE. As a Black public school teacher, she has developed a passion for connecting with her diverse students and their families. As a wife, mother of two school-aged children, full-time teacher, and part-time doctoral student, she is hyper-aware of the complex challenges of being involved and engaged in her own children's education. However, she has not let this interfere with the part she has to play as a parent and a Black educator. Consequently, her research focuses on how families and schools connect to improve student experiences and achievement. In the coming years, Tamecah will continue championing better home and school relationships so her middle school students can achieve and excel in their academics.