Topanga Knox

Teacher to a diverse student population, instructing fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students in English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR). Experienced in developing pertinent lesson plans for students academic enrichment. Well-versed in innovative education strategies that encourage technology utilization and cooperative learning.

Skilled in instructing neurodiverse pupils, including those that experience dyslexia, ADHD, and various learning abilities. Adept in teaching students that are learning Assisted colleagues in their Science, Math, and Social Studies lessons as a Facilitator

Teacher, Facilitator at Advantage Academy- Grand Prairie West (2021 – Present)

• Teacher to a diverse student population, instructing fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students in English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR). Experienced in developing pertinent lesson plans for students academic enrichment. Well-versed in innovative education strategies that encourage technology utilization and cooperative learning. Skilled in instructing neurodiverse pupils, including those that experience dyslexia, ADHD, and various learning abilities. Adept in teaching students that are learning English as a second language.
• Assisted colleagues in their Science, Math, and Social Studies lessons as a Facilitator

Warehouse Associate, Line Lead at Amazon Industries (2020-05 – 2020-11)

• Trained newly-hired associates in the Wilmer, Texas Amazon fulfillment center, delegated duties, guided associates in completing high-volume tasks such as scanning and wrapping down parcels, preparing the facility for incoming shifts
• Mobilized the implementation of company policy throughout the facility and coordinated cooperative work amongst associates

Program Intern at Dr. Emmett J. Conrad Leadership Program (2018-01 – 2020-02)

• Accepted into the Class of 2018 Conrad Leadership Program, an internship program established by State Senator Royce West
• Interned with Gibbons Sankofa, a products-based commerce business, helping to renovate and redesign their digital marketplace presence, tracking sales and digitizing vital business records

Research Intern at UT Austin Racial Geography Tour (2019-01 – 2019-05)

• Under the directorship of Dr. Edmund T. Gordon and Dr. Nicole Brown, assisted in researching 18th -20th century Black and Latinx communities within Austin’s Eastside, particularly those within the historic Blacklands area
• Accessed county and statewide archives and databases to create a virtual version of the University of Texas’s renowned racial geography tour, which explores the spatial origins of UT’s structures and its relationship to the City of Austin

Experiential Law Clinic Intern at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law (2018-09 – 2019-05)

• Provided full administrative support for six experiential law clinics within Texas Law. Assisted with preparation of client intake, discovery records, calendaring and keeping track of case deadlines; managed the execution of school-wide community events
• Performed extensive statewide casework on the behalf of the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic, aiding in the completion of the report, Low-Income Housing Tax-Credit Program in Texas: Opportunities for State and Local Preservation Strategies

Mithoff Pro Bono Program Intern at Texas Law Expunction Project (2017-07 – 2017-09)

• Assisted licensed attorneys with civil and criminal record expunctions for eligible Travis County residents, prepared and arranged program informationals
• Contacted program participants to confirm court dates, managed confidential documentation, handled the upkeep of pertinent digital archives

Volunteer at Dallas Life Foundation (2015-08 – Present)

• Coordinated a semester-long clothing drive for individuals experiencing homelessness within the City of Dallas in 2015, donated 100 lbs of clothing items. Continued clothing donations annually.

Volunteer at Keep Austin Fed (2019-09 – 2019-05)

• Assisted with the process of food-rescuing and hand-delivering nutritional meals to vulnerable, food-insecure populations throughout the city of Austin.
• Coordinated and scheduled food-rescues with donating establishments such as Trader Joe’s and Snap Kitchen.

Program Participant, Volunteer at Alternative Breaks (2016-10 – 2017-03)

• Studied structural systemic racism within New Orleans, Louisiana in a semesters-long immersive learning experience, completing a variety of service-work within the City of New Orleans in March 2017
• Volunteered for organizations such as Lower 9 Resilient and Voice of the Experienced; assisted in rehabilitating homes and sending voting information to incarcerated individuals within the Louisiana State Penitentiary system

Member, College Ambassador’s Committee at Liberal Arts Council – UT Austin (2018-01 – 2020-12)

• General Member for the College of Liberal Arts Senate Council and Appointee to the College Ambassador’s Committee
• Represented and relayed the academic and social interests of the College of Liberal Arts student body directly to the Dean’s of the College
• Organized professional development seminars for Liberal Arts students, facilitated focus groups to gauge the needs of the student body, coordinated the preliminary research for the establishment of a new academic Minor curriculum within the College of Liberal Arts

Political Action Chair at Black Student Alliance – UT Austin (2017-04 – 2019-05)

• Served the underrepresented community of black students at The University of Texas by providing a bi-weekly meeting space for discussing relevant social issues; coordinated events that sought to further the political education of general body members
• Executed programming such as Black Student Orientation that stood to develop community involvement and leadership
• Assisted in planning and preparing for the annual Big XII Conference on Black Student Government, raised funds, coordinating nationwide travel, chaperoning general body members

Co-Director of Community Advancement at Afrikan American Affairs- UT Austin (2017-04 – 2019-05)

• Facilitated both small and large scale events primarily geared towards black students at The University of Texas for the purposes of community building
• Executed programming such as a New Black Student Weekend, the annual welcome weekend for black-identifying students entering into their Freshman year; this three-day event culminated months of in-person outreach to incoming freshman, weekly questionnaire seminars, fundraising, travel coordination, venue and catering booking, and program implementation

B.A. in Anthropology – The University of Texas at Austin (2019-05)

B.A. in African and African Diaspora Studies – The University of Texas at Austin (2020-12)