Celebrating Black History Month: Teacher of the Year Spotlight with Dr. Candice Richardson

Question: What is a quote by an African American leader that you live by?

Dr. Richardson: “Well, I’m going to go with Michelle Obama’s quote: ‘When they go low, we go high.’ I believe in that. I believe that when people say things to affect me—to try to make me feel that I cannot do it, or that I cannot be all I can be—I have to soar above that.”

Dr. Richardson on Black History in Her Classroom

“I feel like any one of us, as a Black person entering a classroom—being able to teach and being able to pour into these young people—that is Black history all day long.

I try to look for those instances where I can bring in things from… even the vernacular. There are times when I’m talking and I bring in our slang words, because I know that our kids will understand it and they will get it.

My philosophy is: I am Black history. I feel like every single Black teacher is Black history because we are in that classroom teaching our kids. No matter what subject they teach, they bring themselves. You bring your experiences and what you grew up with into the classroom; you can’t help it because it’s you—it’s who you are. Because I am a Black person and a Black woman—and I love being a Black woman—I bring that part of me to the classroom, and my kids get to see that.”

Question: Who is an African American STEM leader that inspired you to pursue medicine or education?

Dr. Richardson: “You know, on my door right now, you'll see a picture of Dr. Omalu. He was a scientist who helped discover that football players were suffering from all of these concussions and head injuries—injuries that were leading to significant psychological problems later on after they left the field.

I loved what he did and how he pursued that research, even when people were trying to derail him from it. His contribution to the game of football today—making sure players have secure helmets and better protocols—is immense. I think he is someone to look up to; he has done a phenomenal job of paving the way for the rest of us as scientists and leaders.”