Born and raised in the city of Detroit, Marie Dandie graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Entrepreneurship and English Literature from Central Michigan University. In conjunction with her fellowship at the Fordham Institute, she is also teaching 7th grade English Language Arts on Chicago’s Southside through the Teach for America program. Prior to joining Teach for America, Marie lived in the D.C. metro area doing journalism for an online publication, The D.C. Spotlight Newspaper. Marie was also a Field Organizer in Prince William County, VA for the 2012 Obama-Biden re-election campaign. While on the campaign, she was given the opportunity to speak in front of a crowd of 25,000 voters to introduce President Obama at his final public speaking event on November 3, 2012. When Marie is not working on research and commentary at the Fordham Institute, she is working with her founder and co-founder on their recently formed non-profit, pilotED. pilotED is a college-readiness non-profit offering programming for students of color starting in the sixth grade that focuses on exploring minority identity, enriching academics, and building student voice. Each year, a teacher-selected group of 6th graders joins the four-year program which culminates during their freshmen year of high school. Due to the intensity and comprehensive nature of this program, students’ lives are revolutionized and great success is had by them and their families.
National
LEE Policy and Advocacy Fellow
