Biography
JaVaughn T. "JT" Flowers, Portland, is a 2017 graduate of Yale University, with a B.A. in Political Science. A Truman Scholar, JT played varsity basketball at Yale before founding A Leg Even, an organization that facilitates the academic and professional success of low-income students. JT helped to design and implement major changes to Yale's financial aid system. A first-generation college graduate, JT has studied the intersectional impacts of class, culture, and institutions on policymaking and social change, with a focus on increasing access to opportunity and socio-economic mobility amongst under-resourced communities. JT's thesis examined policy gaps in Portland's sanctuary city policy for undocumented immigrants. After graduation, JT returned home to work in Rep. Earl Blumenauer's field office.