‘One on One’ learning with Brittany Singh Williams
BRITTANY Singh Williams is a believer and a passionate educator with a knack for both strategic and people development.
Born in Kingston and raised between there and May Pen, Singh Williams told All Woman that growing up she was fascinated by the vastness of the sky, the planets, and all its constellations, and dreamt of becoming an astronaut until she realised that the space missions lasted for up to a year or more. This led to a wake-up call that would chart her professional course.
“I quickly realised how much I also loved teaching people [young and old] all the interesting things I learnt or conjured up in my imagination.
“Most millennials I know grew up hearing, ‘You can be whatever you want to be.’ Our parents, however, forgot to add the caveat, “but it’s going to take blood, sweat and tears”. That missing caveat and my genuine faith in the fact the God brought me here to fulfil a purpose motivated me every step of the way to not only take a leap of faith but to continue getting back up with every fall,” she said.
Also known as head of the ecosystem for Spark Education Jamaica, Singh Williams explains that education is a community effort, which takes many stakeholders, leading to each player being intricately involved in the ecosystem of learning.
“I wanted to birth a cohesive community around transforming education. Leading this ecosystem called Spark was my way of trying to begin that process. I am passionate about helping people — children and adults — see their potential and helping them to create systems and plans to achieve those goals. I think I’m good at it; it makes me feel happy and complete to hear breakthrough stories and see peoples lives transform through learning and opportunities,” said Singh Williams, also co-founder of The Pod School, a science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM)-certified grades one to six learning ecosystem with personalised pathways for small pods of six to eight students, using an interdisciplinary approach.
Also the holder of a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Special Education and a Master of Science in Global and International Education, Singh Williams is also big on personalised education, which she believes is the best way to reach a person and empower them based in their unique abilities and needs.
And so, during the height of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Singh Williams was actively working with a team to create a learning platform that connected tutors and students on demand in order to better reach students.
“Upon completion of this project, I pitched the sale of it to Mr Ricardo Allen at One on One. He took me up on the offer and in doing so, also offered me a job as the head of the K-12 Division of the company. Since then, I have been working to design our K-12 product OneX — a learning platform that not only connects tutors to students on demand, but also provides personal study assistance and coaching for all grade levels. While working with One on One I have also developed a love for strategic leadership, people, and culture,” she said.
Further, Singh Williams believes strongly that women should become more intentional about building safe communities for each other and holding space.
She said: “We don’t have to be close friends. We may not even share the same values or beliefs. We do however have shared experiences; we aren’t alone in our struggles or our wins. We have all been hurt in different ways. Oftentimes healing can simply come from forgiveness, vulnerability, and community with other women.”
Additionally, Singh Williams, who has also experienced post-partum depression, said in the midst of that period she created community with a group of women from all walks of life, some she had never met before, in order to strengthen each other.
“We met every week to share in a safe space and leave our troubles within a circle of trust. In this space I found myself again and was able to get back up again. To my Tuesday Women, thank you!” she said.
Singh Williams has also been involved with the Violence Prevention Alliance and the Global Shapers Kingston Hub, and participated in projects hosted by both entities.
Outside of work, she enjoys travelling, with some of her favourite places being Bangkok, Thailand, and Rome. She also enjoys going to the beach, entertaining friends at home, visiting family, crafting, Netflix, and adventures with her son and hubby.
Her daily mantra is “strong truths well lived” — the motto of Loyola University of Maryland, where she did her bachelor’s degree.
Singh Williams said: “My number one value is authenticity. This motto speaks to a commitment to always being aware of who I am and what brings me joy. No matter what, I’m committed to using my giftings to improve the world, even if I have to take a break. Living my truth allows me to get comfortable with the uncomfortable because I know whose and who I am.”
