Chante Coleman ’18

As a lead teacher at KIPP:DC Schools, Chante Coleman is paying it forward: She was one of the very first KIPP graduates to enroll at Trinity, fall 2013, after Trinity officially partnered with KIPP. She was featured in this Washington Post article in July 2013.

Coleman is a 2013 graduate of KIPP DC College Preparatory Academy and began her studies at Trinity as a single mother with a 3-year-old daughter. She received a scholarship to attend Trinity, telling the Washington Post that Trinity “supports women with children. It’s a very successful school. It was the best fit for me.” She earned her Trinity undergraduate degree in human relations in 2018, with a minor in business administration. While she attended Trinity and raised her daughter, she worked at the D.C. Library and completed a summer internship at the National Center for Children and Families. Coleman was one of three  young women featured on a mural in 2018 in Indian Head, Maryland, as part of a national project called Girl Noticed, to promote self-esteem among girls and young women. She shared her inspiring story of persistence and her hopes for her future – and for her then-8 year old daughter – in an interview with the Southern Maryland Enquirer Gazette:  “It’s an honor to be selected. I have a daughter who’s 8. So for her to see someone honor her mom with her image posted on a building would be very nice. She saw me graduate from high school, she has just seen me graduate from college barely a month ago from Trinity Washington University, so good things can happen. I want to be a social worker. I love kids, teens and I definitely love teen moms, because I am one.  I eventually want to start my on nonprofit to help teen moms and dads with resources. Coleman is already supporting her community by providing students with 100 book bags full of school supplies annually and granting kids wishes from Christmas letters. I just want teen moms out here to know that they have someone that has been in that space. My situation was way different from most teens; I have a great support system. My mom is everything. I want my organization to be that space for teen moms.”