Quintessence Townsend
(she/her/hers; they/them/their)
Positionality
I am a cisgender, Black/African-American woman. Within international education I occupy both minoritized and majoritized spaces. As an emerging international education professional I represent an underrepresented segment of the U.S. international education community. However, as a student I am a part of the roughly 89%-90% of students that do not study abroad during their undergraduate studies. Additionally, like many Black students I am also a first-generation, Pell Grant recipient/low-income student.
​
As a detail-oriented and conscientious emerging international education professional my peers often look to my insights on refining and improving projects and tasks. I believe in my work because I believe in the ability of international education to support students in pursuing their long-term goals and aspirations. I use my interests in research and being well-informed to design impactful, educational, and memorable experiences for international and domestic students. My thoroughness brings a dedicated energy to the workplace that infuses the workplace with a sense of intentionality.
Values Statement
Strengths + Soft Skills
My CliftonStrengths emphasize relationship-building and executing.
​
Restorative → Utilizing growth and asset-based mindsets to generate improvement and positive change
Adaptability → Riding with the waves: flexible and accommodating of change
Deliberative → Methodical approach to work (see: my values statement)
Empathy → Practicing the Three C's: Consideration, Care, and Compassion for myself and others
Individualization → Recognizing individual strengths and how to leverage them