Alumni Spotlight: Ebony Scott '98

Equipped with a degree in urban and regional planning and development from Michigan State University, Ebony Scott '98 is working to combat the systems and structures that uphold inequality and poverty in America. Now the partnership director at Family Independence Initiative, an California-based nonprofit that accelerates the exchange of financial and social capital in low-income communities across the nation, during her Rambler years Ebony was a founding member of the Loyola Academy Dance Company (LADC) and participated on the Forensics Team, Biology Club and Torch Club.
In September 2020, Ebony returned to Loyola to serve as a panelist on the President’s Leadership Council’s virtual event “Staying Grounded: Racial Equity & Understanding Systemic Racism,” a meaningful conversation exploring historical events in America and how they have resulted in systemic racism throughout the country. If you missed the conversation, click here for a recording. 
We recently caught up with Ebony to learn more about her important work and current projects. 
Catch us up on what you've been up to since graduating from LA. 
Since graduating from LA I've spent most of that time working in the public sector trying to make our world a better place––as cliché as that sounds! After graduation, I decided to study Urban Planning because I wanted to know more about how systems uphold structures of inequality and I wanted to learn how to combat the problem. I've also become a mom to a really cool kid whom I hope will also attend LA.
How was your experience at Loyola formative in your path? 
Being a Rambler defined my path without question. Attending a school where service and volunteerism were part of the culture had a very deep impact on me. I attended Loyola on a partial scholarship and via financial aid so I always felt a bit like I didn't belong. When I would get the chance to volunteer in Rogers Park at a latch key program I felt at home. I felt at home because I lived in the city and I also grew up a latch key kid because my mother always had multiple jobs. Being able to volunteer side by side with students who were wealthy felt like a way for me to bridge the gap and help them understand more about who I was and the community I lived in. It wasn't always easy but it always felt important to be there so I could check assumptions or offer a different perspective in real time. 
How does Loyola's motto women and men for others resonate in your life? 
When I graduated way back in 1998, I knew then that I would spend my career in public service. I have always felt responsible for others and as though I had a duty to ensure that those coming after me wouldn't have to struggle as much or in the same ways. As a mom, I often have conversations with my son Thad about God calling us all to serve. He volunteered for the first time when he was just 2 years old helping to make bagged lunches for the homeless. I made him start that young because I wanted him to learn very early on that in our family we stand shoulder to shoulder with the poor and that their fight is our fight. 
Were any teachers at Loyola of particular influence or inspiration? 
Mr. Hugo! I will always be grateful for the space he created for Loyola's Black students as the moderator of the AAYC (African American Youth Club). Being Black at Loyola meant being different and often feeling alone. Mr. Hugo went out of his way to let us know that we were not in it by ourselves and that we had a safe space to come and be ourselves. I've always wished I could tell him thank you for that. 
Why do you stay connected to LA? 
I stay connected because I am a Rambler for life and I owe so much to Loyola. Had I not received a partial scholarship and financial aid, I don't know where my path would have taken me. Loyola taught me to be a critical thinker, to care about the fate of others, and that Jesus' love is real. 
What's next? 
Next up for me is tripling down on my work to really do something to move the needle on poverty in this country. I've taken on a role where I manage 15 states, and it's a big job that is often overwhelming but it's so worth it. During this pandemic, I have seen the best and worst of our country and have more hope than ever that we can make this world a better place.
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