Culture
A Day in the Life: Career Services Curriculum Manager Shaté Hayes
This story is a part of our “A Day in the Life” series that highlights the career journeys of 2U employees across the world. Throughout February, we’re celebrating Black History Month and featuring members of one of our Business Resource Networks: the Black Engagement Network (BNet).
Critics rave! Dancer, choreographer, writer, and educator Shaté Hayes is “a talent to watch!” The movement she creates for the stage is “alone worth the price of admission!” And the career services content she helps weave into 2U-powered programs is “better than Hamilton—don’t throw away your shot to experience it!”
OK, so that last quote is made up, but given Shaté’s commitment to her work with 2U’s Black Engagement Network (BNet), to her fellow 2Utes, and to exceptional student outcomes, it might as well be true.
After graduating from Spelman College, one of the country’s most prestigious Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Shaté began her career in the arts. For over a decade, she danced in, choreographed for, and produced dozens of concerts, commercial projects, and theater productions. She performed extensively throughout the U.S. and China, saw her work commissioned by performance companies across the country, and even served as the assistant choreographer for a Tony Award-winning theater’s 2018 production of Hairspray: The Broadway Musical.
While earning her Master of Fine Arts in Dance at Sam Houston State University, Shaté was asked to be a teaching assistant for a career resources course and fell in love with supporting undergraduates in career development. After graduating, she taught dance technique and career building as an adjunct professor, started her own online career resource for dance artists, authored a career guide for freelance movement professionals, and published articles in numerous international dance magazines.
After teaching in higher education for several years, Shaté began looking for opportunities more focused on career development than movement. In 2018, she came across a career director role with Trilogy Education, a workforce accelerator eventually acquired by 2U, and the rest is history. Upon joining the company, Shaté was immediately able to contribute her perspective from the unique lens of a former academic and HBCU graduate.
Read on to learn more about Shaté’s 2U journey so far, her passion for BNet, and what “moves” her most on the Career Services team.
How does 2U’s mission align with your own personal and professional values?
I’ve always been proud of the student-centered mission of the company. With Trilogy, it was the “We Put Students First” value. That was always one of my personal values as an educator, and it still is to this day. At 2U, it's eliminating the back row in higher education, or #NoBackRow, and so many of the company’s nine Guiding Principles that appeal to me. A few of my favorites are “Give a Damn,” “Strive for Excellence,” “Be Candid, Honest, and Open,” “Relationships Matter,” and “Have Fun.” Speaking of having fun, I also get to work with some incredible people who make work interesting and enjoyable. So, it’s a win-win all around.
How would you describe your role as a manager of career services curriculum?
The buckets of work my team is tasked with include near-daily career workshops, career curriculum and resources, and integrated career content for 2U-powered programs. My role as manager is a beautiful combination of my past experiences: the curriculum development and teaching I did as an educator, the research and content development I do as a writer and former blogger, and a great mix of problem solving, creative work, and supporting students. The work is fast-paced and requires lots of organization and attention to detail, and I really enjoy it.
What compelled you to join 2U’s Black Engagement Network (BNet)? What has been your involvement so far?
I joined BNet because I wanted to meet other 2Utes and be connected to the Black employees and our causes within the company. I eased my way into the group by attending meetings and Friday Jazz sessions, participating in a few of the network’s 2020 Black History Month events, and being a part of BNet’s Open Space—a safe, weekly forum for Black 2Utes to come together and connect that evolved from all of last year’s civil injustices. I really enjoyed my time with the group, so when presented with the opportunity, I volunteered to get more involved.
Since then, I’ve been a guest speaker at a Denver BNet professional development session, and I helped produce and host our two Freedom Fest events. For this year’s Black History Month events, I was also a panel member on one of 2U’s internal, company-wide Daily Dose of Team Time (DDOTT) calls, talking about our exciting new boot camp partnership with Netflix and Norfolk State University.
What does Black History Month mean to you? How have you been celebrating and honoring it this year?
As an HBCU graduate and a Black woman who grew up in the South, the #BlackGirlMagic hashtag is a lifestyle for me, which means I celebrate and honor my culture every day. Some ways my family, friends, and I celebrate our culture and historical experiences throughout the year are by regularly supporting Black-owned businesses, celebrating Juneteenth, exercising our right to vote because our ancestors couldn’t or were charged a poll tax, attending homecomings and other events, and giving back to our HBCUs and community with both our time and money.
What’s it like having one of your direct reports, Manny Golden, in BNet as well?
I love that Manny is engaged with BNet, and I’m incredibly proud of his very own Black History Month profile on the Latest! We also have a team member who’s actively involved with Mosaic—2U’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) committee—and others who have their sights set on different affinity groups within the company. What I’m really grateful for is that we’ve created a culture within the team where we all feel comfortable sharing our lived experiences. The chemistry we’ve fostered as a result helps us to accomplish great things together, which Manny and BNet are very much a part of.
How would you characterize 2U’s approach and commitment to DEI?
My experience with 2U’s commitment to DEI started with my own manager, Senior Vice President of Career Services Jennifer Henry. Since I joined the team three years ago, she has consistently been an advocate for DEI within our department, including launching a DEI-focused working group before Trilogy was acquired by 2U. She’s intentional about elevating voices with varying perspectives, she creates a space where folks are encouraged to be their authentic self, and she holds herself and our team accountable when we miss the mark. I also work closely with my team member Iris Gardner, the current chair of Mosaic, so I feel like I’ve had a unique view of the company’s DEI efforts.
Based on these relationships, as well as seeing Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Millette Granville join the company and be really engaged with BNet, I respect the movement I’ve seen so far and believe the company is committed to doing even more.
What’s been the highlight of your 2U experience so far?
It’s difficult to name just one! The growing list of HBCU partners like Morehouse College and Norfolk State University continues to be a highlight. And I used to love our in-person team off-site meetings. Since our team has always been entirely remote, twice per year we had an opportunity to connect and work in person. Those were always fulfilling experiences, and I miss them while we remain socially distanced to stay safe during COVID.
Last summer, I really enjoyed leading the scholarship process with two of 2U’s community partners, Girls Who Code and College Track, for our High School Boot Camps, which were created to offer students in marginalized communities access to technical skill development. Plus, I’ve loved supporting the development of the career support and mentorship experience for the Netflix/Norfolk State University boot camps. And, of course, I’m loving being a part of BNet.
What advice would you give to someone just starting at 2U?
I’d give a new 2Ute the same advice I’d give anyone who finds themselves at the start line of a new endeavor: Do your best work—and get planted so you can develop new relationships. I believe that the work you do in one moment prepares you for the next one, so excellence at every step is a must if you want to go far. I also believe that wherever you’re planted, you will grow. I’ve seen both of these principles work in so many different stages of my life, and it’s exactly what I’d do if I had a new beginning, too.