Shalima is my scottie sister, as we met while attending Agnes Scott College. As one of the smartest people I know she is equally passionate as she is brilliant, and exudes rich auntie vibes. Shalima Wellington is a native of Jamaica, West Indies, who was raised in Queens, New York and proudly carries the culture of both places wherever she goes. Shalima’s career has been motivated by a belief that any student, with appropriate care, can succeed academically. She began by earning a Bachelor of Arts in English and Spanish from Agnes Scott College and a Masters in English from Fordham University. After completing her Masters, Shalima planned to teach high school English, but found herself unexpectedly teaching university-level courses for the City University of New York’s SEEK program, which supports students who may not have matriculated into college without extra institutional care.
It was in this classroom that Shalima discovered both her love for teaching college students and her desire to make sure that students from all backgrounds receive the institutional care they need to thrive. This realization prompted her to pursue a PhD in English at Johns Hopkins University, where she is currently a fourth-year student in the early stages of her dissertation on Afro-Caribbean immigrant literature. In addition
to her academic courses, Shalima also teaches classes and works in a summer program that focuses its efforts on helping students from marginalized communities expand their research skills and further their own academic careers. After the PhD, she hopes to continue providing care to college students in whatever capacity God sees fit.
In addition to her professional pursuits, Shalima also believes in pursuing wholeness, which means tending to the pieces of ourselves that make us feel our best. Outside of the classroom, she can be most frequently found spending time with family and friends, at church, or in the kitchen tinkering with a new baking recipe.
As part of her belief in being a whole person, the most important lesson Shalima has learned while being single is not waiting until marriage to live a full life or take great adventures. While marriage certainly still has value, the pedestal our society has put relationships on can lead women to forget that they don’t have to wait for their partner to arrive to start living the life they want. She offers this advice to other single women: “You’ll never get this current moment back, so don’t wait to start building the life you want, even if for now, that means doing it solo.”
You can follow Shalima’s socials on IG @shalimazandria
