LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Thawn Harris was nominated by his spouse, Eleanor Harris.

As an Indigenous educator, Mr. Harris has served as a leader within his Narragansett Tribal community and at the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center, a statewide, innovative career and technical public high school serving Rhode Island. The first male in his family to graduate from college, Mr. Harris received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Rhode Island in May of 2010. He began his career in secondary education that fall as an academic advisor (teacher) at the Met School.

As an educator of color, Mr. Harris has brought a much-needed perspective to the learning center. He has provided young men and women of color with the example of what hard work, dedication, and, in turn, the rewards of success can look like. His drive, determination, empathy, generosity, and down-to-earth, humorous personality leave a lasting impression on all.

Raised adjacent to his tribal reservation in Charlestown, Rhode Island, he committed himself to living a life of sobriety and standing as a role model for his younger brothers and cousins. The tragic loss of his older brother as a teenager left Mr. Harris wanting to manifest a life that was rooted in the traditional lifeways of his people. Married at a young age to his high school sweetheart, together they went on to raise a family of seven children, just down the road from his childhood home. Through his formative years, he championed his values within his Indigenous community on the basketball court- encouraging the next generation to walk the "Red Road of Sobriety" to find healing through spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental wellness.

In his early twenties, he would travel to Artesia, New Mexico, to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Facility to become an Environmental Police Officer for his Narragansett Tribe. In this capacity, he would work through community policing initiatives to convey his message for health and wellness. Before his employment at the Met School, he also worked as a volunteer on the Met's Newport, Rhode Island campus for four years, supporting advisory trips, providing Indigenous cultural trainings, exposing students to issues of conservation as an Environmental Police Officer, chaperoning out-of-state field trips, supporting project development and work completion, and providing mentorship for at-risk youth. His presence within the Met Community was greatly welcomed and appreciated by the students and staff alike.

In the spring of 2010, he came on as a part-time employee, providing targeted interventions for students from underserved communities, who were therefore the most in need. This early work at the Met would catalyze his Met School journey, laying the foundation for a decade of service within a Title I school district.

His work as an educator began before he received formalized training at the University of Rhode Island. As a member of the Narragansett Tribal Nation, a championship Native American dancer, and traditional Indigenous storyteller and cultural educator, His work has been shared throughout New England with credits including; the US Department of Defense, Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Brown University, New England Foundation for the Arts, Rhythm & Roots Music Festival, Rhode Island Public Libraries, Volvo Ocean Race, Providence Children's and Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museums, in addition to many New England schools, post-secondary institutions, organizations, and corporations. Additionally, Mr. Harris had the opportunity to travel as a cultural ambassador to Tanzania, Africa, with URI's Coastal Resources Exchange Program. His work as a cultural educator has been highlighted in numerous newspaper articles and news stories. His passion for sharing his knowledge with his community is what truly illuminates his leadership and commitment to education.

He began his full-time employment at the Met School, serving as an academic advisor (certified teacher) to a group of 16 students. Through this role, he ushered this group through their four-year secondary journey, acting as their coach, guiding them with the supportive development of individualized passion-driven curricula, engaging them in the real world through project-based learning, and connecting them to professional mentors in their field of passion to engage in rigorous, real-world learning at internship sites throughout Rhode Island. His group, which he graduated from in 2014, looked at him as more than just their academic advisor and classroom teacher; they saw him as a father figure and lifelong mentor. To this day, his first graduating class at the Met remains in close contact with him, inviting him to weddings, asking him to be the Godfather to their children, and including him in celebrations of college graduations and job promotions.

His commitment to these young minds has never wavered and remains firm. Shortly after graduating, one of Mr. Harris's students  posted the following tribute along with a photo of the two of them to social media with the caption:

"This is honestly one of the most important men in my life. He is like a father to me. He has been by my side for the last four years, and he's never given up on me. If it weren't for you pushing me to be the best that I can be, I wouldn't have walked across that stage last night. Words can't even begin to describe how thankful I am for everything that you have done for me. I love you...."

Just this year, his student shared that, "Thawn Harris holds a very special place in my heart. He came into my life after my father walked out and became a father figure to me. He counseled, taught, and pushed me so that I could get through high school while suffering from severe depression. We remain close to this day. He was one of the first people to visit me in the hospital when my sons were born at 27 weeks. Thawn is a great father, husband, teacher, and friend. He has helped shape me into the woman and mother I am today.”

Additional students from Mr. Harris's original graduating class went on to share the following about their beloved academic advisor:

"Thawn taught me some of the most important lessons I've ever learned. Among them: always be able to laugh at yourself. It's always better to live life smiling," said a former student.

"Thawn is a huge role model, and he pushed me to do things that I wouldn't want to do. He helped me a lot to improve my reading and writing skills, which I'm very grateful for because nowadays I mostly spend my time listening to audiobooks, and my public speaking is a lot better," - Anthony Watson

"Thawn was a very important educator and mentor in my time in high school," said another student.

With the graduation of his first group, Mr. Harris decided to pursue one of his personal passions, that of health and wellness, taking on the role of Physical Education Advisor at the Met School. As Physical Education Advisor, he established the following learner goal for his students: Through physical education and health and wellness programs, Mr. Harris encourages his students to be active, stay fit and healthy, and understand their bodies, all while having fun. He helps them learn about and how to properly care for their developing bodies through calisthenics, cardio-respiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, body composition, aerobic exercise, individual/dual/team sports, outdoor pursuits, dance, and recreational and athletic games.

The overall goal of the health and wellness program is to support students in developing the skills and habits necessary for an active life. Mr. Harris has truly committed himself to this role, ensuring that all students, regardless of physical ability, can engage in physical education in a way that feels safe, appropriately challenging, and, most importantly, fun. It only takes one observation in his gymnasium to see that his efforts to engage high school students in physical activity while having fun are successful.

Mr. Harris works to personalize each student's experience by meeting them where they are at and tailoring their physical education curriculum to meet their individualized learner goals. Throughout his time at the Met as the school's PE teacher, he has instructed over a thousand students and supported them in achieving individual fitness goals, including weight loss and management, gaining muscle, preparing to take PT tests for admission to both the military and military schools, focused skill development, and targeted personalized training goals to meet sports goals. He has also facilitated integrated learning blocks focused on basketball skill development and organized basketball tournaments. His love of basketball allows him to foster deep relationships with students on and off the court, encouraging alumni to return for seasonal events and a chance to play against their beloved teacher.

Over the last 15 years, in his role as a Physical Education teacher, Mr. Harris has also individually mentored over thirty students through the Met's internship program. As a mentor, he supports students in gaining knowledge in kinesiology, physical education, sports management, and general health and wellness. His interns often leave with professional certifications, participation in professional training workshops, increased anatomical and physiological knowledge, practical knowledge of sports rules and safety procedures, and the development of interpersonal skills. He assists his interns in developing rigorous projects that are also relevant to their learning and authentic. Previous interns have completed exercise training videos, orchestrated a community basketball tournament, and developed workout training books, among other activities.

Becoming one of his interns is a coveted opportunity at the Met, not simply because it will be fun or even because it will foster the development of applicable skills post-Met, but because his reputation as a kind, caring, and devoted mentor precedes him. The relationships that Mr. Harris develops with his interns are truly impressive. Through this connection, he can go deeper, love harder, and push the students farther than they ever imagined possible. His interns over the years have all shared the same fond affection for their mentor.

A current intern of Mr. Harris shares that, "Thawn has impacted me in many ways, because he has taught me a lot about basketball and helped me improve tremendously. He is someone I can turn to at the Met for guidance on both sports and life in general."

A prior intern remains in close contact with Mr. Harris to this day and shares the following: "Thawn has definitely done a lot to motivate me to do better in class and focus more on the projects that he had me do. He helped me have a better project on adaptive physical education and taught me things I didn't think I wanted to learn. He also got me involved in certifications.”

A student and member of the Narragansett Tribe had the transformative experience of having a Narragansett tribal educator as his teacher and mentor. He shares that, "Thawn is a great father figure and a great role model on and off the court. He has an amazing personality, which is why the Met students enjoy his company so much. Students even occasionally lovingly call him, 'Uncle Thawn.'"

At the Met School, there is a very special tradition that each student stands before their graduating class as the valedictorian of their own individualized education. Through this powerful moment, students are asked to choose one person to introduce them. The expectation is that this person should be someone significant in their life, who has played a key role in their development, someone who knows them well and can illustrate for the audience their growth by illuminating their success even when faced with struggle. Each spring, as the excitement of graduation season begins, students ask Mr. Harris to introduce them. This alone stands as a testament to his ability to make a beneficial difference in the lives of the students he works with and for each day. His ability to take on a nurturing role while also standing firmly rooted in his values and beliefs makes him a standout to these students as someone they would like to be someday.

Mr. Harris has consistently been there for his students as a mentor, coach, advisor, confidant, and friend. He has provided for his students in need, buying them new sneakers, giving them workout clothes, and offering them rides in the rain. He is there to push them to be better and to celebrate their successes through presentations, exhibitions of learning, valedictory addresses, junior/senior proms, graduations, and beyond, to college graduations, job promotions, weddings, and births. His moral compass guides him, year after year, to invest in the lives of the young people he serves, to be a steward of their education, and to lead by true example.