Meet Anna Gersh

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anna Gersh. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Anna, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

My optimism comes from knowing hard work and clarity of purpose more often than not renders up positive outcomes. My first experience with this happened when I was 11 – I worked with my mother on Jimmy Carter’s campaign. People were so hopeful and worked so hard and when he won that election everyone around me felt like we saved the world from the political corruption of Nixon. It left a powerful impression on me.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m an Educator and Arts Activist. I sincerely believe in the power of developing one’s mind and soul as a path to effective community engagement. Education and mentorship supports the development of community and the arts help us do this well. A solid arts education will lead to a more open mind, one that hungers for learning. The two topics feed each other. I’ve been educated as a teacher, then I became an evaluator of teaching and learning programs and I’ve employed the arts to facilitate educational experiences. In the wake of Covid and the murder of George Floyd I started the One Love Symposium project which engaged young people in a community research project to examine the question: “What does a Doctor, Teacher, or Police Officer need to KNOW to be GOOD at their job?” This project eventually became a course called The Human Services Professional, which a couple of the young people from the original project co-taught with me through EMU’s Professional Programs and Training Department. Last year we worked with six middle schoolers from Ypsilanti Middle School on the Youth-Led Forum on the Job of Washtenaw County Sheriff – we had about 200 folks show up to that event at Washtenaw Community College – the young people on that project spent 6 months learning about the sheriff’s job and then we held a community forum where they questioned all the candidates. It was incredible. After the project the kids got to present on their work. Across all the projects I’ve worked on, arts has been an integral part – it’s a conduit to people’s hearts and then to their minds. Art engages and opens people’s minds then you can teach them all sorts of things.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Persistence – my mother used to say, “just put one foot in front of the other”. Hands down that is the most important quality. Persistence carries you through difficulties. The next and its probably part of the first is patience. All good things are a long game. The last is curiosity. It’s what has driven me – I always want to know more and I love being around new ideas.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

I think the biggest challenge I have right now is time. It took a long time given my eclectic resume to be recognized within my circles of influence. Now I have a lot of opportunities but I need more time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://a2jazzfest.com/; https://www.onelovesymposium.com/; https://www.groundcovernews.org/; https://creativewashtenaw.org/