Today, she balances her role as a policy aide on the House Committee on Education and Workforce - Democratic Staff - as she begins her Master of Education in Educational Policy and Leadership. Expected to graduate in fall 2026, Banks exemplifies how determination and resourcefulness can transform challenging circumstances into opportunities for impact.

Banks’ path to AU began with a congressional internship she almost didn’t apply for. As a full-time undergraduate student, employee, community organizer, and candidate for local office, she saw the Thomas R. Wolanin Congressional Internship through the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE)—an organization supporting TRIO programs that serve first-generation, low-income students. 

"I never in a million years thought they would pick me," Banks recalled. "Why pick a single mom? They probably think I’m not dependable." Despite her doubts, she applied at the last minute and was selected for placement on the House Education and Workforce Committee.

Overcoming Multiple Obstacles 

The internship presented immediate challenges when her children back in Georgia began experiencing difficulties due to her absence. When someone from COE questioned whether she could complete the program, Banks pushed back. "What you should have asked me was, how can we support you? What do you need? Don’t give me an option to give up, because that wasn’t my mindset."

Her solution was characteristically bold: she brought all four children to Washington, DC, enrolled them in schools, and committed to staying. “If I have to uproot my children and move them to DC and enroll them in school here, we’re staying here,” she decided. Her pushback reframed the moment, not as a question of capability but of community, and COE give her the support that allowed her to continue. Her internship turned into the offer of a full-time Staff Assistant position, and she has since been promoted twice and is now the Policy Aide and Intern/Fellow Coordinator for the Committee Democrats. 

Banks' educational journey reflects similar determination. After dropping out of college when she had her first child, she returned to school while pregnant with her daughter. Despite people questioning her timing, she graduated cum laude from Georgia Southern University in 2023 with a bachelor's in interdisciplinary studies focusing on nonprofit management and public administration. 

Finding Purpose in Policy Work 

Now serving as both policy aide and intern and fellows coordinator, which she called a 'full circle moment,' Banks has discovered how federal policy connects to the local advocacy work she was passionate about in Georgia.

I was always focused on local government and advocating at a local level. I didn’t really see how policy and advocacy meshed until I started this job.

Her work allows her to address the same issues—special education, juvenile justice, and youth-centered programs—but at a federal level. "I actually get to see how impactful the federal dollars actually are" for programs that need Congressional reauthorization or funding to continue their work. 

Financial Breakthrough

Banks' academic dreams were nearly derailed due to financial constraints. While attending a women’s conference in Atlanta, worried about affording tuition, she emailed AU asking for additional funding. Within an hour, she received word that she had been awarded the $30,000 Dean’s Scholarship. "I fell to the floor, I was crying, because I just couldn’t believe it," she remembered.

Advice for Others 

For students facing similar challenges, Banks offers straightforward advice: "Don’t let anyone else tell you no." Drawing from her experience of people questioning her decisions to return to school while pregnant and moving to D.C. without family support, she emphasizes self-determination.

You basically are the driver of your own boat. If you want to do it, then you do it! If you have the strength to fight through it, then you fight through it, and if you can’t fight alone, there’s resources out there for everything.

Banks summarizes her philosophy with a poker metaphor: "Life taught me how to play poker. I bet on myself, regardless of the hand that I was dealt. I played my cards, and I took chances. I bet on myself."

• AU's Master of Education in Educational Policy and Leadership
• The House Committee on Education and Workforce
• The Council for Opportunity in Education
• TRIO