Get to Know CCP Faculty: Nwenna Kai Gates, Visiting Lecturer, English and Black Studies

Before becoming a full-time faculty member, Nwenna was adjunct instructor at CCP since 2014. 

Q: Why are you excited to join Community College of Philadelphia?

A: I'm not new to the College, but I'm excited to join CCP now as full-time faculty because I get to have a greater impact on the College and students.  

Q: How do you look forward to impacting our students with your academic/field training?

A: I look forward to contributing to the diversity of the College. I enjoy watching people and things grow, so I look forward to supporting the College in its growth. I look forward to creating programming that enhances the education of students and contributes to the life of the College.  

Q: Tell us a little about your previous work experience, including titles, and what degrees you have.

A: For the past 12 years, I've been an adjunct professor at various colleges and universities in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. I have a bachelor's degree in French and a master's in Creative Writing.

In terms of previous work experiences, I owned a raw vegan restaurant in Los Angeles. It was also a catering company and a food delivery business before there was Grub Hub and Uber Eats. I also had vegan food products in more than 30 Whole Foods stores in the Southern California area. I did that for four years of my life and when I closed the restaurant down, I was a private chef for celebrities and others in the LA area. In those four years, I felt like I learned more about business than someone getting an MBA.  

I was a segment producer for a TV show called “Taste of America,” which showcased interesting food from around the country. When I left the show, they featured my restaurant.  

Q: Why did you choose to become an educator?

A: I come from a family of educators. My paternal grandmother graduated from Cheyney University in 1940, the same year my father was born, and she became an educator in the Philadelphia school system. She was the first educator that I knew. She lived until she was 102 years old. I have two aunts on both sides of my family who were educators, and my sister and my cousin are educators. It's in my DNA.  

I've also always felt like educators were interesting people who led interesting lives, and they brought those experiences into the classroom.  My 5^th grade teacher was a Black man named Mr. White, and he lived in Japan for years. He got me interested in math and traveling because he taught us math the way Japanese teachers taught math and he spoke Japanese to us. Even though I'm not great at math, he's the reason why I love to travel.  

Q: What experience or individual influenced your career direction?

A: Besides my family members, there are many faculty members at CCP who influenced my career direction: Dr. Debonair Oates-Primus, Dr. Alexine Fleck, Lucia Gbaya-Kanga, Marissa Johnson, Cherise Shane, Dr. Anya “Aaron” Love. There are too many to name honestly.   

Q: Tell us something about yourself you would like the College community to know – hobbies, what you like to do for fun, a fun fact about yourself.

A: I love to cook, read, write, exercise, garden, meditate, travel and spend time with my family.