This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
From managing her own student-run cafe to working at the Tappan Green Restaurant, Tamicka Brown has plenty of experience working with teenagers. She enjoys spending time in nature and is on a mission to travel to every state in the country.
Did you move around a lot while growing up?
I have lived in Michigan, Colorado and Boston. For middle school, I was in Colorado. Then I went to high school in Michigan, where I was a new student again.
It was cool for me. I think that over time, people know each other from elementary school, and then you feel left out of some talks because you didn’t go to the same school. They talk about certain teachers, and you’re wondering what they’re talking about.
What was a really fun moment you had over this summer?
Over this summer, I ran my cafe. I run a student-owned cafe in Dorchester, so this summer we hosted at YMCAs. We went to nine YMCA locations and we set up our cafe there. The YMCA teams ran the cafe, so that was helpful. They’re paid through the YMCA and already have a summer job at the Y[MCA]. It was an entrepreneurship program with my business.
Do you like spending time with teenagers?
I do. I think that it’s the empowerment of the future. I don’t think that we had some of the opportunities [growing up] that I see right now. My high school was super small. I did not have any opportunities to run a kitchen, serve our teachers and be friends with our teachers. You get to know them as they come into a space and they are customers, not teachers.
If you could be an animal for a day, what would you be?
A sloth; that’s my soul animal. I love that sloths just take their time. No matter what, they take their time, and they still get where they need to go; it’s just very slowly. It’s like the turtle and the hare for me, realizing the tortoise is taking its time and not running into walls very fast-paced.
Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
I told my friend recently that I’m not going to be working a typical job. I’d rather be homestead living. I like self-sustainable things. My cafe is a converted shed that I turned into a coffee shop. I would love to live outdoors if I could. I would even live in a shipping container and turn it into a house. I don’t like traditional things, and I think everything is so illusionized. You can create whatever world you want. In 20 years, I hope to still be running my coffee shop, but I would hope it’s running itself by then.
Why did you decide to work at the Tappan Green and become a paraprofessional?
I don’t think that it was the para[professional] role that called.
It was really this kitchen and this restaurant program.
I think it’s such a cool program to have because it’s very similar to what I created in Dorchester. I didn’t even realize there were many other student-run things. When this opportunity came through, I was like, ‘I’ll apply and see how it goes,’ so here I am.
