Dr. Cierra Wourman recalled a painful experience in her junior English class in Alaska when she refused to read Mark Twain’s novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, aloud in front of her classmates because of its repeated use of the N-word.
Her teacher insisted she read it aloud or fail the class.
Fortunately, Wourman had joined the youth group of a local NAACP chapter. She shared her dilemma with a representative who discovered the book had been removed from the school’s required reading list years earlier.
The representative confronted the principal, who claimed the school was unaware of the change. The teacher withdrew the threat to fail Wourman.
“It was a huge deal,” Wourman recalled. “But it taught me that sometimes you have to advocate for yourself because adults aren’t always right.”
Wourman, now a college and career counselor for Confluence Preparatory Academies in St. Louis, will be recognized as an Excellence in Education honoree during the St. Louis American Foundation’s 39th annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala on Saturday at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel.
The lesson she learned in Alaska has stayed with her.
“We have to make sure that students can always advocate for themselves,” Wourman said. “I teach my students that if you feel strongly about something, you (must) be strong and stand your ground.”
Wourman credits much of her determination to her father, Johnny Wourman Jr., a military man who raised her and her older sister while their mother was largely in and out of their lives.
Growing up mostly in Detroit, the sisters also accompanied their father to military bases in New Mexico, Alaska and Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County, Illinois.
“My dad was very innovative when it came to his parenting style,” Wourman recalled. “We had hearty dialogues growing up and he encouraged us to speak up. He gave us that space to be effective communicators.”
Her father prepared his daughters for the challenges of being among the few Black children in predominantly White environments.
“Dad would always say, ‘my job is to make sure you don’t shrink yourselves around people who don’t look like you, it’s to make sure you grow up to be functional adults.’”
At a remote base in Alaska, the sisters sometimes had to order hair care products by mail or rely on their grandmother back home to send clothes and other necessities.
Because of her father, Wourman said she learned to recognize, cherish and champion diversity and equity at an early age.
“It has to do with having a sense of integrity … doing the right thing no matter what and speaking up for those who couldn’t speak up for themselves. Our dad raised us that way.”
After high school, Wourman enrolled at Wilberforce University, a historically Black university in Ohio, to study mass communication. She later completed her degree at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville while her father was assigned to Scott Air Force Base.
Her journey into education began unexpectedly while she was attending SIUE and working at a shoe store in St. Clair Square mall.
Gary Trailer, a counselor with TRIO Upward Bound, noticed Wourman doing her homework in the store. He asked whether she had ever considered working for TRIO, a program that helps students prepare for college.
She hadn’t.
Trailer arranged an internship for her in recruitment. He kept an eye on her progress and eventually encouraged her to consider counseling.
Wourman followed his advice, earning a master’s degree in counseling at Lindenwood University. She later pursued doctoral studies in educational leadership at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Her first counseling job was at Langston Middle School in St. Louis.
“It was a rough school,” Wourman recalled, but “the kids were amazing … their stories were amazing.”
It was there, she said, that she “really learned to lead with love.”
After the school closed, Wourman moved to Central VPI, where she took on new initiatives and learned more about students’ social and emotional needs.
Her work caught the attention of Confluence administrators, who hired her as a counselor.
“It was a lot about being surrounded by the right people in the right spaces,” Wourman said. “It created a sense of hope for me as far as college access and making sure our kids get on those campuses.”
At Confluence, Wourman has helped make dual enrollment a flagship program, allowing high school students to earn credits toward both their diplomas and college degrees.
Confluence partners with institutions including Harris-Stowe State University, St. Louis Community College and Ranken Technical College.
Wourman is particularly proud of the school’s “To and Through” approach, which helps students not only gain admission to college but also develop the skills and support needed to graduate.
She was named Confluence’s 2022-23 Professional of the Year and received St. Louis Community College’s 2023-24 Community Partner Award for her work in community engagement.
In an interview with the Telegram newspaper last year, Wourman was asked about the most worthwhile aspect of being an equity coach.
“The most rewarding aspect of being an equity coach is witnessing Black and Brown scholars take ownership of their futures, whether that means securing college acceptance, exploring career opportunities, or gaining confidence in their abilities,” Wourman said.
“Helping students recognize their strengths and break through systemic barriers fuels my passion for this work.”
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.