# "We did it!": Cohort 14 SDP Fellow Graduation Speeches October 03, 2024 - [ Blog ](/news-categories/blog) *This September, Cohort 14 SDP Fellows concluded their time with the Strategic Data Project and looked back on their time as fellows and their impact at their agencies. These fellows worked in their organizations on strategic data projects from Fall 2022 through Summer 2024.* ![Cohort 14](/sites/g/files/omnuum4446/files/sdp/files/congratulations_cohort_14.jpg) On September 19, 2024, we brought together Cohort 14 SDP Fellows for the last time to celebrate their accomplishments and impact, reflect on the obstacles they overcame in their work along the way, and transition them into our alumni network. Two fellows were chosen by the cohort as the graduation speakers: Amanda Swerdlow of Fulton County Schools in Georgia, and Abigail Benzine of Charleston County Schools – Acceleration Schools. With the SDP team and their cohort as an audience, Ms. Swerdlow and Ms. Benzine shared their personal reflections on the last two years as SDP Fellows and challenged their cohort to remain connected as they transition into the SDP Fellowship alumni network. Read on for more from our Cohort 14 graduation speakers: ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum4446/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/sdp/files/benzine_abbey.jpg?itok=sT7vbzH-) **Abigail Benzine, SDP Cohort 14 Fellow Alumna** *Placed Fellow, Charleston County School District* “I am incredibly honored to have been nominated to speak today by some of the smartest, kindest, and most inspiring people I have ever met. I knew from day one of orientation that this group was special, and each workshop and convening has only further cemented that belief. As most of you know, I was a placed fellow in Charleston, South Carolina. I made the 17-hour drive from Madison, WI to Charleston in July 2022, and it was the biggest risk I have ever taken. My sisters assured me that I’d fit in just fine, as I already said “y'all” more than any other Midwesterner, but I had never been to Charleston, didn’t know anyone there, and had never worked in a school district before. We had SDP orientation a few months later. In those few days, once again among people I’d never met, in a place I’d never been to before, I felt more comfortable than I had since my move. Though we all have different backgrounds, personal and professional, we came to SDP with a shared goal of using data to support education. People don’t work in education, much less come to SDP, without shared values of compassion, equity, and generosity. I felt the openness of everyone I spoke with that week and felt our shared eagerness to make connections. I returned to Charleston after that week with a renewed excitement for my work and a new community of support. In the constantly shifting field of education, I’m sure every cohort has its unique challenges, and ours is no different. I know I don’t need to remind you of our tumultuous political climate, the increased use of AI for better and for worse, increased book banning, and continued learning lags. Working in the post-vaccine landscape of COVID has been nothing close to “normal”, as schools have worked to make up for learning losses of the prior years. We are working in a time of having more data than we know what to do with, and with the continued emphasis on data in our capitalist culture, people have high expectations of how it can solve their problems. As those of us who took the quantitative module may recall, there are so many misunderstandings about data and its “objectivity.” We as the data experts are expected to work miracles, even though we see the truth most clearly, which can quickly become overwhelming and disheartening. But SDP seemed to perfectly schedule our meetings when I most needed a boost in energy and inspiration for this work. I was reminded just when I needed it most that I was not alone in facing these challenges, and in fact there are many, many brilliant people tackling these issues. Looking forward, I remain inspired by this cohort. I have stated before how powerful I found everyone’s leadership stories over the last two years, and I have found myself reflecting on them again over these last few months. While growing up, it felt like society was obsessed with assigning each of us one dream job, one path forward, one box to fit in. Yet our cohort has careers spanning numerous organizations, industries, and continents. I am constantly reminding myself how many unexpected turns our paths can take as we follow our passions, explore new opportunities, and take risks. I hope we all continue to do so in our coming chapters. I will certainly miss our time together as fellows, but I am excited to follow each of our paths as we move forward in our careers. The education landscape is unlikely to get any smoother in the future but knowing there are folks like you working in education, I find myself optimistic. This work takes strength, courage, intellect, empathy, and most importantly the audacity to hope. And we have all of those traits in spades.” ![headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum4446/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/sdp/files/swerdlow_amanda.jpg?itok=6zMDsvJo) **Amanda Swerdlow, SDP Cohort 14 Fellow Alumna** *Placed Fellow, Fulton County Schools* “Recently, I heard someone say that the true strength of a leader is based on who you lift up. My fellow fellows have done more than lift in their leadership—they have elevated, strengthened, supported, assisted, motivated, helped, and inspired us all to create the educational change we were charged with and desired to do. I want to take you through just a small journey of these lifts from my perspective but know that I look forward to hearing more lifts in the future! I know many of us felt some imposter syndrome when we first arrived in Cambridge in October of 2022. My first lift came from SDP Fellow Elizabeth Wells' smiling face when I sat down in the Harvard Faculty Club. I quickly learned that behind that smile was one of the dryest and wittiest senses of humor in Cohort 14. “Madison, Wisconsin?” I asked. “No, ma’am. Madison, Mississippi. Very different, I would imagine.” The ease I felt with these little moments set me at ease for the remaining introductory days, which were full of so much knowledge and conversation that I felt like I needed a silent sabbatical when I returned home. As we moved into our spring quant methods module—shout out to SDP instructor Rachel Worsham—I have used the discussion roles more than once with colleagues—I got to learn from the most inspiring group of women. These women have made me better in how I lead my team, ask questions, share qualitative analysis, and help others make sense of our work when we feel like we can’t explain it anymore! And then there was my Capstone Working Group, which came together in May 2023. I was so motivated by my five peers in this group. The transparency and support this group brought to all of our work made us confident and strong when we presented our capstone projects at Convening this past May. I envision our future work as a continuous pursuit of upliftment, empowerment, and inspiration. Each of you has exemplified these qualities tenfold, and I'm truly privileged to be part of this exceptional group of people.” See also:- [ Fellow Spotlight ](/tags/fellow-spotlight) - [ SDP Blog ](/tags/sdp-blog) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)