Davina Scott

Davina Scott is a Master of Social Work Student at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Practice & Policy. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Howard University in 2023, with a minor in Criminology.

Davina’s experience growing up in a low-income neighborhood and attending underfunded public schools made her passionate about the impacts of the school-to-prison pipeline, mass incarceration, and poverty in urban communities. As an undergraduate student, Davina served as the President of Howard’s Youth Justice Advocates, a mentoring organization for detained youth in D.C. As president, she implemented program plans to assist detained youth with mindfulness and wellness. In her senior year, she worked with Howard University’s Chapel to organize a Juvenile Justice Symposium featuring notable speakers and activists such as Cyntoia Brown-Long. In April 2023, Davina was featured as a panelist on the Petey Greene Webinar What is to Be Done: Black College Students Confronting the Carceral State.

In 2020, Davina began interning with Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7F based in Southeast D.C. Now assuming the position of Operations Manager, she continues to advocate for the development and funding of predominantly black neighborhoods in D.C. In her role, she frequently drafts letters to government agencies on behalf of the community and their needs and edits community benefit agreements.

Davina is a Social Justice Scholar and a New York Times Adversity Scholar. She believes in equality and equity for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status. She is dedicated to making progressive contributions in the field of social work.