Dr. Shamawn Wright sought to use his experience as a youth growing up in East Oakland, California surrounded by drugs, gun violence, and poverty, to engage students with school and their community through an approach grounded in Blackness and culture first. As a Black male, former foster youth that got kicked out of school districts due to educational experiences that were not affirming to his identity and lived experiences; as a formerly incarcerated youth at the Contra Costa County Juvenile “Justice” center; as an youth that navigated these experiences.

Dr. Shamawn turned it around, he graduated from Antioch High School in 2011 and received a full ride football scholarship to the University of California, Davis. He majored in Sociology Organizational Studies and received his B.S. in 2015 as well as a Master of Art from the University of San Francisco in Higher Education and Student Affairs in 2021. He received his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from San Francisco State University in May 2024

In July 2019, Dr. Shamawn founded Bridge Builders to the New Generation, Inc. to bridge students from underserved communities in Antioch, California to higher education through access to college, leadership, and life skills. Through enriching programs, Bridge Builders seeks to keep students engaged in school and build a support network of family, validation, and support for a younger generation of Black youth from similar backgrounds. By assisting youth to become self-sufficient adults, Bridge Builders seeks to help students to create a plan post-high school either in higher education, vocational school, or a career path.