Meet the Team: Cory Bradnax, Professional Development Associate

Meet Cory Bradnax, our new Professional Development team member. Cory is tasked with facilitating change processes and professional learning for our staff members, and working with external partners to accomplish the same. In addition, he facilitates our school’s Presentations of Learning program and Student Ambassador program.

Cory said he knew Eagle Rock was a special place back in 2011 when he visited our campus as part of an information-gathering effort for Harlem Children’s Zone. He said he found everything from our students to the staff to the campus environment to be in line with his values. He returned four years later, in the fall of 2015, to teach an Explore Week class on gemstones and crystals.

Cory was formerly the college coordinator for Promise Academy I High School in Harlem, New York, where he was responsible for college and career readiness for grades 9 through 12, in addition to guiding students through the college application and financial aid process. Prior to that, he was the assistant director of the College Success Office at Harlem Children’s Zone — a program designed to support the school’s students during their journey to and through college to graduation. Before holding that position, he was a coordinator for that same office.

Cory received his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., and a master’s degree in Africana studies from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

We asked Cory to answer a few questions we had about his personal life, and here’s what he had to share:

Eagle Rock: Where did you grow up and what did you want to be when you grew up?

Cory: I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and I wanted to be a teacher, a restaurant owner, or a professional basketball player.

ER: What superpower do you have, or would you like to have?

Cory: Telekinesis. I would use my power to help humankind. Things like averting disasters, helping to build useful structures in a quicker and more efficient manner, transporting things and people to other locations quicker, etc. I would also use it to fly around and see the world.

Eagle Rock: What’s something most people would be surprised to know about you?

Cory: I wrote my first book, “The $10 Book of Priceless Wisdom” in 2015, and I’m working on my second book now. The first book is a collection of writings that explore many topics, including Health and Wellness, Spirituality, Love, Success, Mental and Emotional Willpower, Money Management, Social Justice, Civic Engagement, Personal Growth, Building Intuition, The Science of Breath, Social Reform, Poetry, Community Organizing, Morality and Values, and Crystals and Gemstones.

ER: What reality television show would you like to be on and why would you win or be the first person kicked off?

Cory: MasterChef! I probably wouldn’t win, but it would be fun, and I would learn a lot.

ER: Please tell us about your hobbies or interests outside of work?

Cory: I enjoy reading, writing, exercising, sports, drawing, games, good conversation — and anything in nature.