Susan Dawson Fellow says data can be a “tool for empathy”

Intro

E3 Alliance launched the Susan Dawson Fellowship in May 2025 to cultivate and empower the next generation of social impact and educational leaders in Central Texas. The paid fellowship is named for our Founder and President Emeritus Susan Dawson. During the 10-week program, fellows complete a data-driven project while also receiving personalized mentorship and professional development opportunities. Since it began, more than 100 people have applied for the fellowship.  

One of our Fall 2025 fellows was Eman Khan. Eman served as a Donor Analysis Research Fellow with the E3 Alliance Development team. She was working on a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Concordia University during the fellowship. Her project focused on analyzing donor data to improve engagement.  

Eman spoke with Development Associate DeLonna Parrett about her experience as a fellow and how it prepared her for the next step in her career.  

(This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)  

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What drew you to the Susan Dawson Fellowship and what did you enjoy most about working with E3 Alliance?

I was in the middle of my MBA program and had taken all sorts of finance and data analytics courses. I was also heavily involved in Austin’s art scene, including storytelling events. On top of that, as a Disabled student, I often had to collaborate with my university and the greater Austin community to ensure my accessibility needs were met. With all of these experiences, I saw the beauty in analyzing trends and using that information to reveal underlying stories and strategies to improve student outcomes.  

When my university shared the fellowship opportunity with me, it felt like a perfect opportunity to use my data analysis and storytelling skills for good. I was especially drawn to E3 Alliance’s core values, such as the deep commitment to collaboration.  

I enjoyed E3 Alliance’s incredibly welcoming and inclusive environment. Staff genuinely valued fellows’ perspectives and took the time to get to know us. Above all, the mentorship from E3 Alliance leaders and other staff was a highlight of my time there. Their guidance helped me bridge the gap between data analysis and meaningful impact. They invested in my growth and made me feel like an important part of the team from day one. 

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Before this fellowship, how did you think about education systems-change work and how has that perspective changed since you have left E3 Alliance?

Before the fellowship, I viewed education systems-change work as a huge mystery. The challenges facing education always felt so massive and deeply entrenched. I didn’t know how someone could move the needle on a system that large without getting lost in the bureaucracy or losing the human element. 

During the fellowship, that mystery began to dissolve. I read several E3 Alliance case studies and had incredible conversations with Development Associate DeLonna Parrett, Senior Director of School Transformation Lori Davis, and President and Executive Director Richard Tagle. All three said change can feel like it’s progressing slowly, but when we look back, we see how far we’ve come.  

Tiny, daily shifts in the education system can accumulate to become a massive, measurable difference in student outcomes. After my fellowship, education systems-change work felt much more possible.  

I ask myself on the daily: “What is one thing I can do today?”  

This could involve donating to E3 Alliance, catching up on current education policies, or attending a local school board meeting. We all have the capacity to make a difference. 

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What is one thing you learned during your fellowship that you think more people in our community should understand about education in Central Texas?

I wish more people in Central Texas understood that data tells a story. I’m a storyteller, so it might seem odd that I love numbers so much. When E3 Alliance shares graphs and numbers, I would suggest asking yourself:  

“What story does this graph or number tell?”  

When we collect data, we uncover real stories. We see exactly which student groups are being left behind. We see where resources are missing. We see how early childhood gaps ripple all the way into college and career readiness. 

I learned from my fellowship that data can be a tool for empathy. It strips away assumptions and allows us to look at the reality of students’ experiences. If our community understood that data is an excellent tool for equity, we could stop guessing where help is needed and start directing our energy exactly where it will make the biggest impact.  

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What skills do you feel you developed during your time here?

While my MBA coursework gave me a strong foundation in finance and data analytics and my art world allowed me to creatively express myself, E3 Alliance was the perfect bridge of these two worlds. My fellowship taught me how to look at datasets and extract the underlying story so we can translate it into action. 

Through the donor analysis report, I learned how to track patterns and transform that information into actionable insights for the development team. It was incredibly eye-opening because I gained foundational fundraising skills and learned what it takes to do the work from the ground up. 

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You helped develop a donor analysis report for E3 Alliance’s Development Team. What did that project teach you about the role philanthropy plays in systems-level change?

I developed a donor analysis report where I looked at the funds we’ve raised, who has given the most, who has given consistently, and more fun patterns. I then illustrated these patterns by having E3 Alliance staff create mini-books or zines with graphs and markers, to help visualize the role of donors. This project taught me how vital philanthropic partners are in funding the work that makes long-term equity in education possible. Every donation represents a potential resource for a classroom, a teacher, and a school district. 

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Do you still talk about the work of E3 Alliance? Why or why not?

Absolutely, all the time! The way E3 Alliance tells the story about the education system through data is like wearing glasses for the first time; once you clearly see it, you can’t really unsee it. I talk about E3 Alliance a lot because I want people in our community to also put on these glasses and see the real stories happening in our neighborhoods so that we can collectively work to build a better future for students. 

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What is next for you?

I am incredibly excited to share that I recently accepted a position as a development associate at a local nonprofit, and I could not have done it without E3 Alliance unlocking my passion for fundraising and data-driven storytelling. When I was interviewing for the role, I spoke extensively about the Susan Dawson Fellowship. Moving forward, I want to build on everything I gained at E3 Alliance in the next chapter of my career.  

Learn more about E3 Alliance’s Susan Dawson Fellowship and how to get involved here.