Staff Spotlight: Amber Griffin-Royal

A third-generation Bay Area native, Amber Griffin-Royal, an Administrative Assistant in the Wright Institute's Counseling Psychology program, was born and raised primarily in Oakland, California. When she was five, her mom and stepdad met, and Amber, formerly an only child, was thrilled to gain three step-siblings. “I always wanted to have siblings, especially a sister, so when my mom started dating my stepdad, it was like all of my dreams came true,” she explained. “We’re really close and had a lot of fun going to summer camps, watching movies, and listening to music.” The whole family loved music and the children grew up listening to funk and soul records, along with Sade, Michael Jackson, and Prince.

Amber attended public schools in Oakland and Alameda counties, where she was diagnosed with dyslexia during elementary school. After her diagnosis, the school pulled her out of her regular class and put her in a special education class full-time, which made her feel othered and ostracized. “I had to learn how to advocate for myself at a very young age because I did not feel like I belonged in that setting, and I wanted to be back in my regular courses,” she recalled. “That's where I think I started to find my voice as a young person, speaking up for what I thought was right.” Amber was able to return to her regular classes after advocating for herself, but the experience left her with seeds of doubt that she had to work hard to overcome. At sixteen years old, she began taking courses at the College of Alameda as part of her high school studies.

After high school, Amber joined a punk band called HOTTUB as one of its three female lead vocalists. The band performed and toured regularly for eight years, which Amber credits for helping her build a lot of her confidence. “There were a lot of times we had to deal with misogyny, racism, fatphobia, and all sorts of things,” she reflected. “I had to be vocal again, like that little Amber who advocated for herself in school at such a young age.” In between tours and gigs with the band, Amber took classes here and there at Laney College. When Hottub disbanded after eight years, Amber moved to Europe and spent two years living in Mallorca, Madrid, London, and Lyon. “Each place was pretty revolutionary to my trajectory, some positive and some not so positive,” she explained, “but it really was the crucible I needed to go through to be where I am today.” She particularly loved her time in London, which she remembers for the fun atmosphere and amazing food, and Lyon, which she described as a “less chaotic Paris with Bay Area vibes.”

When she returned to California after her time in Europe, Amber wasn’t sure what her next steps would be. She had spent almost a decade of her life on stage, touring with the band, and doing shows most nights, and now didn’t know how to fill that void. DJing was a natural pivot for Amber as she still got to engage in music and be on stage while sharing some of her favorite songs from around the world. “At the beginning of my DJ career, I was a lot more vocal on the mic,” she recalled. “I was doing a lot of toasting in my sets, which is a Jamaican tradition where the MC gets on the mic and just recites lyrics or freestyles, so that added another dynamic layer to DJing.” She had two amazing mentors, Gray and Black, who helped to guide her as a new DJ and became her family, watching her back as she gained her footing in the industry. “There were also a couple of dudes, primarily DJs of color, who took me under their wings as I was getting my name out there,” she shared. “I really appreciated how they would tell me their rates and stand up for me when people were trying to slight me.” Amber had the great honor of being named the“Best DJ of the East Bay” in 2016 and 2018 by The East Bay Express.

In 2017, Amber started back at Laney College with plans of taking things slowly and working towards her associates degree. The first course she took was a statistics class, which was outside of her comfort zone, but she had an amazing professor named Christina Will, who broke the content down in a way that made it much easier to understand. Professor Will’s course was part of the Umoja program in California Community Colleges, which “serves and promotes student success for all students through a curriculum and pedagogy responsive to the legacy of the African and African American Diasporas.” Amber was so successful in the course that she was asked to work as a statistics tutor through the program.

While at Laney College, Amber worked at The Poor People’s Campaign as a Data Analyst, analyzing survey data collected on students affected by housing insecurities and racial disparities. “I have a lot of care and concern around housing disparities in Oakland, particularly with Black and Brown individuals, knowing how gentrification really reshaped Oakland,” she explained. “It felt really good to be able to work with those statistics, and we found that a large portion of students at Laney were homeless at the time.” Amber herself experienced homelessness for a short time during her last semester at Laney College, so the work hit very close to home for her.

Amber chose to pursue a degree in African American Studies during her time at Laney College. “I have always been interested in African American Studies since I was a youth growing up in Oakland,” she shared. “My mom and uncle were part of the Black Panther free lunch program, and Black history has always been something I was drawn to.” Amber inherited from her family a deep-rooted pride in her Blackness and an understanding of the importance of their cultural heritage. Her parents are both Black, with her father being of Creole origin from New Orleans, but Amber also has a multi-racial background. “Growing up, there was kind of a lot of tension in certain settings based on my complexion and things like that, so it felt important to me to really be rooted in my history,” she recalled. “I wanted to understand why some of these conversations were coming up, as far as my complexion or my hair texture, and didn't want to feel offended by those things, but understand them more in the historical context.” In 2020, Amber graduated from Laney College with her Associate of Arts in African American Studies.

In 2019, Amber was invited to moderate a panel at Stanford University about Black musical traditions of Hip-Hop. Dr. Brown, a professor at Stanford, had seen Amber DJing and thought she would be a good fit for the event, which celebrated the launch of a new academic journal focused on women in Hip-Hop. “There was a professor at the event who was also a DJ, and it was really cool for me to see that they could be a PhD, a DJ, and they were also Black and queer,” she reflected. “I thought they were amazing, and it was the first time I was introduced to a DJ who was navigating higher education because, at that point, I thought of those things as very separate.” It was the first time Amber had considered that her artistic endeavors and academic pursuits could overlap in this way. This was also her first experience moderating a panel, which led to more opportunities for her to host events moving forward.

Amber enrolled in the University of California at Berkeley in 2021, pursuing her BA in African American Studies. “Three of my four grandparents went to UC Berkeley, and education was definitely a focus in my family, but it wasn’t forced down my throat either,” she explained. “Once I started going back to Laney and was excelling there and finding my confidence, I was excited to apply to UC Berkeley and be part of the family legacy.” The school was also basically in her backyard, which made things quite convenient. Applying to Berkeley, however, proved to be more challenging than Amber had planned because of the pandemic. “None of the resource centers that I was planning on utilizing at Laney were open and I had planned on working with coaches there that help you with your applications,” she recalled. “My team ended up being my mom and a professor from Chabot, where I had taken an English class.” On the final day that UC Berkeley was announcing admitted students, Amber found out that she was admitted and attended orientation the very next day.

While at UC Berkeley, Amber worked as an Undergraduate Research Advocate at the Social Sciences division of their library, helping to share research tools and resources with other students. She explained that the most challenging aspect of this role was that she was learning how to do research while on the job. Although no one expected her to be an expert, Amber put a lot of pressure on herself. “The most rewarding part of the job was being able to share helpful tools and paid research opportunities, especially when they were looking for more women, more people of color, or more disabled students,” she explained. “It was really empowering to be able to share those resources with my community.”

In 2022, Amber attended a workshop at the Bancroft Library’s Oral History Center, gaining a basic knowledge of best practices in oral history. A lot of Amber’s work as a performing artist has centered around storytelling, so when she heard about this opportunity, she was very eager to participate and was extremely grateful when one of her professors paid for her to attend out of their own research funds. “Part of what I've learned being a Black studies major is that oral history is a deeply rooted and rich part of Black history and was how we passed down information from generation to generation,” she reflected. “To be part of such a beautiful legacy as a descendant of enslaved Africans feels like such an honor.” Amber was excited to learn the details of conducting oral history research, not just for her studies at UC Berkeley, but for her future endeavors as a performing artist as well.

In January of 2023, Amber began working at the Wright Institute as an evening and weekend Administrative Assistant. She was already familiar with the Wright Institute because her aunt, Dr. Anatasia Kim, is a professor in the Wright Institute’s Clinical Psychology program, so when she saw the job listing online, she jumped at the opportunity. “Being able to work at the Wright while working on my bachelor’s degree felt like such a blessing,” she shared. “The unique work schedule really worked for me, and it was right down the street from my house.” Amber also loves that it allows her to be surrounded by others in the field of education, which helps her stay inspired.

Earlier this year, Amber took on an additional role as an Interim Administrative Assistant to the Interim Director of the Counseling Program, Dr. Alison Richardson. While it has been challenging for Amber to balance two roles at the Wright Institute in addition to finishing up her studies at UC Berkeley, she has loved working so closely with Dr. Richardson in this role and is very grateful for the opportunity. Dr. Richardson asked me what I wanted to get out of this role, and I told her I wanted to gain more experience and level up my skills,” she explained. “I love organizing events, so she passed me the reins on some of the orientation planning, and it has been really confidence-boosting for me.” Dr. Richardson’s trust and support have been invaluable to Amber and although she has at times felt very apprehensive about the new responsibilities she’s taking on, she knows she has Dr. Richardson and the whole Counseling Program staff standing beside her. “I couldn’t think of a better team of people to work with - we really have each other's backs,” she shared proudly. “I know that even if I wobble, I’ll never fall because I have such an amazing team!”

Based on her time at the Wright, Amber has some advice to offer Counseling Program students. “Be openhearted and follow your curiosity,” she shared. “Allow yourself to be wowed.” She also encourages students to get to know the staff in the program, like herself, noting that there is sometimes a disconnect between the students and staff, as most of their work is done in the background. “If you’re in a weekend cohort, I’m here all day with you, so when you have a break, pop by,” she explained. “I’m available to answer questions or show you around.” Amber loves getting to know students and hopes to build more connections with students in the coming year.

This summer, Amber graduated from UC Berkeley with her BA in African American and African Diaspora Studies and a minor in journalism. Looking back on her time there, Amber describes it as “the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” but she also thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “To be studying African American studies with some of the most prolific, brilliant scholars and thinkers was such an honor,” she reflected. “We had some of the biggest heavy-hitters in the nation when it comes to African American studies, and to be able to study underneath them and have working relationships with them was mindblowing.” She’s also very proud of her accomplishments at Berkeley, including completing an honors thesis entitled, The Vibrations of Blackness: Exploring the Spatio-Temporality of Oakland’s Soundscape, graduating with high honors and a 3.97 GPA and winning over $43,000 in research scholarships, including a prestigious research fellowship with Haas Scholars. Amber is grateful for the support of her family and friends along her journey, but also credits her success to NAVCAL, an organization at UC Berkeley designed to help students from marginalized communities navigate the hidden curriculum of the university, and the VèVè A. Clark Institute for Engaged Scholars of African American Studies.

Now that she has a little more time on her hands, Amber is able to take a breath and pursue some of her other interests. She hopes to make more time for self-care, starting with getting more sleep, but also working out, going on hikes in the beautiful Bay Area, and spending more time with her family and friends. Amber is excited to get back to making her own music as well and has already been working on an EP. “There's a studio that's up the street from the Wright Institute that my homie owns,” she shared. “I go over there on my lunch break or after work sometimes, and I’ve been recording music.” She also hopes to finish up a film script that she’s been working on for a decade and produce it in the coming year.

Looking to the future, Amber has big plans for herself. After taking a year off to recuperate from her undergraduate studies, she’s interested in applying to graduate school. Amber’s ultimate goal is to start a consulting firm working with students of color who are navigating all levels of higher education. She has already started working on a podcast for her future clients called “JC to PhD,” sharing tips and tricks about higher education that she wishes she had known when she first embarked on her journey. “I want to offer wraparound services to students where we're helping with applications, finding them resources, helping them understand research, providing them opportunities to get research experience, and whatever else they might need,” she explained. “I really want to have tailor-made, customized support for students of color because I really want to see more of us in higher education.” This goal is Amber’s “north star,” guiding her through the challenges she faces along the way, and with her passion and drive, it’s certain that she’ll do amazing things for her community in the future.