About Spencer
I am Spencer L. Scott, MSW — a hip-hop educator, restorative practices leader, and entrepreneur. My work lives at the intersection of education, culture, and community, and I am passionate about creating spaces where young people can grow, lead, and thrive. Whether I’m working in schools, on athletic fields, or at community gatherings, my goal is always to promote social-emotional awareness, relationship-building, and inquiry-based learning.
I was born and raised in Anniston, Alabama, and I’m a proud graduate of Stillman College, an HBCU in Tuscaloosa. After earning my BA in Elementary Education with honors, I began my career as a classroom teacher and varsity football and track coach in the Tuscaloosa City Schools system. Those years taught me the power of mentorship, the importance of consistency, and the value of meeting students where they are — lessons I carry with me to this day.
When I moved to Pittsburgh in 2018, I knew I wanted to continue this work across both school and community spaces. I’ve had the privilege of working with students and educators at Taylor Allderdice High School, Westinghouse Academy, Miller African Centered Academy, Margaret Milliones University Preparatory School, the Student Achievement Center, and Wilkins Elementary STEAM Academy. Outside of schools, I stay connected through community partnerships and my membership in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.
Today, I serve as a Restorative Practices Coordinator with the University of Pittsburgh’s Just Discipline Project, where I partner with students, families, educators, and administrators to build relationships and reduce exclusionary discipline. This work allows me to help schools create climates where trust, accountability, and growth are at the center.
I’m also the founder of SEL Music Academy, a program that blends hip-hop, DJing, and entrepreneurship to teach leadership and emotional intelligence. Through my work with Parenting While Black, I facilitate youth group sessions focused on building positive racial identity, coping with discrimination, and strengthening mental wellness.
In addition to my work in education, I am proud to serve as DJ PVO (Positive Vibes Only). Through DJ PVO, I’ve partnered with schools, districts, churches, community organizations, universities, hospitals, individuals, and families to create experiences where music becomes a tool for connection, celebration, and joy. Whether spinning for youth events, school dances, community festivals, or private gatherings, my goal is to set a purposeful atmosphere that uplifts and unites. Just like my educational work, every set is built on intention, energy, and creating spaces where people feel seen and part of something larger.
In 2023, I completed my Master of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh, and I remain committed to using everything I’ve learned — and continue to learn — to make a difference in the lives of young people and the communities around them.
I live in Pittsburgh with my wife, Dr. Khirsten L. Scott, and our dog, Simba.
Educator
I am a hip-hop educator, restorative practices leader, and social worker who believes that education is most powerful when it affirms identity, nurtures relationships, and equips young people with tools for both personal growth and collective change.
In every learning space, I strive to create environments where students feel seen, valued, and supported — where social-emotional development, academic learning, and cultural expression are woven together. My work is grounded in restorative principles: building relational trust, fostering community, addressing harm with care, and cultivating accountability.
With a foundation in social work, I approach education with a deep understanding of trauma-informed practice, mental wellness, and the need for equitable access to resources and opportunities. I collaborate with families, educators, school leaders, and community partners to help students not only succeed academically but also develop the resilience, empathy, and leadership skills that will serve them beyond the classroom.
Hip-Hop Pedagogy Through a Restorative Lens
Hip-hop culture — rooted in creativity, resistance, and community — offers a powerful framework for restorative and social-emotional learning practices. In my approach, hip-hop becomes a tool for:
Building community through shared creative experiences.
Repairing relationships and fostering dialogue, using music and art as pathways for self-expression and understanding.
Encouraging critical conversations about social justice, identity, and lived experiences.
Promoting empathy and perspective-taking, as students explore stories and voices beyond their own.
Core Components of My Approach
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) + Restorative Practice
Use hip-hop to invite students into reflection, emotional awareness, and dialogue.
Build social-emotional vocabulary and coping strategies that support conflict resolution and community well-being.
Guide youth in navigating challenges and naming emotions through art, discussion, and collective problem-solving.
Language, Literacy, and Voice
Provide platforms for students to write, record, and share their own stories.
Encourage collaboration through projects like group albums or lyric books, fostering community pride and shared accomplishment.
Help students connect literacy to advocacy and self-representation.
Cognitive Growth and Critical Inquiry
Support higher-order thinking by prompting students to analyze, compare, and reflect on their creative work and the world around them.
Use open-ended questioning to encourage curiosity, critical consciousness, and problem-solving.
Movement, Wellness, and Belonging
Integrate music and movement as pathways to physical expression, stress relief, and joy.
Foster collective energy with class DJ roles and activities that build unity and positive community culture.
Why This Matters
My background in social work and restorative practices informs every aspect of my teaching and mentoring. I understand that students carry complex experiences and that schools and out-of-school spaces can either replicate harm or become spaces of healing and possibility.
Through hip-hop, relational leadership, and trauma-informed practice, I help young people and the adults who support them develop self-awareness, resilience, empathy, and voice — skills that prepare them for leadership in their communities and beyond.
This work isn’t just about teaching — it’s about creating spaces where students feel powerful, connected, and ready to build the future they deserve.
Youth & Community Engagement
As a Project Director for Drug and Alcohol Prevention at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA, I developed and implemented culturally relevant, sustaining curricula for both in-school and out-of-school settings, aimed at preventing substance use while promoting social-emotional learning and community connectedness. These programs served students at Westinghouse Academy, Taylor Allderdice High School, and the Student Achievement Center, reinforcing the link between positive school climate and student well-being.
As a Heinz Fellow with the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Urban Education, I honed skills in community-based participatory action research and restorative justice approaches to mentoring and teaching. My fellowship work at Miller African Centered Academy focused on building relationships with students, families, and educators to create learning environments rooted in equity, social justice, and student voice.
Through my ongoing work as a Youth Program Facilitator with Parenting While Black, I lead group sessions for middle and high school youth that focus on positive racial identity, resilience, mental wellness, and coping with discrimination. This work complements my restorative and school-based practice by fostering intergenerational dialogue and alignment between youth and their caregivers.
Additionally, my partnership with The Maker’s Clubhouse through the SELMA (Social-Emotional Learning Music Academy) project has allowed me to engage students in hands-on learning experiences that build social-emotional skills, creativity, and critical thinking through making and innovation.
Coach
What began as throwing a football at age five in my neighborhood in Anniston, Alabama, grew into a lifelong passion for sports, discipline, and leadership. I was a student-athlete at Anniston High School for four years, competing in both football and track and field (shot put). I continued as a collegiate student-athlete for an additional four years, playing football at Stillman College. In both high school and college, I worked hard to master skills and techniques that challenged me physically, mentally, and academically.
Reviewing Defensive Substitutions (2017) Photo Credit: Tuscaloosa News AP
As a coach, I’ve applied those experiences to support and encourage young athletes. I coach with a focus on developing each player’s full potential — on the field, in the classroom, and in life. Over four years of coaching junior varsity and varsity football and track and field, I’m proud that my student-athletes achieved a 100% graduation rate. Among my football athletes, 70% went on to attend a four-year college or university, with 40% earning athletic scholarships. For track and field athletes, 90% attended a four-year college or university, and 70% received athletic scholarships.
I view coaching as another form of mentorship — an opportunity to help young people build discipline, resilience, and confidence that will serve them long after the game is over.
Student Athletes Post-Secondary Institutional Placements: Alabama State University, Alcorn State University, Auburn University, Florida A&M University, Florida State University, Miles College, Jackson State University, Southern University, University of Alabama, University of North Alabama, University of South Alabama, University of Southern Mississippi, and University of West Alabama.
Entrepreneur
Intentional Events
At Intentional Events, we believe every gathering is an opportunity to cultivate connection, inspire community, and leave a lasting impact. Founded by husband-and-wife team Spencer and Khirsten Scott, our work is rooted in purpose and designed with care.
We are a focused event firm dedicated to helping individuals, organizations, and communities come together in meaningful ways. With intentionality and impact at the center of everything we do, we curate experiences that foster dialogue, celebrate milestones, and build relationships that last.
From intimate conversations to large-scale community events, we bring vision to life with creativity, precision, and heart.
Intentional Events — cultivating community, one gathering at a time.
