Blaise Joseph is a first-year PhD student in Educational Leadership at New York University whose research interest is high-achieving schools in socially disadvantaged areas. He is a former secondary school teacher with experience in both public and private schools and recently worked as an education policy researcher at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney. Blaise has completed a Bachelor of Commerce (with a Co-op Scholarship) and a Master of Teaching from The University of New South Wales. Blaise is originally from Canberra and is currently living in New York City. His interests include American and European history, classical literature, politics, and rugby league. With his World Universities Ramsay Postgraduate Scholarship, Blaise will complete his PhD at New York University. In the future Blaise wants to be an educational researcher in Australia and lead the effort in closing the achievement gap for disadvantaged students.