The Littlest Photographer in the Room
Zeke, son of Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins, captured his own behind-the-scenes moment as local and national leaders gathered for the Building Pathways Summit.
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins had a special guest at work Tuesday: her young son, Zeke.
With school out for the day, six-year-old Zeke joined his mom at the Building Pathways Summit, taking place May 26 from 1 to 5 p.m. The summit brings together higher education leaders, state officials, employers, student voices, and community organizations to discuss ways to strengthen student success, workforce pathways, and regional economic opportunity.
But for one sweet moment, the youngest person in the room became the unofficial event photographer.
Standing confidently with a camera in hand, Zeke lined up a photo of summit principals — including his mom — as they posed together. The scene offered a small, human glimpse behind the day’s formal work: a child watching public service up close and capturing it in his own way.
The Building Pathways Summit is the capstone for a year-long series of state-focused convenings in Virginia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, along with a national webinar featuring leaders from Alabama and North Carolina. Funded by Imaginable Futures, the series focuses on expanding access and elevating the voices of underrepresented students, including student-parents, military-affiliated students, first-generation students, and adult learners.
For Alexandria, the day’s discussions are about big-picture partnerships. For Zeke, it may simply be Take Your Son to Work Day — with a front-row view of his Mom in action.
