Get to Know Austin: - Teach for America

Aimee Jones Wilkerson

Aimée Jones Wilkerson is from Takoma Park, MD. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a double major in Government and Psychology. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she joined the 2017 Teach for America Houston Corps. With a mission to support underserved populations, Aimée worked for 3 years at KIPP Sharpstown in Houston, TX. There, she taught 6th grade reading and coached Relay Graduate School fellows. After moving to Austin, she assumed a position at Wayside Public Schools, where she taught 4th and 5th grade reading and science and coached new teachers. Aimée is currently a master’s student at The University of Texas-Austin. She is studying Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Learning Technologies. In her free time, Aimée enjoys paddleboarding, reading, and cooking!

Babatunde Abon

Babatunde Abon grew up in Southern California and graduated from Azusa Pacific University in Business Marketing. He joined Teach For America in 2018 and served as a high school mathematics instructor in Boston. While he wasn’t in the classroom he helped found the first TFA Boston Corps Cultural Committee, allowing corps members a space to build deeper friendships. He also received his masters degree in math education from Boston University. After completing the corps he moved to Austin, TX where he was the lead math instructor of a project based learning school. Babatunde recently transitioned out of the classroom to work for a company providing global education experiences to students. He’s still deeply passionate about the inherent value of education.

Perla Torres

Perla Torres is a Chicana, born and raised in El Paso, a border town on the tip of Texas.
She obtained her Bachelor’s in Science from the University of Texas in San Antonio, and her Masters in Education from Texas A&M San Antonio. As a Teach for America alumni, Perla has committed to continue disrupting educational inequity in higher education. She now serves as an Adjunct College Professor for Alamo Colleges and performs contract work for non-profit organizations in curriculum and professional development areas. Ms.Torres is bilingual, and was labeled an English Language Learner (ELL) through-out her elementary education. For this reason, Ms.Torres is passionate about Language Development and all things learning: nature-based learning, ed tech learning, Dual Language programs, early childhood education,and equipping teachers with the tools and resources to provide all children with an excellent
education. Ms.Torres is committed to one day returning to the elementary school system as a Principal or Director of Learning and Development.

Kevin Gonzales

Kevin Gonzales, M.Ed. is the Principal of Uplift Mighty Middle School in Fort Worth, Texas. He received his Master of Education from Southern Methodist University with an emphasis on Urban School Leadership. Kevin and the Mighty team are working to stabilize and bring structure to a historically underperforming campus in a vibrant Southeast Fort Worth community. He has worked in both a large school district in an urban city as well as a charter school in a title one suburban setting. Prior to administration, Kevin taught mathematics ranging from 8th Grade Math to Algebra II with demonstrable growth and strong overall performance on state and district exams.

Adrian Edmonds

Adrian began her career in education as a 2013 Teach For America corps member in the Rio Grande Valley teaching 8th-grade Algebra 1. After TFA, Adrian joined Austin Achieve in 2015 teaching Algebra 1. Since then, Adrian spent several years teaching various high school math courses and serving as a Dean of Instruction, and Assistant Principal of Instruction. In 2019, Adrian earned her master’s at Columbia University through the Summer Principals Academy. This year, Adrian is serving as the Principal in Residence at Austin Achieve High School.

Tierraney Richardson

Tierraney is originally from Houston, TX. She attended Agnes Scott College for undergrad where she obtained a BA in Economics/Organizational Management. She holds a Masters of Science in Educational Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Tierraney also is a Texas certified Principal through Rice University’s principal certification program.
She began her career as a Teach for America corps member and has held multiple leadership roles from Classroom Culture Specialist, 1 of 15 district-wide effective practice facilitators to New Teacher Coach, Dean of School Culture and Assistant Principal of Instruction. In all of her roles, Tierraney has always had the desire to grow and help others do the same.
As a certified Principal, Tierraney has successfully closed the teacher performance gap through coaching, modeling and developing teachers instructional practice both virtually and face-to-face. Tierraney is excited to join the TFA School Leadership Lab to continuously learn innovative ways to meet current needs of students while also preparing students to live, learn, and thrive.

Adrienne Tate

I grew up in Port Arthur, Texas. After graduating high school, I attended the University of North Texas to pursue a degree in Journalism with a focus in Public Relations. At UNT, I had the opportunity to serve as a resident assistant and peer mentor to undecided freshman. These opportunities helped me discover my passion for mentorship and teaching.

After graduating UNT, I joined Teach for America and started my teaching career in rural South Louisiana. In South Louisiana, I was exposed to the inequities of the education system and from that experience I made a lifelong commitment to be in the work to fight for educational equity.

I concurrently attended Louisiana State University and earned a Master’s in Education with a focus in Curriculum and Instruction: secondary English.

After graduating from LSU, I moved closer to home and continued teaching secondary ELA. I then transitioned to the Dean of Instruction role that helped me develop as a teacher coach and evaluator. I am currently a Resident Director Academics. In the role, I observe the Director of Academics lead the academic vision and team towards meeting academic growth targets.

I am excited to develop my craft and meet like minded individual committed to creating opportunities for students.

Shonqualla West

Shonqualla truly believes that all students can achieve regardless of their race, socio-economic status, or background. All of the work she has done in her career has been focused on making sure that all students have the access, opportunities, and support they deserve.

Shonqualla was previously a teacher, Department Chair, Instructional Coach, and Assistant Principal of Instruction. She holds a Bachelors in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Central Arkansas and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Texas State University. She is the proposed school leader of an emerging charter school, UnParalleled Preparatory, for the rural east Austin area and is currently a Fellow at BES.

Ariel Reyes

My name is Ariel Reyes, and I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. I am a first-generation student and graduated from Sul Ross State University with my bachelor’s degree in Biology. I am currently working on my master’s in Educational Leadership at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Currently, I am an Assistant Principal of Instruction at IDEA Mays. Two of my favorite titles in life are “Ms. Reyes” and “Big Sister”. My brother is my pride and joy, and he is a major factor to my success and my students are a continuous drive of motivation.

Melissa Villarreal

My name is Melissa Villarreal, and I am an instructional leader at IDEA Pharr College Prep who is extremely passionate about sending students to college. I am driven to support teachers’ developmental needs, skills, and mindsets needed to achieve big goals.
I am a mom of 2 fur babies, Nolan the French bulldog, Pudge the Pudge. I have a one beautiful and incredibly artistic 14-year-old daughter named Isabella Rose.
I enjoy reading psychological thrillers, watching baseball (Go Astros), and spending time BBQ’n with my family.
I am excited to continue my educational leadership journey through TFA Texas’ School Leadership Learning Lab and use my skills to empower my school community.

Kelly Doyle

Kelly Doyle began her career in education through Teach for America as a first grade teacher in Houston. Kelly then transitioned to Bastrop ISD where she taught third grade for five years, served as the Elementary Math Curriculum specialist, and served as an Elementary Assistant Principal. Kelly joined KIPP Austin Public Schools as a Miles Fellow. Prior to becoming Principal of KIPP Austin Comunidad, Kelly led as the Assistant Principal of Math Instruction and the Assistant Principal of Operations. She has served as the Principal of KIPP Austin Comunidad for the past six years. Kelly earned a BBA and an MS in Accounting from Texas A&M University. She also earned her MEd from Lamar University. Kelly enjoys spending time with her husband and four sons. On weekends, you’ll find her cheering on her sons from the sidelines of their soccer, tennis, and baseball games!

Gonzalo Rodriguez

Gonzalo Rodriguez teaches 7th grade reading and writing at Audie Murphy Middle School in Alamo, Texas, where he also serves as a UIL ready writing coach and girls’ athletics cross country/long-distance track coach. Rodriguez serves as a lead curriculum writer for the district’s middle school English language arts content area , has worked with the department of instructional coaching PSJA ISD’s New Teacher Institute, and is currently an ELAR 4-8 course instructor for the alternative certification program ACTRGV. He is a graduate of H-E-B’s first cohort of their education leadership institute, The Holdsworth Center’s Campus Leadership Program. He is an alum policy fellow of Teach Plus Texas, where he advocated for and worked with other teacher leaders on state-wide policy issues affecting public education. He is proud to enter his 8th year in the classroom where he was initially placed in as a 2015 TFA RGV corps member. Rodriguez graduated with a BA in Political Science from Texas A&M University.

Emerance Kapiamba

I am Emerance Kapiamba, the e Academic Director (Principal) of Uplift Elevate Preparatory’ s Primary School. This will be my 2nd year as the Academic Director, and my 12th year in education. I have lived in the DFW area my entire life and graduated from Texas Christian University for my undergrad and from Southern Methodist University for my graduate degree. I love to travel and watch science fiction movies.

Eliza Harris

Eliza Harris is an assistant principal and a proud, third-generation San Antonio native whose family is a product of San Antonio ISD. She began her teaching career in SAISD and served as a master teacher where her passion for culturally responsive teaching as a pathway to rigorous instruction was sparked. Eliza continued to seek learning communities that nurtured this passion and was selected as a NAATE fellow. After her time in the classroom, she pursued her Master of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Eliza aspires to grow as an instructional leader by leaning into best practices for equitable instruction, advocating for families, and influencing stakeholders. She has a passion for working with teachers to help create more equitable learning opportunities centered around an anti-bias lens.

Daniel Ruiz

Daniel was born in Harlingen, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in 2018. He began his career in secondary education as a Teach for America corps member in Harlingen, Texas. Daniel received his Masters in Health Administration from UTRGV in 2019 and a Masters in Educational Leadership in 2022. He is teaching at his TFA placement school, Harlingen High School, and is on his 5th year. He currently serves as the Science Department Chair, Varsity Cheer Coach and Student Council Advisor. Adam enjoys the company of his family and friends, exploring local shops and events, and relaxing at home.

Crischelle Navalta Barnes

Crischelle is an educator in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of South Texas for nearly 18 years. She has taught English, Writer’s Workshop, and Theory of Knowledge (International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme). Currently she leads work at IDEA Public Schools on Teacher Leadership Programs. Crischelle is also an RGV 2005 alumna, and a recipient of TFA’s Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award (2014). She is married to Dr. Michael Barnes (2006, RGV) and is co-parents to children Michael Jr., Roberto, and Glory Iris. Crischelle loves to garden, cook, travel with family, and read/write poetry. Crischelle is a proud Filipina American and Ilocana.

Coral Zayas

Coral Zayas is an award-winning bilingual educator, instructional designer and trainer, education technologist, and an advocate for education policy reform. She has over a decade of experience within K-16 engaging in roles in and out of the classroom impacting different levels of education. She enjoys growing as a teacher leader and hopes to continue onto doctoral studies to combine her interests in education policy, global education, education technology, and learning design.

John Celestin

My name is John Celestin. I am a husband and a father to a wonderful little five-year-old! I am an 11-year educator who started Teach for America in 2012 with stints in New Orleans, New York, and now the DFW. I have taught 3-8, SPED, and Physical Education and served as a Behavior Interventionist before moving into Administration. I am now the proud Academic Director, a fancy word for Principal, at Uplift Williams Primary.

Justin Buren

I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, graduating from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Political Science in 2011. Teach For America brought me to Houston and the rest is history. After spending my two year Teach for America commitment at Provision Academy I moved to Black Middle School and have been there ever since serving as a Science Teacher, Department Chair, and Instructional Excellence Coach before transferring into my new role. In my free time I enjoy running, with two marathons under my belt as well as trying to create new dishes in the kitchen with my wife Macie.

Perla Torres

Perla Torres is a Chicana, born and raised in El Paso, a border town on the tip of Texas.
She obtained her Bachelor’s in Science from the University of Texas in San Antonio, and her
Masters in Education from Texas A&M San Antonio. As a Teach for America alumni, Perla has
committed to continue disrupting educational inequity in higher education. She now serves as
an Adjunct College Professor for Alamo Colleges and performs contract work for non-profit
organizations in curriculum and professional development areas. Ms.Torres is bilingual, and was
labeled an English Language Learner (ELL) through-out her elementary education. For this
reason, Ms.Torres is passionate about Language Development and all things learning:
nature-based learning, ed tech learning, Dual Language programs, early childhood education,
and equipping teachers with the tools and resources to provide all children with an excellent
education. Ms.Torres is committed to one day returning to the elementary school system as a
Principal or Director of Learning and Development.

Kevin Gonzales

Kevin Gonzales, M.Ed. is the Principal of Uplift Mighty Middle School in Fort Worth, Texas. He received his Master of Education from Southern Methodist University with an emphasis on Urban School Leadership. Kevin and the Mighty team are working to stabilize and bring structure to a historically underperforming campus in a vibrant Southeast Fort Worth community. He has worked in both a large school district in an urban city as well as a charter school in a title one suburban setting. Prior to administration, Kevin taught mathematics ranging from 8th Grade Math to Algebra II with demonstrable growth and strong overall performance on state and district exams.

Ian McEntee

Ian is originally from a small town in south Louisiana, but after Hurricane Katrina, they moved to Austin, TX. They graduated from UT Austin with a dual degree in Sociology and Interdisciplinary Humanities (focus: Criminal Justice, Education Policy, and Hate Crimes). Following undergrad, they moved back to Louisiana to join the 2019 South Louisiana Teach For America corps where they taught 8th grade math for two-years at the start of the pandemic. Ian now works as the Employer Relations Lead with the Moody College of Communications at UT Austin. Ian’s drive is policy based work and ensuring that every student has access to educational opportunities. When not nose deep in education policy, you can find Ian playing a myriad of board game with their friends or continuously exploring the city that they love.

Nicolas Munce

Nicholas grew up in Central Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating with a degree in Computer Science. After graduating, he joined Teach for America – Dallas-Fort Worth and taught 7th and 8th grade science, as well as serving as a Special Education Math Teacher and Case Manager. He left the classroom after 4 years and is now serving as an Education Analyst at Public Consulting Group, helping school districts and education agencies build products and services that assist them in serving their students. In his spare time, Nicholas enjoys getting outside with his partner (whom he met at his placement school in Fort Worth!), training for and running marathons, following the NFL/College Football/NBA, and reading.

Jess Chacon

Jess is an experienced leadership coach, providing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professional development, strengths-based leadership coaching, and support for school leaders and districts on
creating strong multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) for students. Prior to starting her own consulting business, Jess was Head of Schools for KIPP Northern California Public Schools, an elementary school principal with Aspire Public Schools, and a former middle school teacher who started her teaching career in Philadelphia through Teach for America.

She also completed a nine-month fellowship with the National Equity Project in leading, designing, and facilitating equity-centered learning experiences in an action research project. Jess is a first generation college graduate and proud alum of the University of Texas at Austin. She also enjoys giving restaurant and book recommendations to anyone who will listen.

Kristen Mosley

Kristen is from Jasper, Alabama, and has spent the past eight years working in various public education roles in Texas. She attended Vanderbilt University as an undergraduate after which she joined the 2014 Teach For America Dallas-Fort Worth corps. While living in Dallas, she served as a first grade teacher, reading interventionist, and assistant principal (dean) at Uplift Education and also earned a master’s degree in gifted and talented education at Southern Methodist University. Eager to expand her impact, Kristen moved to Austin and enrolled in a full-time PhD program in educational psychology at UT Austin. While pursuing a PhD at UT Austin, she also earned a master’s degree in quantitative methods, served as an undergraduate instructor, successfully published several manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks, and supported various nonprofits and public sector organizations with data management and program evaluation. Kristen recently defended her dissertation and started as a Planning and Evaluation Coordinator for Austin ISD’s Office of Innovation and Development. On the side, she is also growing her own business, Kristen Mosley Consulting. She is now excited to use her public education background and research and data expertise to help organizations communicate their work and expand their impact through data management and analysis, program evaluations, annual reports and presentations, logic modeling, strategic planning, and grant writing.

Brianna Lozito

Brianna grew up in Loxahatchee, Florida, and graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) with a bachelor’s degree in Criminology and a minor in Leadership and Communication Studies. Upon graduation, she joined Teach for America and taught seventh-grade mathematics at Fred F. Florence Middle School in Dallas, Texas. During her tenure as a TFA Corps Member, Brianna recognized that her students deserved an advocate outside of the classroom as well as an exceptional education within the classroom, and decided to attend law school at American University in Washington, DC. Drawn to the policy and legislative opportunities in DC, Brianna ultimately made the choice to return with clear eyes and a full heart to Texas, this time with a brief stay in Houston where she worked on corporate mergers and acquisitions before finally making her way home to Austin in October of 2020. As an Associate with Jorgeson Pittman LLP, Brianna gets to work directly with children and families involved with Child Protective Services, gets to advocate for individuals going through complex and emotional family law matters, gets to protect families’ future stability through estate planning services, and gets to represent individuals and help navigate the United States immigration system. When she is not in the Courtroom (or on Zoom) she enjoys traveling, reading, trying out breweries around town, and checking out the local dog parks with her five-year-old Shiba Inu, Bailey.

Katie Weinheimer

Katie joined TFA as a New Orleans ’11 corps member where she taught second grade on the West Bank of the city. She moved to Chicago and taught at KIPP Ascend Primary in North Lawndale. After 4 years of teaching first grade, Katie became an Assistant Principal at Ascend. While on the leadership team, she worked closely with teachers and families to improve educational outcomes for KIPP Ascend Primary’s students. In 2019, Katie moved to Austin and joined the leadership team at KIPP Austin Obras. For two years, Katie was an Assistant Principal of Instruction focusing on literacy. After the pandemic and seeing the possibilities for educational technology, Katie joined the team at Screencastify as an Onboarding Specialist, helping districts and teachers use Ed Tech within their classrooms. Katie lives in southwest Austin with her husband, Ryan and daughter, Maeve. She enjoys paddle boarding and visiting Zilker Park with her dogs, Winnie and Riley.

Daniella Gennaro

Dani was born and raised in Miami, FL and graduated from the University of Florida in 2016 with a degree in Women’s Studies and Finance. Upon graduation, she joined Teach For America – Charlotte, NC and taught 7th grade math and started her school’s first Latina empowerment after school program. Following the corps, she continued to teach middle school math for another two years before transitioning to grad school. She moved to Ann Arbor where she recently completed her MBA/Educational Studies dual degree from the University of Michigan (go blue!). Following her two-year grad school, she moved to Austin, TX to pursue a role in corporate strategy at Dell. In her spare time, Dani can be found playing with (and disciplining) her 4-month old English bulldog, scoping out the coffee shop scene in Austin, and watching cleantok videos.

John Manger

John grew up outside Boston and graduated from Syracuse University in 2010. After a quick stint in finance, John joined the Teach For America – Memphis in 2012 where he taught High School math. After his two year commitment John moved to New York City where he taught 8th grade math at Coney Island Prep in Brooklyn. After three years and five total years in the classroom John went to the darkside and started in sales at Dropbox. John has been at Dropbox for five years and currently manages a team focused on customer retention and growth. John met his lovely wife while teaching in Brooklyn and together we moved to Austin 5 years ago. We have an amazing one year old named Emmett who currently takes up most of our free time, but when John gets out he loves to golf, Boston sports and just being outside.

Alexa Higginbotham

Alexa Higginbotham was a ‘13 TFA Corp Member serving the Rio Grande Valley where she taught high school social studies for 6 years. During her time in the RGV, she became deeply involved in advocating for immigrant rights and volunteering for humanitarian aid organizations. After earning a M.S. in Educational Leadership from Johns Hopkins University, in 2019 she accepted a specialist position within the Multilingual Department at Austin Independent School District. Her current work focuses on shaping curriculum, professional development and campus-level resources to ensure emergent bilingual students receive an equitable educational experience that unlocks their highest potential. Alexa is always interested to connect with Alumni who are specialists in multilingual education, and advocates of emergent bilinguals, refugees, and newcomers. Reach out at alexahigginbotham@gmail.com

Alexa Higginbotham

Alexa Higginbotham was a ‘13 TFA Corp Member serving the Rio Grande Valley where she taught high school social studies for 6 years. During her time in the RGV, she became deeply involved in advocating for immigrant rights and volunteering for humanitarian aid organizations. After earning a M.S. in Educational Leadership from Johns Hopkins University, in 2019 she accepted a specialist position within the Multilingual Department at Austin Independent School District. Her current work focuses on shaping curriculum, professional development and campus-level resources to ensure emergent bilingual students receive an equitable educational experience that unlocks their highest potential. Alexa is always interested to connect with Alumni who are specialists in multilingual education, and advocates of emergent bilinguals, refugees, and newcomers. Reach out at alexahigginbotham@gmail.com

Kevin Gonzales

Kevin Gonzales, M.Ed. is the Principal of Uplift Mighty Middle School in Fort Worth, Texas. He received his Master of Education from Southern Methodist University with an emphasis on Urban School Leadership. Kevin and the Mighty team are working to stabilize and bring structure to a historically underperforming campus in a vibrant Southeast Fort Worth community. He has worked in both a large school district in an urban city as well as a charter school in a title one suburban setting. Prior to administration, Kevin taught mathematics ranging from 8th Grade Math to Algebra II with demonstrable growth and strong overall performance on state and district exams.

Shireen Bell

Shireen Bell is in her third year as an Assistant Principal, and in her 6th year overall at KIPP Voyage Academy for Girls. In 2017, Shireen joined the Teach for America Houston corps where she learned that Voyage was going to be her home for at least 2 years. When Shireen’s time in the corps ended, she committed to stay longer at Voyage and played an integral part in ensuring that the school is a place of healing and liberation. She even led the school as interim principal last year while her School Leader was on maternity leave! Shireen currently coaches 5th grade ELA, 7th-8th grade Reading and Writing teachers, as well as 6th-8th grade Social Studies courses, and manages the culture and discipline for 7th and 8th grade.

Gracie Brumsickle

Gracie was born and raised in Washington State. In 2018, she received her undergraduate degree from the University of San Diego & joined Teach For America – Los Angeles. During her time in TFA, she taught 5th/6th grade Special Education at KIPP LA & received a Master of Urban Education (Concentration in Educational Policy & Administration) from Loyola Marymount University. After her time in the corps, she taught TK-4th grade Special Education at a charter school in Santa Ana, California & then worked as a virtual teacher while she road-tripped to over 30 national parks & backpacked through Latin America. She now lives in Austin & teaches Special Education at Dawson Elementary School. She is passionate about educational equity & excited to be a part of a coalition of teachers ready to reimagine education in Austin. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, camping, hiking with her dog, trying new restaurants, & watching live music around the city.

Hannah Miller

Hannah Miller was born and raised in Waco, Texas. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Mathematics, a minor in Business and Public Policy, and completed the UTeach program. After graduation, Hannah joined TFA as a Greater Philadelphia 2020 Corp Member where she taught Algebra 2 in North Philadelphia for two years. During her time in Philadelphia, she received her Masters Degree with Distinction in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Following her time in the Corp, Hannah is returning to her home state to teach Algebra 2 at Del Valle High School in Austin, Texas. In her spare time Hannah enjoys hiking, watching Texas Longhorn football, and going anywhere with live music.

David Mendez

David was born and raised in Dallas, TX. He is the son of immigrant parents who came from Mexico in the late 1980s. Because of his parent’s sacrifice he was able to receive his bachelor’s degree in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas. During David’s undergrad, his summers were spent interning at Walt Disney World and being a camp counselor for kids all over the country. After struggling to figure out what to do post college he realized being in the classroom with kids was his calling. David joined DFW TFA in 2018 and started out teaching 4th grade math in Oakcliff. During his first year of teaching, he was also pursuing a Master’s in Education at Southern Methodist University. For the next 3 years, he served as a kindergarten teacher at Idea Achieve Academy. David just recently married the love of his life on June 17, 2022 and has now relocated back to Austin where he will continue teaching as a Kindergarten teacher at Austin Achieve Elementary school. David is passionate about empowering and mobilizing the youth in low income communities. He believes that the future leaders of our country being in the classroom and that all students should have the same opportunity of a quality education. His goal is to join the movement that will one day shatter educational inequity. You can also catch David running around Zilker park with his golden doodle, Prince Zuko, eating a sausage egg and cheese breakfast taco from Taco Joint or sitting back on his couch watching anime.

Justine Marie Aquino

Justine was born in the Philippines and was raised in Brownsville, Texas. After graduating magna cum laude from Tufts University with a BS in Sociology and Clinical Psychology, she decided to pursue teaching. She joined Teach For America (San Antonio) and taught middle school science and math with IDEA Public Schools. Now in her fourth year of teaching, she is a 6th grade math teacher and mentor teacher at Austin Achieve Public Schools. In her free time, she loves to explore the city, drink boba, binge-watch TV, and travel.

Sofia Cifuentes

Sofia found her passion for education in 2010 by joining Hillary Clinton’s initiative, America Reads, where she began her student teaching in a kindergarten classroom. Sofia continued to develop her education career in adult education in 2011 as a curriculum creator and facilitator for the Refugee of War Adult Literacy Program in Providence, Rhode Island at the International Institute of Rhode Island. Sofia moved to Los Angeles in 2013 as part of the Teach for America corps, worked in Watts and continued her corps member service as a dual language teacher (grades 3-6) for Alum Rock School District in East San Jose, California. She joined the Jose Valdez Mathematics Program at Stanford University during the summers and supported middle and high school students (grades 6-10) in bridging opportunity gaps in STEM. Before joining IDEA, Sofia worked as a founding dual-language teacher at KIPP Austin. Sofia continued her career in the greater Austin Area at IDEA as a teacher, and regional curriculum coach. Her passion for academics and coaching adults and students to their highest potential pushed her to continue her service in education by working as an academic counselor, assistant principal of instruction and currently a principal in residence at the campus level. Sofia earned her bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts in International Relations with a minor in Economics and a master’s degree in Urban Education Policy and Leadership from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Sofia is currently enrolled in the Principal in Residence program through IDEA Austin and is excited to one day be able to launch an IDEA school to fulfill the organization’s vision and mission of 100% college readiness, acceptance and graduation rate.

Jasmine Wightman

Jasmine is originally from Tucson, Arizona, but has lived in the Austin area since 2008. Jasmine attended the University of Arizona for her undergraduate education and wavered between becoming a teacher or becoming a lawyer. After graduation, Jasmine taught first grade in Glendale, Arizona through Teach For America. That experience fostered a life-long mission to improve public education. After TFA, Jasmine moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas School of Law, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Texas Hispanic Law Journal and as a student attorney in the Children’s Rights Clinic. Jasmine has worked for over six years as an attorney at a non-profit that serves school districts across the state of Texas. Jasmine also holds a Masters in Elementary Education and has worked as an elementary school interventionist and as a kindergarten teacher. Jasmine enjoys reading, athletic activities, and going on adventures with her boys and her Australian Shepherds.

Denise Del Aguila

Denise hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She began her professional education career as a 2007 Houston corps member and currently works as the Director of College Success for IDEA Public Schools, overseeing college access strategy in Austin and San Antonio. In her spare time she enjoys hiking with her dog, trying new food trucks and YA novels.

Meghan Jahnke

Daniela Rubio

Daniela grew up in Venezuela and at the age of 16 she moved to Athens, Georgia with her family where she attended high school and later the University of Georgia for her undergrad and masters degrees. Daniela joined TFA after receiving her bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Latin American and Caribbean Studies. After teaching first grade in Atlanta Public Schools as a corps member she realized that having a career in education was the right path for her. Daniela has been working in Texas schools since 2012 and has been at Austin Achieve Public Schools since 2015. She has worked as a teacher, an assistant principal and principal and hopes to continue working in schools to support the creation of more opportunities for excellent education in our community for many years to come. She currently serves as Chief Community Officer for Austin Achieve and is committed to the advancement of the students that live in Austin and surrounding areas and are looking for a way to change the trajectory of their lives and their families through higher education. Daniela currently lives in Northeast Austin with her husband Cris and their children Manuel and Inés.

Amber Orenstein

Amber grew up in the Chicago suburbs and attended undergrad just down the road at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Moving to the city opened Amber’s eyes to Chicago’s systemic inequities and how public policy led to disparate educational outcomes by zip code. Motivated to be a leader for positive change, Amber led the university’s Alternative Spring Break program and upon graduation, joined the TFA Chicago corps, teaching 4th and then 6th grade at Copernicus Elementary school in the city’s south side. After the corps, Amber stayed in the classroom for three more years, teaching middle school math in Chicago and Colorado Springs. In 2013, Amber left the classroom to backfill a position vacated by fellow TFAAA member, Garrett Girouard at the MIND Research Institute. While at MIND, Amber found a new professional passion, Product Management. After leaving MIND, Amber joined Imagine Learning where she led Product teams to evolve a portfolio of award-winning K-8 edtech solutions in language, literacy, and mathematics. Today, Amber is the SVP, Product at BetterLesson where she leads teams of Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers in their work to support every teacher in developing the next generation of resourceful, compassionate, and resilient learners through a combination of in-person, virtual, synchronous, and asycnrhous professional learning opportunities. Amber is always happy to discuss all things edtech, especially over coffee and breakfast tacos.

AntoniA "Toni" White

Toni is a native Texan and lifelong educator whose career started as an elementary teacher through Teach For America. Her teaching experience solidified her commitment to supporting underserved and underprivileged children in attaining an excellent education. Toni currently works as Associate Partner of Programs at Catalyst:Ed, where she supports education leaders in identifying and connecting with experts to meet mission-critical needs. Prior to joining Catalyst:Ed, Toni worked with the Texas Education Agency, Urban Leaders Fellowship, and the Indiana Department of Education. She holds a J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law, a M.Ed. from The University of Texas at Arlington, and a B.S. from The University of Texas at Austin (Hook ‘Em!).

Patiance Villa-Ehrlich

Patiance grew up in the small town named China Spring outside of Waco,Texas. After graduating high school, Patiance attended Oklahoma Baptist University to play softball.While at OBU, Patiance was a double major in Elementary Education (1st-8th grade) and Special Education (pK-12th grade) graduating Cum Laude. After graduating, Patiance moved to Tulsa as a TFA 2013 corps member. In her placement school, Patiance taught special education for students with emotional disturbances for grades pK-6th. Following her placement school she joined staff at Collegiate Hall Charter School as the founding Dean of Student Supports. In 2018, Patiance relocated to Austin, Texas and back to her home state. Since being in Austin she has worked with KIPP Texas as a high school Assistant Principal. As of September 2021, Patiance has accepted a promotion to be the KIPP Texas MTSS Coordinator for the city of Austin. She is currently pursuing her masters in Educational Neuroscience at the University of Texas-Arlington. Patiance currently lives in Southeast Austin with her partner, K, and their fur children Fat Cat, Pinky, Reed, and Sammy.

Andrea Gutierrez

Andrea is originally from the Rio Grande Valley, TX, where she began her career in education as a TFA teacher in the school district where she attended middle and high school. After earning her B.A. at the University of Texas, Andrea worked in McAllen ISD for 9 years where she taught high school social studies, served as an International Baccalaureate Coordinator, and was recognized as the Secondary District Teacher of the Year in 2018. In 2017, Andrea completed a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She is currently the Founding Assistant Principal of Instruction at KIPP Paseo Prep in Austin, TX, where she coaches Humanities teachers. During her free time, Andrea enjoys exploring the city with friends, volunteering in the community, catching up on the latest binge-worthy TV shows, and hanging out with her two cats.

Jennifer Cephus

Jennifer was born in Tulsa, OK and raised in south Florida. Upon graduating cum laude from the University of Florida, she returned to Tulsa in 2014 to join Teach for America where she taught 8th grade science. In 2016, Jennifer moved to Austin to create and launch the elementary music program at KIPP Austin and to further her music career in the live music capital of the world. As a proud big KIPPster, Jennifer has served as Music Course Leader and is currently the Specials Grade Level Chair, working to bring confidence and a love of musical performance to students in the greater Austin area. Jennifer is happy to connect with Austin alumni interested in DEI, entrepreneurship, music or KIPP!

Pamela Bernal

Pamela Bernal was born in Monterrey, Mexico but grew up in the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas. A passion for education was evident early on and she left home to attend college & study math & education in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. While she received a formal education degree there, she wasn’t satisfied nor properly trained in serving marginalized communities, which is where she had a strong desire to serve.
She came across Teach for America and was instantly drawn to their mission. TFA brought her back home as she served in the RGV area in 2015. After her work with TFA she switched to the KIPP charter network in Austin, TX. She has been at KIPP Austin Brave for four years now serving as Geometry and Pre-Calculus teacher and Grade Level Chair.

Stephanie Chisholm

Stephanie Chisholm is a Dean of Instruction at Austin Achieve High School. She coaches seven English and Social Studies teachers, sponsors the school newspaper, and teaches Gender Studies to 12th graders. She taught English III, English IV, and AP Literature for 3 years and before that worked for five years as an elementary and middle school ELAR teacher for both IDEA and Del Valle ISD. Reading and writing are her passions, and she believes wholeheartedly that in those skills lies the power to empathise, advocate, question, reflect, and overcome adversities to achieve individual and community success. She received her B.A. in Literature from Abilene Christian University and worked as an Americorps volunteer and then in nonprofits/social work for almost five years before deciding to pursue teaching certification and a career in education. Ms. Chisholm loves spending time outdoors with her family and her grumpy old hound dog, Winston.

Sofia Papa

Sofia Papa grew up in a bilingual household and moved 7 times (4 different countries) before her family settled in the Metro Atlanta area. She earned her Bachelor’s in Spanish with a minor in Sociology from Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, GA. After graduating, Sofia served as a TFA Corps Member teaching grades 1-2 in Jacksonville, FL. She then spent a year abroad living in Madrid, Spain earning her Master’s in Hispanic Linguistics and Cultural Studies from Middlebury College. Moving back stateside and relocating to Austin in 2019, Sofia became a part of KIPP Austin Comunidad, where she currently serves as a 3rd grade reading teacher. In her spare time, she enjoys going for runs around Town Lake and grabbing a bite from VeraCruz Tacos.

Matthew Ramira Gray (he/him)

Matt Gray was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and graduated from Florida A&M University in 2015. Growing up with a father in the navy meant that he had to move around a lot as a child: he spent time in Virginia, Georgia, California, and North Carolina. When he moved to Austin, Texas in 2016 he began teaching at Austin Achieve Public School. He found a fulfilling role in the classroom as a 9th grade Ethnic Studies teacher where he has been able to effectively teach from the wealth of diverse experiences he gained by living in so many different places and being exposed to so many different cultures. For the last 5 years he has enjoyed teaching Ethnic Studies, and helping to cultivate an environment of diversity and inclusion in his classroom and throughout his school campus. Matt enjoys traveling, cooking, hiking, and spending time with his family and rambunctious pup, Eli!

Mariela Rubio- Mensik

Mariela Rubio – Mensik was born and raised in Manvel, Texas. She graduated from The University of Texas in 2014 with a degree in Government. While in college, Mariela worked with refugee youth, sparking a curiosity in the education system often questioning why support was often unavailable for students in low-income areas. With a hope to fight educational inequity, Mariela joined Teach For America Houston in 2014. In 2016, Mariela completed her graduate degree in Elementary Education from Johns Hopkins University. In 2018, Mariela found her home at Austin Achieve and now serves as the Principal at Austin Achieve Lower Elementary, leading teachers and scholars in PK-3 through 1st grade. Outside of school, Mariela enjoys hiking with her husband and three year old daughter and reading.

Lizeth Barraza (she, her, hers)

Lizeth (Liz) Barraza is originally from Los Angeles, California. She is born to an immigrant single-mother, and is a first generation college-going Mexican-American female. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Following her undergraduate studies, Lizeth joined an employment law firm in the Bay Area with an interest in exploring law. However, her passion for education and social justice led her to join Teach For America, Los Angeles, in 2014. She concurrently earned her Masters in Special Education at Loyola Marymount University. Since her placement in Los Angeles, Lizeth has been a champion for students with Special Education needs. She has worked in two large charter networks as a Resource Teacher and Special Education Lead Coordinator Teacher. Lizeth moved to Austin, Texas in 2018 called by the Austin Teach For America alumni to help diversify the teaching pool in the Austin area. She currently works as a middle school Special Education teacher in the Austin Independent School District.

Julia Sean (she/her/ella)

Julia Sean is a leadership fellow and the 6th grade lead administrator at KIPP Austin Academy of Arts & Letters. She coaches 3 literacy teachers, serves as the campus LPAC coordinator, and works closely with students with behavior needs to identify functions of their behaviors, draft a plan of support, implement the plan, and monitor progress on a regular basis. She’s worked in middle school literacy for six years, and has taught reading intervention and all levels of middle school reading, first for San Antonio ISD, and then KIPP Texas. Mrs. Sean is a 2015 Teach for America- San Antonio alumni, and has a B.A. in English and journalism from Rutgers University, and a Masters in Secondary Education from Johns Hopkins University. In her spare time (ha!), Mrs. Sean enjoys watching her rabbit Barack Obunny run laps around her home, traveling, reading, and playing hostess to the endless cast of family and friends that come to visit.

John Hipp

John Hipp is proud to serve as the Founding Principal of KIPP Paseo Preparatory. Prior to this role, Mr. Hipp served as an Assistant Principal at KIPP Austin Collegiate, where he coached math, PE, and KIPP Through College teachers for four years. Mr. Hipp also spent seven years teaching math and college readiness electives, and served as grade level chair at both KIPP Austin Collegiate and KIPP Denver Collegiate in Colorado. During his time at KIPP, he has led school-wide efforts to grow and improve academic progress monitoring, data analysis, hiring, AP for All, and operations. He received his B.S. in Corporate Communication with a minor in Business from The University of Texas at Austin and a M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston. Outside of school, Mr. Hipp enjoys Peloton fitness, playing competitive tennis, traveling, and spending time with his family and friends.

Dong Hyun (Don) Kim

Don Kim currently works at KIPP Austin Brave as the Special Education Department Chair and as support for Algebra 1. Previously, he worked for Summit Public Schools in Redwood City, CA, as a member of the TFA Bay Area (17) and completed his M.A. in Special Education from Loyola Marymount University.

Janna McIntyre

Janna McIntyre (she/her) is a second grade teacher and grade level team lead at KIPP Austin Obras. Ms. McIntyre was born in New Orleans and did her undergraduate degree at UNC-Asheville, where she studied Sociology and Gender studies. Soon after, she moved to Milwaukee, WI to be a Teach for America (TFA) Corps Member and get her masters degree from Alverno College. Ms. McIntyre moved to Austin, TX in the summer of 2018 where she currently lives. In her free time, Ms. McIntyre enjoys hiking and camping with her dog, Gumbo, and reading books in her backyard.

Hannah Ferris

Miss Hannah Ferris is currently serving students and teachers as an ILT-lead teacher at the Deneen School of Excellence on the South Side of Chicago. Prior to joining the Academy for Urban School Leadership’s (AUSL) Teacher Development Cohort in 2018, Ms. Ferris was a Teach for America (TFA) Corps Member in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Ms. Ferris has taught 7th and 8th grade Reading, Writing and Social Studies. Her favorite subject to teach is Social Studies, having studied Political Science (BA) at Flagler College and Social Policy (MSc) at the London School of Economics. Ms. Ferris also works as a consultant for Thinking Core, a company that develops rigorous, standards-based English instruction for school districts nationwide. As her two-year commitment to AUSL in Chicago comes to an end, she hopes to return to Texas for the 2021-2022 school year. In her free time, Ms. Ferris enjoys traveling, going to White Sox games, and reading by the lake.

Danielle Hill

Danielle Hill was born and raised in Austin, TX. She has a B.A in Business Administration with a Minor in Management from University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and a M.A in Counseling. She began her education career as an Interim Mental Health High School Counselor and later transitioned into a TX 21st Site Elementary Coordinator for Elgin ISD. Danielle currently works for Austin Achieve High School where she serves as a 10th grade Environmental Science teacher, Mentor Teacher and Safety and Security Committee participant. In her free time, Danielle enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with her partner, family and dog London.

Daniela Rubio

Daniela grew up in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to Athens, Georgia as a teenager when her father got a job at the University of Georgia. Daniela attended the University of Georgia for undergrad and graduate school and obtained a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and later a Masters of Education in Educational Policy and Administration. Daniela started her career in education as a 2008 TFA Corps Member in Atlanta and continued to teach in Texas for different charter schools before becoming an Assistant Principal and later a school Principal at Austin Achieve Public Schools. Daniela currently serves as the Chief Achievement Officer at Austin Achieve and works to connect the school to community organizations and donors to help carry the mission of providing a college-ready education to the youth of East Austin. Daniela is married to Cris, who is a principal at IDEA Public Schools and together they have two children, Manuel and Inés, who keep them busy. The Rubios love Austin and believe in access to opportunities and an excellent education for all so they hope to continue to work and serve here for many years to come.

Ciro Guerra III

Mr. Guerra earned his Bachelors of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He continued his post graduate studies and earned his Master of Business Management degree from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2015, Mr. Guerra attended Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas and earned his Teacher’s Certification through the Teach For America program. Mr. Guerra has taught all core contents in 5th through 8th grades. He is currently with Austin Achieve Middle School as a 5th grade Math teacher.

Candida Ayala

Candida was born in Los Angeles, CA. She graduated from Otis College of Art and Design with a BFA and also MFA. At first, Candida wanted to pursue teaching Art but decided that she wanted to teach elementary students. In 2009 she moved to South Korea and worked for the public schools as an English Teacher. During that time she worked in many different cities in Korea and had an amazing experience professionally but personally as well. After being in Korea for 5 years, she came back and applied for work at Kipp Texas and was offered a position in Kipp Austin Obras where she has been for almost 4 years. She is currently teaching 3rd graders. Candida enjoys running, drawing and visiting her sister in San Francisco during her time off.

Bethany Wiersma

Bethany grew up in west Michigan and graduated from Valparaiso University with a B.A. in English and Spanish and a minor in Music. Upon graduation, she joined Teach for America and taught 9th grade English at IDEA Frontier in Brownsville, Texas. During her time in the Rio Grande Valley, Bethany was the Summer Coordinator for incoming TFA corps members and served as a member of the regional Alumni Board. Bethany currently teaches 5th grade ELA at IDEA Bluff Springs and supports teachers throughout IDEA Austin as a district Course Leader. She is passionate about building joyful classrooms where all students are supported and challenged, creating systems that empower students to be the drivers of their own learning, and fostering empathy through sharing one another’s stories. Bethany enjoys hiking, writing, reading, and daydreaming about traveling again someday.

Adam Stanford

Adam was born in Ripley, Mississippi and graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2013. He began his career in elementary education as a Teach for America corps member in Brooklyn, New York City. Adam received his Masters in Teaching from the Relay Graduate School of Education in 2015. He taught at his TFA placement school, Success Academy Williamsburg, for 5 years before moving to Austin where he became a founding teacher at Austin Achieve Elementary School. Adam transitioned out of the classroom in 2019 into an instructional coach role, Dean of Math and Science Instruction. Adam enjoys playing board games, running, and is excited to begin cycling as a new hobby.

Meagan Clayton

Meagan was born and raised in southeast Texas and graduated with her bachelor degree from Lamar University in 2011. After graduation, Meagan worked at a credit union and found herself wanting to be a part of something more impactful so she earned her alternative teaching certification. After getting certified she started her teaching career at IDEA Public Schools. It was there that she heard about Teach for America which led her to be a part of TFA Bay Area. She was placed in San Jose as a kindergarten teacher in 2016. After having her daughter in 2018, finishing up the corps experience, and completing her masters, she relocated back to Austin to be near family. She is now working as a recruiter at a real estate tech company called Orchard. She focuses her recruiting efforts on finding diverse candidates and making sure all interview processes are consistent and fair. Meagan can be found on the trails hiking with her daughter, running around the lake, or having breakfast tacos and coffee.

Monica Zdrojewski

Monica Zdrojewski started out her career as a 4th grade teacher in Dallas-Fort Worth through Teach for America. As an educator, she realized the impact policies had on her work in the classroom, and became involved with local education policy organizations. She subsequently pursued her Masters in Education Policy and Management at Harvard, during which time she interned with the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. She has experience in Texas at the district and state education levels, having served as the Assistant Director of Urban Teachers, an educator preparation program, and as a program manager in the Division of System Support and Innovation at the Texas Education Agency. Monica currently works with Moak, Casey and Associates, an Austin-based education consulting firm that provides research and planning services for school districts, focused on the financial operation and management of the public school education system.

Ashley Dobravolsky

Ashley grew up in Cedar Park, TX. She has the pleasure of being the K-12 Math Instruction Coordinator at Manor ISD, where she loves to geek out about math content with her teachers and leaders! Prior to working at Manor ISD, Ashley spent over eight years at KIPP Texas Public Schools as a teacher, curriculum writer, and most recently as the director of the K-12 math and science program in Austin. As part of the 2010 Colorado corps, she taught in Denver Public Schools and earned her MA in Curriculum & Instruction from CU Denver. Ashley is happy to connect with Austin alumni interested in instructional leadership, curriculum, or math! You can email her at ashleydobravolsky@gmail.com.

Newsletter Sign Up

Sara Beth (SB) Ribot

SB hails from Cartersville, GA and graduated from The University of Georgia (dawgs forever) with a double Bachelors in Biology and Psychology. Upon graduation, she drove to Dallas to do the corps and has been in Texas ever since. She taught Physics and AP Physics at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in South Oak Cliff and went on to be an MTLD for two years in the same region. Knowing that she wanted to make an impact outside of the nonprofit world, she relocated to Austin and started a diversity recruiting job at Google. There, she was able to increase the diversity of the intern class of software engineers by over 400%. She’s now moved on to recruiting at Facebook, where she remains passionate about making sure diversity, equity, and inclusion are embedded in the process. Outside of work, you can find her in nature, in the kitchen, or attempting to make people laugh.

Phillip Bedford

Phillip was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2014 with a degree in International Studies and Economics. Upon graduation, he joined Teach For America – Oklahoma City and taught 10th grade Biology and AP Environmental Science and coached varsity soccer. Following the corps, he moved to Vietnam and taught English and backpacked across Southeast Asia for six months. He returned to the United States in 2017 and soon after moved to Austin to teach 7th grade science at KIPP College Prep. A year later, he transitioned out of the classroom and now works as a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones, helping individuals and families work toward financial independence. In his spare time, Phillip can be found laying in a hammock at Zilker reading, running the trails around Lady Bird Lake, eating something delicious, or playing board games with friends. Phillip is happy to connect with alumni in Austin (or around the country) interested in personal finance, college/retirement planning, or investing. You can email him at pbedford91@gmail.com or call 918-606-9391.

Madison Schmakel Mattise

Madison is a proud Oklahoma City native from the Putnam City Public Schools system. She attended Syracuse University in upstate New York where she received a Bachelor of Science in Magazine Journalism. Following graduation, Madison moved back to Oklahoma to teach pre-Kindergarten in Tulsa Public Schools. After completing the corps, Madison moved to New Orleans where she taught first grade and pre-Kindergarten for KIPP: New Orleans and FirstLine Schools. She completed her Master of Science in Educational Studies with a focus on Early Childhood Education from Johns Hopkins University in 2016. She accepted a position as Principal at Magnolia Montessori For All in Austin in late 2016 where she worked for four years. She recently moved into the role Director of Pre-K Partnerships at United Way for Greater Austin. She lives in the east side of Austin with her young daughter, husband, and shih tzu Ernie Davis. Madison is happy to connect with Austin alumni about ECE, 1882 Partnerships, and efforts to eradicate poverty in our community. You can email her at madisonschmakel@gmail.com.

Coyote Shook

Coyote grew up in Metro Atlanta where they were raised by two public school teachers. They graduated in 2012 from Mercer University with degrees in English Literature and Gender Studies. Weeks after graduation, they were relocating to join the 2012 Teach for America corps in New York City, where they taught 9-12 English in the Bronx and served as humanities department chair their second year. While doing the corps, they earned an MS in English Education from Fordham University. After completing the corps, they did a Fulbright in Poland for a year, returned to the US for a third year as a 9-12 English teacher at a ESL school in Metro DC, completed an MA in Gender Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison before joining the Nashville-Chattanooga TFA regional team in 2018. They relocated to Austin last fall to pursue a PhD in American Studies from the University of Texas, Austin where they research intersections of disability history and agriculture science in the US.. They serve on the Teach for America National Prism Board, are part of the Austin Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights, and work as an Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Harry Ransom Center. A dedicated advocate for food justice and eco-schools, they’re involved in several community initiatives to teach gardening and Texas-sourced cooking and foodways in public schools and have won blue ribbons in cooking from the State Fair of Texas.

Caitie Chavez

Caitie was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado where she grew up through public bilingual education. After graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in Spanish and International Studies, she moved to New Haven, Connecticut to join Teach for America. During her two years in New Haven, Caitie taught fourth grade dual language education. Having always had a passion for language learning and teaching, she valued her time with her students but wanted to learn more about how to effectively teach bilingual education. This curiosity led her to the University of Texas at Austin where she completed her master’s degree in Bilingual and Bicultural Education within the Curriculum and Instruction department. Caitie remains a Title 1 public school teacher in Austin ISD, continuing her passion for teaching and language. Caitie is happy to connect with Austin alumni interested in bilingual education, UT Master programs, east side schools, and/ or title 1 education! You can email her at caitie.chavez@gmail.com .

Alexander Clark

Alex attended Sherman High School and Austin College (go ‘Roos!) in Sherman, Texas. He and his wife Katie joined Teach For America in San Antonio in 2012. Alex taught third grade and Katie taught special education to students with multiple impairments (she still teaches this population at the Texas School for the Blind). After completing his corps commitment, Alex enlisted in the Air Force, where he was a reserve intelligence analyst at Lackland AFB. Alex graduated with honors from The University of Texas School of Law in 2019 and finished his Air Force career in May. He is currently in his second year as a law clerk to the Honorable Lee Yeakel of the Western District of Texas, Austin Division. Outside of work, Alex mentors veterans through the law school application process as a Service to School law ambassador.

Nicole Seltman

Nicole was born and raised in New York. After receiving her undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University, she decided to join Teach for America – New Mexico in 2006. She taught for two years on the Navajo Nation, and then continued to work with Teach for America as a Program Director for two years. After supporting elementary teachers in the New Mexico region, Nicole made her way to KIPP Austin in 2010. In 2013, Nicole founded KIPP Austin Leadership Elementary (KALE), a K-4 college-prep charter school serving students in central and east Austin. Nicole is currently the Assistant Director of School Improvement at Texas Education Agency working to improve the performance of low-performing schools across the state of Texas. Nicole is happy to connect with Austin alumni interested in instructional leadership, school improvement, or TEA! You can email her at nicole.seltman@gmail.com

Kaylin Balley

Kaylin grew up in the great city of Austin, Texas. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A. in Anthropology and Spanish and holds a Masters of Education from Johns Hopkins University. She pursued a career in education through TFA and was a member of the 2015 San Antonio corps. During her time in the corps she taught fifth and first grade, coached middle school soccer, and worked as a School Operations Manager at the Atlanta Institute. In 2017, Kaylin found her way back to Austin and is currently a member of the KIPP Team & Family as a 4th grade teacher at KIPP Austin Comunidad. Kaylin is happy to connect with Austin alumni interested in elementary teaching, KIPP, the TFA- Johns Hopkins Masters of Education Program, fun places to eat around Austin, or new running trails! You can email her at kaylinrballey@gmail.com.

Jessica McLoughlin

Jessica McLoughlin was raised in Dallas, TX. She graduated from Boston College with her Bachelor of Arts in History and The University of Texas at Arlington where she holds a Masters in Education; Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. She was a part of the 2009 Houston Corps, where she taught Prekindergarten in a Head Start setting. Jessica is currently a Director with the Texas Education Agency working to recruit, support, and retain effective educators throughout the state. Before moving to Austin, Jessica served as an Assistant Principal in Houston ISD and as a School Director for the Houston Institute. Jessica is happy to connect with Austin alumni interested in school leadership, educator preparation and certification in Texas, and the work of the Texas Education Agency, including opportunities within the Agency! You can email her at mcloughlin.jessica1@gmail.com.

Hannah LaPorte

Hannah grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico and then moved to Albuquerque for college. She then graduated from the University of New Mexico with her degree in Political Science and Anthropology in 2014. After graduation, she moved to Austin, Texas and interned with IDEA Public Schools on their Human Asset team. This experience inspired her to enter the classroom and she joined the 2016 TFA Phoenix Corps to teach 1st grade in South Phoenix. During this time she had the opportunity of receiving her Master’s in Education at Arizona State University and serve as the School Operations Manager for TFA Phoenix Institute in 2017 and 2018. Hannah decided to move back to Austin to be closer to her family and returned to IDEA Public Schools as a Talent Partner/Recruiter for the Austin region. Here she hopes to continue to grow her roots in Austin and find transformational teachers and leaders that are ready to make change in the classroom.

Garrett Girouard

Garrett graduated in 2007 from Penn State University (We Are!) with degrees in History and Criminal Justice and took a staff role with the TFA-New York City regional team. After interacting with teachers in the office almost every day, he decided to join the 2009 Colorado corps where he taught 2nd grade at Fairview Elementary in Denver Public Schools. He fell in love with the mission of the MIND Research Institute 9 years ago and left the classroom to help ensure that all students are mathematically equipped to solve the world’s most challenging problems. He loves ST Math, the San Antonio Spurs, tacos, Penn State football, Library Night, the Austin Film Festival, and spending quality time outside with his fiance Mary, his dachshund (Dusty), and his baby Jack. Reach out any time if you want to talk about college football/ed tech/dad stuff (or anything else!)

Annie Matheis

Annie hails from Kansas City. She graduated from the University of Kansas with her Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Bachelor of Arts in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Throughout her time at KU, Annie was passionate about pursuing social justice and equity, and she thus joined Teach For America. As a corps member in Dallas, TX, Annie taught 7th grade science. While teaching, Annie earned her masters in STEM education from SMU and realized a desire to recruit more leaders into this impactful movement. She is now based out of Austin and works for Teach For America as a Director of National Recruitment, supporting recruitment efforts across the country. Annie is happy to connect with Austin alumni interested in learning more about TFA recruitment, the current happenings at TFA, and alumni who just want to chat about pop culture, dogs, and equity work! You can email her at annie.matheis@teachforamerica.org.

Annemarie Donnelly

Annemarie is originally from El Paso, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English. From early on, Annemarie was passionate about social justice and finding equitable policies and laws for all children and thus joined Teach for America as a Corps Member in Phoenix, Arizona as a 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts teacher. After being inspired by the families she worked with in Phoenix, Annemarie moved back to Texas to work on a very small and unknown Senate campaign (ever heard of a guy named Beto?). Now, Annemarie continues to advocate for students and families across Texas with IDEA Public Schools as their Assistant Director of Advocacy.

Reece Hartle

Reece grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and is the Middle School Principal of Austin Achieve. Reece was inspired to begin a teaching career after becoming a 2010 Teach For America corps member in Miami-Dade, Florida, where he taught 10th and 12th-grade literature studies and led a basketball program. After Miami, he taught reading to middle school students in Harlem, New York. Reece loves leading a school that is committed to developing the “whole-child” and meeting the social and emotional needs of its scholars in addition to providing rigorous content.

Kristina Kern

Kristina was born and raised in the Dallas area. She graduated with her Bachelors in Business Administration from Texas A&M University and her Masters in Educational Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. After living in Dallas, College Station, and Austin, she continued her tour of Texas by moving to Houston to teach fifth grade as a member of the 2014 corps. She is currently an elementary school counselor for Austin ISD.

John Armbrust

John is originally from Austin, TX. After earning an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Duke University, he found his way into education as a Teach For America corps member (Atlanta ’04). He currently serves as the Founder and CEO of Austin Achieve Public Schools, a high-performing charter school with the mission to prepare its students to attend and compete at our nation’s top colleges and universities. Before founding Austin Achieve, John served as Director for Teacher Effectiveness for a charter network in South-Central Los Angeles.

Deniann Grant

Deniann was born and raised in Antigua. When she was in middle school, her family moved to St. Petersburg, FL. She graduated from the University of Florida and was part of the 2014 Connecticut Corps in Bridgeport, CT where she taught 1st grade. After completing her second year in the classroom, she spent two years on TFA staff in Miami-Dade as an MTLD and as part of the founding Miami-Dade Institute team. Deniann is currently an Assistant Principal of Instruction at KIPP Austin Leadership Elementary School. She enjoys working alongside other educators who are passionate about dismantling systemic racism and injustice in schools.

Christine Nishimura

Bacon ipsum dolor amet andouille jowl kevin swine boudin buffalo. Kevin jowl tri-tip biltong, hamburger sirloin chislic turducken. Jowl biltong chislic, meatloaf ground round sausage rump ham shoulder tongue hamburger. Tongue short ribs brisket pancetta kielbasa cupim bresaola swine ham hock. Salami bresaola porchetta landjaeger, rump kevin sirloin. Fatback ham hock shankle pancetta, turkey swine kielbasa shoulder alcatra doner prosciutto pork chop jowl. Pork pancetta filet mignon shankle sausage, biltong kielbasa pork belly tongue landjaeger.

Get to Know Austin

Welcome to Austin

Resource Guide

Update Your Contact Info

Sign up for access to the TFA Alumni Directory and update your communication preferences.