Current Students

B.A. English and American Literature, New York University, NY

M.A. Urban Education Policy, Brown University, Providence, RI

Mycaeri Atkinson is a PhD student and Postsecondary Applied Research Fellow studying Education Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Mycaeri was a policy fellow at Research for Action (RFA), where she researched postsecondary education finance and access. At RFA, Atkinson conducted studies on promise programs, racial equity, community college, immigration policy, student success funding, and emergency funding.

Previously, Atkinson was a research analyst and writer for the Virginia Department of Health and a third-grade teacher in the Teach For America Greater New Orleans Corps. She received a BA from New York University and an MA from Brown University’s Urban Education Policy program. At Brown, Mycaeri assisted with community democracy research with an emphasis on racial equity, intersectionality, and imbalances in deliberation.

B.A. in Psychology and History from the University of Pennsylvania 

M.PA. from the Wagner School at New York University.

Melissa Herman is a Ph.D. student in Education Policy focused on college access, transition, and retention for New York City public school students. She received a Postsecondary Education Applied Research (PEAR) Fellowship from Teachers College and is currently working in a research apprenticeship at the Community College Research Center. 

A native Brooklynite and graduate of New York City public schools, Melissa entered the education space to improve college access and address equity issues facing New York City public school students. She began her education career at PENCIL, overseeing a team of partnership managers and developing the organization’s college and career readiness programming. During her tenure at PENCIL, she worked extensively within the New York City public school system on strategic partnership development, as well as college readiness and project-based learning programming for students.

Most recently, Melissa was the director of Graduate NYC, a college access and completion initiative housed at the City University of New York. In this role, she led Graduate NYC’s flagship project, the College Completion Innovation Fund, a collaborative fund supporting innovation in college persistence and higher education, and worked on mixed-methods research projects about post-secondary education in New York City. 

A.B. in Government, from Dartmouth College, NH

M.S.T. in Secondary Mathematics, from Pace University, NY 

Steven Koutsavlis is a Ph.D. Candidate Education Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University and a Research Associate at Columbia’s National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education. Steven is a National Board Certified Teacher in Adolescent Mathematics and a NYC Teaching Fellow. Steven has taught secondary mathematics at the New Voices School of Academic and Creative Arts for over eleven years, where he has served as a grade team leader and professional development coordinator. He is a graduate of Coro NY’s Education Leadership Collaborative, which brings together teachers and administrators from across district and charter schools to develop best practices in the field. He has attended the Park City Mathematics Institute, run by the Institute for Advanced Study, where he worked with hundreds of K-12 math educators, administrators, and university researchers on exploring teaching methodologies. Steven has worked for The New Teacher Project in advising and developing new educators, has participated in multiple conferences run by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and has led training programs through the Math in the City Program at the City College of New York. Steven is keenly interested in community and policy issues, having served as a field director for a state political campaign and having helped launch the NYC Academy for Discovery as a new school founding member.

Steven was born and raised in New York City, attended public school for most of his formative years, and is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School.

B.A. in History with Honors, Scripps College 2016

M.A. in Education Policy, Teachers College, Columbia University 2022

As an undergraduate, Sierra majored in history, focusing on race, class, and gender politics in the United States. She won two awards for her senior thesis on the parallels of media narratives of 20^th century lynchings and 21^st century police executions and published an abridged version in the Critical Theory and Social Justice Journal of Undergraduate Research.

Since graduating in 2016, Sierra has worked at WestEd, an education research non-profit. She contributes to all aspects of research projects including proposal submission, participant recruitment, content and instrument development, data and participant management, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and dissemination. While very rewarding, Sierra was eager to engage in more policy- and equity-focused research.

At Teachers College, she plans to specialize in critical K-12 education policy and is interested in exploring the way policies such as zoning, school choice, tracking, or disciplinary protocols shape and constrain opportunities for low-income students and students of color.

Until in-person instruction is available, Sierra will continue to work part-time at WestEd while taking courses part-time.

Linda Moftah is a Ph.D. candidate in Education Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is also a Research Assistant at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), a researcher at The Public Good at Teachers College, and a consultant and former special educator in the New York City Department of Education.

Her research focuses on the relationship between policy and discourse, including the sociolinguistic and discursive conditions that reify inequitable power structures in education. This extends to the role of institutional and community power in framing conversations about school access, as well as in arbitrating education policy debates more broadly. Linda is also interested in issues surrounding gifted education, disability studies, and the extent to which these epistemologies are rooted in racialized constructions of ability, merit, and intelligence. Her current study examines the underrepresentation of racially minoritized students in elite educational spaces and employs critical methods to consider the equity implications of standardized testing and selective admissions in the NYCDOE.

As a product of New York City public schooling, Linda is deeply invested in the experiences and outcomes of students in the DOE, a system she subsequently rejoined as an educator. Before attending Teachers College, Linda earned a B.A. in English and American Studies from Barnard College, Columbia University, and an M.S.T. in Special Education from Fordham University.

B.S. Health Education, University of Florida

MPP Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California Berkeley

Taylor Myers is a second year Ph.D. student in Education Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research is focused on higher education policy, including equity and diversity in student access and success, state and institutional planning and organization of higher education systems, and the impacts of postsecondary credentials on social and economic mobility. 

Taylor's career has spanned the non-profit educational ecosystem, from data analysis and program evaluation to policy development and advocacy. She developed a keen interest in higher education after interning at the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of Postsecondary Education. This period codified what she had experienced in her own journey as a first generation college graduate and inspired her to use public policy to advocate for increased access and stronger institutional support for all college students. Taylor has since worked for the University of California Office of the President, California Competes, a higher education policy and research think tank, and presently conducts research at the Community College Research Center at TC and at the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis for the City University of New York. 

With policy and research experience at both the institutional and state level, Taylor understands the complicated landscapes and siloes in which policy meets practice. She hopes her research will help improve and inform policy design that reflects the needs of a dynamic higher education system and the diverse students it serves, leading to more equitable and stronger outcomes for all postsecondary learners. 

A.B. Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

M.Ed. Instructional Practice, Lipscomb University

Rebecca Shmoys is a Ph.D. student in Education Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Research Assistant at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE). Her research interests include examining how policies and practices intended to address inequity, both in the K-12 setting and postsecondary transition, impact student outcomes, with a particular interest in intentionally diverse schools and school choice.

Prior to TC, Rebecca worked as an Assistant Principal at Valor Collegiate Academies. She previously taught middle school math and algebra in Nashville, Tennessee. She has also served as a Federal Analyst at Deloitte Consulting.

B.A. in Economics, Hunter College, City University of New York, 2016

M.S. in Education, Long Island University-Brooklyn, 2019

As native New Yorker and product of the public education system, Sarah decided to give back to her community and public schools by serving in one as a special education teacher. Witnessing the clear segregation between general education students and students with disabilities while being a student herself, Sarah wanted to work close with these marginalized groups and help instill self-advocacy skills in her students. Serving in her school’s Restorative Justice Team, Student Council, School Leadership Team, as well as promoting cultural pride in her school, Sarah wishes to establish social and educational equity. By furthering her education in research methods and policy analysis at Teachers College, Columbia University, Sarah’s main goal is to serve as a voice for marginalized groups in public schools in the hopes that they will be better served. 

Her academic career is focused on culturally responsive approaches to a student empowerment model in schools, and the ways that these two concepts intersect. Not only does she want to illuminate the overwhelming dearth of research on this point, both with quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods, but she aims to use this research to rally funding for anti-racist student centering models, projects, and consulting across the country."

B.S in Psychology, minor in Family Studies from Boise State University 2015

M.S in Child and Family Studies from University of Tennessee, Knoxville 2017  

Ericka was born and raised in Los Angeles, California; where her passion to support the education and care of children, their families, and broader community began. While earning her degrees, she worked as an Early Childhood Educator, Researcher, Mentor, and Liaison in many Early Childhood Education settings (ie. early childhood education (ECE) programs, K-12 schools, non-profit organizations, university institutions, and a state agency). She believes in supporting children holistically, which often includes partnering with their families, peers, and other community members. 

As a Masters student in Education Policy at Teachers College, Ericka hopes to deepen her understanding of ECE and the disconnect between policy and practice, especially among underserved communities. She is committed to supporting and advocating for initiatives that provide high quality education and care for all children. Her life long goal is to be apart of US and international tables collaborating to improve child development and family services worldwide. 

B.S. in Literacy, Learning, and Leadership – University of Arizona, 2014

M.S.Ed in Educational Leadership – Indiana University Bloomington, 2017

Certificate in Education Law – Indiana University Bloomington, 2017  

Lorenzo Johnson, Jr is a first-year M.A. student in the Education Policy program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Since 2017, Lorenzo has had the privilege of serving as an elementary mathematics teacher in New Orleans. During his time in the classroom, Lorenzo's mission was the creation of a solid classroom culture to facilitate the growth and holistic development of each scholar. Lorenzo implemented various initiatives to improve classroom culture including practicing daily mindfulness, encouraging student self-advocacy, and providing representation from varied identities and careers that paralleled the diverse communities in which he served. Lorenzo wholeheartedly believes that the dedication and confidence he encouraged correlated to scholars scoring 15-20% higher on end-of-unit assessments amidst a pandemic. Lorenzo has been nominated for the ‘Think Like A Champion’ award for the past two years within the KNOS Network for his curiosity and desire to continue to evolve as an educator.

Lorenzo’s primary goal in obtaining an M.A. in Education Policy at Teachers College is to reshape the very policies that have impacted the educational system using his professional and personal experiences. Not only is he passionate about each student’s academic achievement, but he is also even more motivated by the journey that comes from self-actualization. Lorenzo is interested in each student’s access to educational opportunities both within and outside of the classroom, the viewpoints of education for black boys, better schooling practices for marginalized students, increased compensation packages for educators, and ways to maximize student advocacy in schools. Lorenzo plans to use his mantra of being unstoppable as the foundation to venturing into policymaking and ultimately becoming a transformative educational leader.

B.A. in Politics, New York University 2019

Andres Rubiano is a second-year M.A. student at Teachers College in the Education Policy Program with a specialization in Data Analysis and Research Methods.

Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Andres’s parents moved to Tampa, Florida when he was a little over two years old in pursuit of better opportunities. The role of public education in Andres’s development paired with the reality of how it had failed too many of his peers compelled him to pursue the work toward educational equity for all. Andres’s undergraduate experience consisted of work  with justice-involved youth through Esperanza NY, food insecurity through Hunger Free America, and working toward closing the achievement gap at Jumpstart. Andres spent the first two years out of college at an organization that partners with low-income schools to help narrow the achievement gap. As a Partnerships Manager, Andres crafted and oversaw high-dosage tutoring programming at over 40 partner schools designed to provide individualized support for students. In 2020, Andres led the inaugural partnership with United Community Schools, the largest community school network in New York City operated by the United Federation of Teachers. As a Field Lead Organizer for Congresswoman’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez re-election campaign in 2022, Andres oversaw the signature petitioning push to get the Congresswoman and Queens based state representatives back on the ballot. Presently, Andres is a Supervising Associate at EY-Parthenon.

At Teachers College, Andres hopes to build on his passion of enhancing the role of the school building to provide a more comprehensive and quality formative experience for students. In particular, his interests include fiscal equity in education, the role of community schools, and policy implementation. Most importantly, Andres looks forward to continuing to learn from his peers and their diverse, impactful roles in the field of education.

B.A. in Political Science from Union College 2011

M.A. in Leadership in Teaching Special Education from Notre Dame of Maryland University 2013

My name is Georgia Swan-Ambrose. I am a special education teacher, special education coordinator, a child protective services' literacy tutor, and the co-founder of the organization Black Girl Tutors LLC. I am currently pursuing a Master of Education Degree in Education Policy at Columbia University's Teachers College with a specialization in K-12 education policy.  I am dually certified in New York and Maryland for Teaching Students with Disabilities at the Childhood Level, Grade 1-6. I have spent the past ten years working in low-income schools in both Maryland and New York. I am passionate about being an instrument of positive change in my community. I believe that educating our youth is at the foundation of building that community. For the past decade, I have had the opportunity to impact hundreds of students. Even with the challenges presented by COVID-19 and remote demands in place, I have continued to teach my special needs students in Brownville and have tutored children in Brooklyn's foster care system. Through Black Girl Tutors LLC, I have also worked with students nationwide. Upon completing my master's degree, I plan to create an educational non-profit organization focused on bringing culturally responsive and equitable programs to urban public and charter schools. I also desire to develop and execute programs in schools while promoting public policy issues of importance to marginalized students. This meaningful work is a part of my purpose.