Meet Our Team

Born and raised in Queens, NY, Denise Boneta joins Teachers College as the Director of Graduate Student Life and Development. Denise is a facilitator and student affairs practitioner with experience in social justice education, orientation, commuter affairs, and leadership development. With a focus on infusing social justice principles into advising and programming, Denise strives to bring intentional reflection and dialogue into co-curricular spaces. Prior to Teachers College, Denise has worked at Hofstra University, Barnard College, New York University, and UMass Amherst. Denise holds an M.Ed in Social Justice Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a B.S. in Childhood/Special Education from New York University.

Denise currently serves as the New York Metro Representative on the NASPA Region 2 Board. In her spare time, Denise enjoys visiting the Catskills, frequenting a Broadway show, and spending time with friends and family. 

Alana Crosby has been an Assistant Director in Graduate Student Life and Development since 2018. Alana holds an M.A. in Higher Education & Student Affairs from New York University. Before starting at TC, Alana had full-time positions and internships in student affairs at various schools within NYU as well as the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Baruch College. Alana grew up in Reno, Nevada, and studied psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 

Some of Alana's favorite parts about working at Teachers College are facilitating co-curricular conversations with students about social & racial justice and recognizing student achievements & development at the annual Provost's Student Excellence Awards.

Alana enjoys people-watching in Washington Square Park with her friends, reading fantasy novels, and eating the fluffiest croissants from the Hungarian Pastry Shop near TC's campus.

Primary areas of focus: 

• Community Programming 
• Student Life Ambassadors
• Identity-Based & Social Student Organizations

Meredith Schuman has an MFA in Creative Writing from Brooklyn College, where she studied Poetry with Allen Ginsberg and Lou Asekoff. Her work has been published in several small literary journals including Mudfish and B City.  She has a BA in Theater from Binghamton University and spent a semester at The Imperial College of London. She was an English Instructor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering for many years and served as Graduate ESL Program Director. Her experience includes teaching literature, expository and creative writing, and public speaking in various schools and centers, with a focus on adult ESL populations.  She is an avid photographer, enthusiastic theater-goer, BBC binger, and obsessive knitter.

Primary areas of focus: 

• Peer Consultations
• Reading/Writing Workshops
• Writing Retreats

Emma (she/her) is a masters student in the School Psychology program. She received her undergraduate degree from Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, where she studied Psychology, with minors in Criminal Justice and Spanish. She worked as a Writing Tutor and a Peer Mentor at Roger Williams University. Emma coached a community volleyball team and played intramural volleyball as an undergraduate. She is a big concert-goer, enjoys reading Fantasy and some Romance, spending time with family and friends and traveling. Her favorite trip was to Iceland last summer!

Joel (he/him) is studying for an EdM in Language Use through the Applied Linguistics program at Teachers College. Most recently he was working as a full-time proofreader for the past six years, specializing in technical language. He has earned a BA from New York University in Linguistics, with minors in Music and Creative Writing, and an MA in Linguistics from the University of Hong Kong, writing a dissertation to document an endangered dialect of Cantonese. Overall he has lived overseas for 2 ½ years. Joel is fascinated in looking at language as a social construct, and recognizes the need to approach even age old questions with modern best practices. For fun, Joel plays video games, explores coffee shops around the city, and sings. His areas of specialization include technical aspects of writing like grammar and structure, writing for the social sciences, voice, and style.

Joanna (she/her) is a masters student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program. She received her undergraduate degree in Speech, Language, Hearing Science at Temple University in Philadelphia where she worked as an Ambassador Coordinator for the College of Public Health, and a Research Assistant in the Speech, Language, and Brain Lab. She loves to work with all populations of individuals, but adults with aphasia, which is a neurogenic communication disorder, hold a special place in her heart. In her time off of school, Joanna substitutes as a paraprofessional in classrooms for children with ASD and other disabilities. Joanna loves to go thrifting, spend time with friends and family, hang out with her pitbull and tabby cat (Elsa and Marceline), binge crime shows, and take lots and lots of naps.

Neha (she/her) is a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a Zankel Fellow and works with TCCS, providing math intervention across various grades, especially grades 7 and 8. She worked as a research assistant to the vice dean of teacher education, assisting in conducting a literature review on professional development schools. In the past year, she was a research assistant on a project focused on Civil Rights History in New York. Her primary role was to conduct a literature review on disability history in New York. Her expertise includes: writing an IRB, writing literature reviews, conducting interviews, coding qualitative data, and data analysis. She has taught over ten master's and undergraduate-level courses on inclusive education and disability at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, she has taught in-person, remote, and hybrid courses at the higher education level. Neha is a special educator from India who works with students with disabilities and advocates for the whole-class approach to teaching and learning. She incorporates her experiences and perspective from the Indian context in her work as a researcher and educator in the US. As a bilingual learner, she is passionate about working with teachers to create an inclusive space for bilingual learning with and without disabilities. In her free time, Neha likes to paint, try new recipes, and watch movies in different languages (with subtitles, of course!). You will also find Neha sleeping in till 10 am on the weekend and enjoying a hot cup of filter coffee while some old 80's music plays in the background!

Pascale is an incoming doctoral student in the Education Policy & Social Analysis (EPSA) department where she will study sociology and education. As a Postsecondary Education Applied Research (PEAR) Fellow, Pascale is interested in studying the relationship between community college and workforce development programs, and income inequality. As the first person from her household to attend college, Pascale started her college journey at Queensborough Community College and holds a B.S. in Secondary English Education from New York University and an M.A. in Urban Education Policy from Brown University. After her undergraduate studies, Pascale served for two years as a high school English teacher in the South Bronx where she developed and implemented interdisciplinary curricula that drew connections between English Language Arts and the social studies, math and science disciplines. She credits her undergraduate training for her ability to teach reading and writing to students with differing degrees of proficiency, as well as those with special needs and/or for whom English is a second language. As a graduate student, Pascale published several briefs on educational topics with university, government and nonprofit partners. As a Writing Fellow, her strengths include academic writing, policy writing, research/literature reviews and qualitative analysis. In her free time, Pascale enjoys cooking, running and learning to quilt.

Pavita (she/her) is a health education doctoral student in the Department of Health and Behavior Studies at Teachers College. During her studies, she hopes to explore narrative writing and storytelling as a health education modality. She has her Master in Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts in Gender & Sexuality Studies, Linguistics, and Child & Adolescent Mental Health from New York University. Outside of Teachers College, Pavita is the Executive Director of Girls Health Ed, an instructor at Johns Hopkins University, a freelance writer and editor, and the award-winning international bestselling author of To All the Magic in Me, a poetry collection on mental health, emotions, and self-care. Pavita's mission is to spread light, love, learning, and laughter and to make the world better and have fun doing it. She revels in travel, yoga, dance, creative arts, vegan cooking and baking, reading, Netflix, napping, and time with family and friends.

Anthony is a first year student in the the Mental Health Counseling master’s program with a Bilingual Latinx concentration. His passions include mental health initiatives and language accessibility to underserved populations, especially immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities. In his free time he enjoys learning to cook new cuisine, traveling and learning languages! He is very excited to join the TC community and connect with fellow students!

Sign-up to be paired with Anthony or any other Student Life Ambassador: bit.ly/slacohort2324

Brianna is a a first year student in the MA Psychology in Education: General Psychology program!  She is from Livingston, NJ and received her BS in Psychology with a minor in substance use disorders from Ramapo College. Her goal is to obtain my PsyD in Clinical Psychology with my research focusing on children and families experiencing complex grief. She is very outdoorsy, loves backpacking and going to the beach! She also enjoys exploring the city and going to concerts.

Sign-up to be paired with Brianna or any other Student Life Ambassador: bit.ly/slacohort2324

Hello! Loctavia is an international and transcultural studies graduate student. She loves reading, gaming, and watching anime in her free time. She's pretty friendly and loves meeting new people.

Sign-up to be paired with Loctavia or any other Student Life Ambassador: bit.ly/slacohort2324

Monira is currently working towards obtaining her Ed.M. in Mental Health Counseling, and hopes to solidify her commitment towards advocating for individuals by disseminating information on mental illnesses and treatment options for minorities, in particular. In her spare time, she enjoys working out, cooking/baking, traveling, and playing with her beloved tuxedo kitty, Spooky. She hopes to form invaluable connections with her peers, while fostering a welcoming environment for students by sharing resources that will assist them along their graduate school journey, and will enhance their TC experience.

Sign-up to be paired with Monira or any other Student Life Ambassador: bit.ly/slacohort2324

Randal is a freelance photographer from SoCal and now in NYC. His favorite drink would be Thai tea or matcha, and he enjoys his alone time by watching anime or going on mindfulness walks. If you're into coffee shop hopping, thrifting and photography, come hang out at the GSLD office to chat more with Randal!

Sign-up to be paired with Randal or any other Student Life Ambassador: bit.ly/slacohort2324

Ruiyan graduated from George Washington University, majoring in Economics and Communication. After completing her undergraduate studies, she is now embarking on a career in education, focusing on developing vocational schools and promoting international learning. Outside of school, you can find her enjoying movies, reading books, and hitting the gym for some weight training. She absolutely loves connecting with people from all backgrounds and making a positive impact by offering helpful assistance whenever she can!

Sign-up to be paired with Ruiyan or any other Student Life Ambassador: bit.ly/slacohort2324

Thao Vu is a first-year M.A. student at Teachers College in Instructional Technology and Media, where she seeks to leverage her passion for education and knowledge of technology to design effective and engaging learning experiences for all. Before New York, Thao graduated from the University of Education Ho Chi Minh City with a Bachelor’s in English and has worked as a teacher/ learning designer in different countries in Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam). Her previous endeavors enabled her to bring rich international working experience, and a wealth of creativity to the role at Teachers College. In her free time, Thao enjoys exploring new coffee shops, and Swing dancing.

Primary Areas of Focus:

• Academic & Pre-Professional Organizations
• First-Gen Programming 

Ther (she/her) is an incoming MA student in TC’s Clinical Psychology Masters program - Psychology in Education: General Psychology. Coming all the way from the Philippines, Ther is passionate about improving mental health outcomes, especially in her home country. She obtained her undergraduate degree from her country’s state university, University of the Philippines. After doing multiple research, clinical, and volunteer stints in her undergraduate years, she decided to pursue graduate studies at Teachers College to further her career in the field of Clinical Psychology. Aside from pursuing her academic and research interests, Ther enjoys exploring her creativity through many hobbies! From graphic design, to sewing clothes, to writing, to video editing, to interior design, and many more, Ther enjoys anything that could tickle her creativity. One of these creative interests is doing social media work and promotions - something she is excited to explore further as GSLD’s Fellow focused on digital engagement!

Primary Areas of Focus:

• Weekly Newsletters
• Social Media and Marketing Strategies