Our Team

Jamila is the Instructional Specialist for Raising Educational Achievement Coalition of Harlem at Teachers College, Columbia University, REACH. Raising Educational Achievement of Harlem’s (REACH) mission is to improve students' academic, social-emotional, and wellness outcomes by designing and implementing coherent, intentional, and a sustainable community school model in partner schools in Harlem. 

As an educator, Jamila is passionate about providing equitable access and opportunities of educational experiences for students, especially in underserved communities. She began her career as an elementary school teacher, teaching kindergarten, second, fourth, and fifth grade for ten years. Her classroom was inclusive, creative, and progressively rigorous. She specialized in tailoring her pedagogical approach to support the academic, social, and emotional growth of my students by infusing students’ backgrounds, cultures, and experiences into the curriculum.

During her time as a teacher, she realized the impact of the opportunity gap within the underserved community and wanted to find ways to impact this discrepancy outside of the classroom. She also became interested in how students find joy in educational experiences, despite barriers that have been placed upon them to succeed. As an Instructional for REACH, she can address these concerns and create innovative ways to impact the community. 

Jamila received her Bachelor's in History at Hampton University, her M.A. in Elementary Inclusive Education, and Gifted Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University, and is pursuing her Ed.D in Instructional Leadership and Hunter College with an expected graduation date of Spring 2024.

My name is Stephanie Latchman, the Community School Director at Frederick Douglass Academy II.  I attended CUNY, Queens College and graduated in 2016 with my Masters of Science in Education.  My passion is making a difference in lives and communities that need the most support. I have been working with kids for the past ten years from as young as day care age group, Elementary, Middle School, to High School students. I look forward to continuing my work as a Community School Director and being impactful to my students to encourage them to attend school and become leaders of tomorrow.

 After working in public health internships at the Terrence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center in NYC and the Jane Kopas Women’s Center in Scranton, Chabeli decided to shift her career focus from clinical work to health education and coaching.  After graduating college, she worked with a Bronx-based non-profit organization as a health educator to coordinate and facilitate health workshops for parents and adolescents at health centers and public schools around topics such as asthma, nutrition, healthy relationships, and reproductive health.  Prior to joining the REACH team, Chabeli transitioned into a senior health education role, overseeing the professional development of a team of peer and health educators, and conducted outreach events to expand the impact of the youth development program. She attended the University of Scranton for her Bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education, and earned Eta Sigma Gamma Professional Health Education honors. As a Harlem native, she aims to serve at-risk youth and families from her community, and looks forward to working with passionate teams of school-based staff to provide greater opportunities for young people. 

Paloma first discovered her passion for supporting students and building community as a volunteer at her high school’s summer bridge program. As an undergraduate at NYU, Paloma continued to develop her passion by focusing on psychology, child and adolescent mental health, and social work. For two years, Paloma interned with Reimagining Education Summer Institute (RESI) under the Edward W. Gordan Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME) until becoming an Assistant Coordinator. With her passion and skill set, Paloma supports academic, social, and emotional well-being of students while promoting self-care and mutual support for all school community members. In her free time, she enjoys viewing and creating art, spending time in nature, journaling, and learning from others.

Robert Popik is the Community School Director at P.S. 154 and supports the team primarily through the research, curriculum development, and implementation of the Success Mentoring Program for chronically absent students. He is also currently completing an MA degree in Philosophy and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University where his work focuses on culture, belonging, and the role of the student.

Before working as a research assistant, Rob was a Zankel Fellow at REACH and worked with students at Frederick Douglass Academy II by leading extended learning opportunities. Prior to his time at Teachers College, Rob received his BA in Philosophy from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. For three years he taught philosophy and theology and chaired the Theology and Campus Ministry departments at Cleveland Central Catholic High School. 

Rob’s primary goal is to find new, innovative ways to support the learning and growth of all students through expansive, change-oriented opportunities such as those offered within the Community School model.

GeColby Youngblood is a first-year student in the Ph.D. in History and Education
program at Teachers College, Columbia University. His research interests include
the founding and early histories of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, U.S.
Reconstruction, and the Redemption of the U.S. South. GeColby, a Mississippi-
native, has also accumulated over 12 years of experience as an educator, in both
higher education and K-12, where he specializes in student retention issues and
developing sense of belonging. He earned a B.A. in English Literature from Alcorn
State University and an M.Ed. in Higher Education from the University of North
Texas. Currently, he is completing his master’s thesis on Hiram Revels and his role
as the founder and first president of Alcorn State University from 1871-1874 at North
Carolina Central University.

Biomedical Engineer in Guadalajara, Jalisco. After graduation, I started working as a teacher at the NGO Teach for Mexico. I have been teaching for five years at different levels and countries. My favorite courses to teach are Physics and Robotics!

In 2018 I worked as the Physics of Engineering instructor at Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. During my previous job, I worked on designing professional development courses and curriculums that combine Math, Communication, Science, and Social-emotional Learning for the Mexican Department of Education. This experience taught me the importance of the voices of students, teachers, schools, and communities to create fair educational public policies. 

Last year I graduated with a Master's in Leadership and Education. I am currently a student in the Master's in Sociology and Education at Teachers College. I am passionate about technology, education, and social justice. I love to learn and be curious about my surroundings through observation, inquiry, experiments, and innovation.

My name is Ana Sofía Camacho (she, her, hers), but I go by Ana. I am originally from Panama, and I am a first-year MA in Clinical Psychology student at Teachers College. In the past, I have worked at nonprofits and schools as a debate tutor and a hip-hop dance teacher where I served older youth. For most of my life, I’ve nurtured a passion for dancing and all modes of artistic expression! In the future, I want to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, specifically within global mental health and trauma or neuropsychology. Some of my hobbies include yoga, stand-up comedy, and visiting new places.

Tara Maria Fernandes is pursuing a doctorate in English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has taught High School English in an international school in Bengaluru, India for seven years.  Nothing excites her more than using Book Clubs, Reading Projects and field trips to introduce students to the magical world of literature. 

Hanyu Lu (she/they) is a forest school teacher at Brooklyn Forest and currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Science Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Hanyu worked as an assistant research scientist on the community science project Bees Alive! in Lentol Garden and Tidal Connection program with NYC teachers and students. She facilitated Citizen Science data collecting with students including water, soil, and air (PM2.5) monitoring, in order to help endangered species in urban settings and foster youth environmental stewardship in the community. She is interested in developing a place-based STEAM education curriculum, in collaboration with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). She also practices ceramic and hopes to bring art therapy and environmental science education by motivating and inspiring students to connect to nature. 

Erin Miles is currently pursuing her MA in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a proud HBCU alumna of Morgan State University, with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Erin is a previous Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar that studied the Portuguese language and Sociology in Brazil. She has also completed an internship for the United States Agency for International Development. Her research interests focus on understanding teacher-student interactions in the English Language Learner (ELL) classroom in order to improve the classroom experience for minority populations. Some of her hobbies include writing poetry, listening to music, and language exchanges. 

In 2020, after teaching college composition and rhetoric in Ohio for 5 years, Rashida Mustafa joined the English Education doctoral program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Rashida has her MA in Education with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction and a BA in English from Cleveland State University. Discerning the needs of the diverse student population while teaching sustained Rashida’s interest in studying identity and the ways that individuals explore their complex selves through their education. Her research interests include but are not limited to dialogism, hybridity, and literature as transaction. At the intersection of these studies is an evolving category of education research that provides insights to the ways that we understand the learning experiences of Arab American students and their transnational identities. In her free time, Rashida enjoys taking walks in the park, biking across NYC, and exploring restaurants and cafes. 

The generous contribution that the Milman Fellowship provides assists Rashida in her research as she works alongside primary school children on their literacy skills. In the Spring 2022 semester, Rashida worked with six second grade students at PS 154 Harriet Tubman in Harlem. The time together focused on fundations; sight words, recognizing vowel-consonant sounds, reading comprehension, and writing. As each week went on, Rashida noticed how much the students retained information and continued to develop. Watching the students grow in their literacy has been such a wonderful joy to witness, and Rashida hopes to continue doing this work with the support of the Milman Fellowship for the Fall 2022-Spring 2023 academic year.

My name is Juliya Pattammady. I am currently a second year Ph.D. student in the Health and Behavior Studies department. My research focuses on understanding emotion regulation in early child development, especially for children with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism. Prior to graduate school, I served as an elementary school teacher within Philadelphia. I have taught grades ranging from kindergarten to 2nd grade and also served as a 1st grade special education teacher for 2 of those years. I have a passion for yoga, health, and wellness and enjoy sharing those concepts with younger students.  

Hira is a proud first-generation college student with a BA degree in English Literature and South Asian Area Studies. She is pursuing an MA degree in International Educational Development at Teachers College, Columbia University. Before her graduate studies, Hira spent a year in India learning Urdu and interning with Childline as a Boren Scholar. Hira is also an AmeriCorps alumna. She is passionate about advocating for women's and refugee rights and excited to return as a Zankel Fellow with REACH. 

Alejandro Valdivieso grew up in the city of Chicago, IL. He is a first-generation Colombian-American, with both parents and grandparents having immigrated from Bogotá, Colombia. He plans to specialize in research and clinical practice of evidence-based counseling and psychotherapy techniques for underserved youth and adolescents. After graduate school, he intends to serve as a mental health counselor in schools, after-school programs, social service agencies, health clinics, and other community spaces that serve BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth populations.