Induction Mentors

Experience & Expertise

• Former K-12 Educator (10 yrs LA & NYC Public Schools)
• Founding member of the BELA Charter High School- a girl + gender-expansive STEAM school
• Ethnic Studies, ELA, Social Studies, TESOL, Differentiation, Activism

Current Projects/Roles/Endeavors

• NYCoRE, We All Grow Amigas, and several others
• Current researcher on PiLA-CS & CUNY-IIE
• Doctoral candidate at CUNY-Grad Center
• Women of color and preserving their ancestral wisdom through art
• TR@TC Induction Mentor (6 yrs)

Personal Interests & Other Info:

• Chicana and proud daughter of Mexican immigrants
• Founder of the Women of Color Archive (WOCArchive)
• Strong supporter of the arts + ethnic studies
• Loves karaoke, 90 Day Fiancé & tacos al pastor ✨

Experience & Expertise

• A 30-year career in education 
• 6-12 Teacher
• Staff Developer
• School Leader
• Teacher leadership, TESOL, Literacy Development, ELA, Social Studies, Navigating conversations with school leadership

Current Projects/Roles/Endeavors

• Adjunct Instructor, College of Mount St. Vincent
• TR@TC Residency Supervisor, Peace Corps Mentor, and Induction Mentor (5 yrs)

Personal Interests: 

• He and his partner are foster-to-adopt parents of a 21-year-old young man who is currently attending college.
• He has recently returned to singing, a longtime passion of his.
• Passionate about supporting students who struggle to read.

Experience & Expertise

• Former K-12 Educator (10 yrs Medellín, Colombia & New York)
• Spanish, Ethnic Studies, TESOL, Critical Pedagogy (including technology)

Current Projects/Roles/Endeavors

• Ph.D Student in Urban Education at the CUNY Graduate Center
• Interested in community-based research, arts-based research, digital archives, school abolition 
• Mentor to BIPOC youth in Freeport, Long Island 
• Founder of a Community-Based Digital Archive -- "Aquí Estamos: Recuperando el Pasado y Creando el Futuro de la Comunidad Latina en Long Island"

Personal Interests & Other Info:

• Colombiana & Nueva Yorkina
• Dance & Exercise make me happy
• Obsessed with her pup Hendrix

Sunisa Nuonsy is a 1.5 generation Lao-American refugee and immigrant based in Brooklyn. She just completed her tenth year as a public school ELA teacher at the International High School at Prospect Heights and is also a Ph.D. student in the Urban Education program at the CUNY Graduate Center. Her research interests include critical language awareness, identity, and reimagining success. She is motivated by her life and teaching experiences to help pre-service teachers be more responsive to a diverse population of learners. Sunisa holds a B.A. in English Language & Literature from Sacramento State University and a M.S. in TESOL from Long Island University-Brooklyn. Beyond the classroom, Sunisa facilitates research with Lao diaspora womxn around issues of identity, assimilation, culture, and (re)connection to Lao.

What do you like about mentoring TR@TC teaching residents?

My favorite part about mentoring TR@TC residents is the support that we both get. I graduated from my master's program through a cohort model and see how powerful it is for the residents to have that experience. I’ve also appreciated the space to connect and learn with other pedagogues at the mentor PDs.

After a long fulfilling career in education, Andy is delighted to join our team at TR@TC. His in-depth knowledge of teaching pedagogy combined with a multitude of educational experiences make a perfect blend to support our Resident and Induction teachers as they begin their own teaching journey.

Andy’s experience includes teaching at SAIS, an international school in the Middle East, designing staff development programs as The Assistant Director of The Teacher’s Center at SUNY Purchase, twenty-five years classroom experience that included teaching ELA, Science and Social Studies, and twelve years as a School Administrator.

Andy holds a BA in Sociology/Secondary Social Studies, an MS in Instruction and Curriculum Development and a SAS in School Administration and Supervision. He brings all his experiences to TR@TC to support, encourage, and partner with our Resident and Induction Teachers.

Experience & Expertise:

• Over ten years in education
• Former K-12 Teacher, ELL Coordinator & Leader (NYC and MA)
• Former 9-12 English as a Foreign Language Fellow at the Istituto Tecnico Pacioli di Crema, Leno, Italy
• Former English Language and Literature Instructor at Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, P.R. China
• Founder and President of Language Compass
• M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language (TESOL), TC

Current Projects/Roles/Endeavors: 

• Educational Consultant (Leadership and English Language Development Specialist) 
• TESOL PK-12 Program@TC Supervisor (4 years)
• Peace Corp Jaffe Fellows Program@TC Mentor (3 years)
• TR@TC Mentor (beginning Fall 2023)
• Regional Director of the Performance Review Program for Initial Licensure (PRPIL), an alternative licensure program with the MA DESE
• Radical Empathy Book Club

Fun Facts:

• Born in South Korea; Adopted and raised in Massachusetts
• Learning French
• Loves to travel, play and watch sports, and explore new places and neighborhoods