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Meet Our Induction Mentors
Induction Mentors guide our alumni during their first two years of teaching in New York City public schools. Alumni are matched and paired with Induction Mentors who visit their classrooms to assist them with curriculum development, lesson planning, classroom management, and more. For 2022-2023, we have nearly 10 Induction Mentors, and you can learn more about them below.
Induction Mentor
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-12 Educator (7 yrs)
- Adjunct Instructor, City College
- Dual Language/Bilingual Ed, TESOL, Differentiation
- CUNY-NYSIEB Featured Teacher & Researcher
Gladys AponteInduction Mentor
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-12 Educator (7 yrs)
- Adjunct Instructor, City College
- Dual Language/Bilingual Ed, TESOL, Differentiation
- CUNY-NYSIEB Featured Teacher & Researcher
- Author:
- Countering raciolinguistic ideologies: The role of translanguaging in educating bilingual children.
- Creating Translanguaging Inquiry Spaces in Bilingual Classrooms.
- Translanguaging in Dual Language Bilingual Education: A Blueprint for Planning Units of Study
Current Projects/Roles/Endeavors
- Instructor & Advisor, Bank Street College
- Doctoral candidate at CUNY-Grad Center
- Urban Education, Raciolinguistics, Translanguaging
- TR@TC Induction Mentor (5 yrs)
Personal Interests & Other Info:
- Cooking (veganizing dishes) is her love language
- Dominican New Yorker; A product of NYC public schools
- Exploring Latinx heritage through an anti-colonial lens (Areito)
Induction Mentor
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-12 Educator (10 yrs in LA & NYC)
- Founding member of the BELA Charter High School
- Ethnic Studies, ELA, Social Studies, TESOL, Differentiation, Activism
Wendy BarralesInduction Mentor
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 ✨
Induction Mentor
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-12 Educator (20 yrs NYCDOE)
- Professor, BMCC, Hunter, Brooklyn & City College
- Ph.D., Anthropology
- ELA, Social Studies, ENL/TESOL, SPEd
Dr. Rosalina (Rosie) DiazInduction Mentor
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-12 Educator (20 yrs NYCDOE)
- Alternative Secondary Schools
- Professor, BMCC, Hunter, Brooklyn & City College
- Ph.D., Anthropology
- African and Mesoamerican and Caribbean Cultures
- ELA, Social Studies, ENL/TESOL, SPEd
Current Projects/Roles/Endeavors
- GLSEN, NYCore, and several others
- Professor, Anthropology & Education at Medgar Evers College
- TR@TC Induction Mentor (3 yrs)
Personal Interests:
- Sci-Fi (she just wrote a YA novel)
- Passionate about TESOL education
- Certified Herbalist
- In the process of building an Agricultural wellness facility in Puerto Rico
Induction Mentor
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-12 Educator (7 yrs)
- Founder and Director of The Black Teacher Project
- Partner of the POSSE Foundation
- Ph.D., Urban Education
- Social Studies, ELA, Leading from the classroom, Talking about race, with young people
Dr. Micia MoselyInduction Mentor
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-12 Educator (7 yrs)
- Founder and Director of The Black Teacher Project
- Partner of the POSSE Foundation
- Ph.D., Urban Education, Equity-Based School Reform
- Social Studies, ELA, Leading from the classroom, Talking about race, with young people
Current Projects/Roles/Endeavors
- Educational Facilitator, The National Equity Project
- Founder, The Black Teacher Project
- Practitioner in Residence at UC Davis
- TR@TC Induction Mentor (11 years)
Personal Interests:
- Performer and Comedian
- Her heart is forever in Brooklyn
- Currently living in Oakland, CA (Bi-Coastal)
- Knows Zaretta Hammond personally (CRT+The Brain)
Induction Mentor
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
Jim O’TooleInduction Mentor
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.
Not Mentoring for 2021-22
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-12 Educator (13 yrs)
- Bilingual Ed, Science, STEM, Differentiation
- Instructional Coach (Science)
- He is taking a break this year but is available to share resources and thought partnerships.
Alfonso PerezNot Mentoring for 2021-22
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-12 Educator (13 yrs)
- Bilingual Ed, Science, STEM, Differentiation
- Instructional Coach (Science)
Current Projects/Roles/Endeavors
- EdD Student at University of Florida
- Educational leadership
- TR@TC Induction Mentor (3 yrs)
- TR@TC Res. Supervisor (1 yr)
Fun Facts:
- Born and raised in Mayagüez, PR
- Speaks Spanish, and conversational Portuguese and Italian
- Taught in India during one summer
- Has a bionic arm!
Induction Mentor
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-12 Educator (11 yrs)
- Mentored 1st-gen undergrads through CUNY
- Ph.D., Urban Education
- ELA, History of Ed, Africana Studies, Ethnic Studies, Post-Graduate Mentorship, Leading from the classroom
Dr. Robert RobinsonInduction Mentor
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-12 Educator (11 yrs)
- Originally from San Diego, CA
- Mentored first-generation undergrads through CUNY
- ELA, History of Ed, Africana Studies, Ethnic Studies, Post-Graduate Mentorship, Leading from the classroom
Current Projects/Roles/Endeavors
- Professor of SEEK at John Jay College, NYC
- Outgoing Professor of Education at Grinnell College (Iowa)
- Ph.D. in Urban Education
- Black Panther Party’s Oakland School Community
- TR@TC Induction Mentor (6 yrs)
Random Confessions:
- Has greater writing stamina when he plays Destiny’s Child in the background
- Likes to harmonize and dance
Induction Mentor
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-20 Educator (10 yrs)
- Online Curriculum & Instruction
- Research/Teaching: STEM, Ethnic Studies in Science, Race & Anti-Blackness, Abolition, Decolonial Science/Education
LaToya StrongInduction Mentor
Experience & Expertise
- Former K-20 Educator (10 yrs)
- Online Curriculum & Instruction
- Research/Teaching: STEM, Ethnic Studies in Science, Race & Anti-Blackness, Abolition, Decolonial Science/Education
Current Projects/Roles/Endeavors
- Abolition Science
- Online Curriculum & Instruction @ AMNH
- NYCoRE Member
- Doctoral Candidate, CUNY Grad Center
- TR@TC Mentor (Beginning Fall 2021)
Personal Interests/Random Facts:
- LOVES big earrings
- Plants, plants, and more plants!
- Sci-fi/fantasy/horror
Not Mentoring for 2021-22
Experience & Expertise
- 9-12 integrated arts with humanities HS teacher (20 yrs)
- Staff Developer: music/theatre: vocabulary/healing justice
- body-based liberation practices
laura marie ThompsonNot Mentoring for 2021-22
Experience & Expertise
- 9-12 integrated arts with humanities HS teacher (20 yrs) creating/orchestrating alternative assessments mostly @ Bronx Satellite Academy (Alternative Transfer School)
- Staff Developer: music/theatre: vocabulary/healing justice
- body-based liberation practices
Current Projects/Roles/Endeavors
- HS Art teacher at Landmark HS
- theatre artist and collective member of WOW Cafe Theatre
- AWE-G, Anti-racism White Educator Affinity Group
- TR@TC Induction Mentor (10 yrs)
Random delights
- Born in Sudan, been returning for the last ten years working with reproductive rights/ queer artist communities
- loves sleeping on the earth and growing her Arabic
- Invites you on her search for powerful financial literacy math curriculums for all
Hear Testimony from Current Mentor Teacher & 2017 Alum Vincent Pham
Learn about TR@TC through the eyes of Vincent Pham, a 2017 graduate of the program. He answers the following questions:
1. How TR@TC supported him during Induction.
2. How TR@TC has continued to engage with him throughout his career.
3. How TR@TC has supported him in developing his teacher leadership skills and/or workshopping new endeavors.