Alumni Testimonials

Kyra Bajeera graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Mathematics, an interdisciplinary major in the Mathematics and Engineering department. Prior to joining the San Francisco Teacher Residency, Kyra worked with organizations like Aim High serving as a lead 8th grade math teacher, and with MESA as a math tutor. Additionally, she served as a Noyce Scholar through SF State, researching the use of mathematics manipulatives in an urban school centered in San Francisco working in collaboration with the National Science Foundation and the Center for Science and Mathematics Education. Kyra is fluent in Spanish and LaTeX (math typesetting) and is completing graduate coursework towards an MA in Secondary Math Education and a preliminary teaching credential through the University of San Francisco's Graduate School of Education.

Roxanne Cano is a native of San Francisco who was raised in the Mission District and Bayview District. She recently graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and minors in Latin American Studies and Psychology. Roxy is the first person in her family to graduate from college. As an undergrad she was part of USF’s School of Education Dual Degree in Teacher Preparation Program which allowed her to take graduate classes that would work towards her M.A. in teaching. Roxanne is fluent in English and Spanish and is pursing a Bilingual Authorization Certificate that will prepare her to teach in a bilingual setting. Her own experiences in San Francisco schools continue to influence her desire to work with urban youth. These experiences make her passionate about ending the disparities that underrepresented communities—as her own—often find in schools. Roxanne’s experience working with youth includes being a tutor with SFUSD’s Youth and Families in Transition Program as well as coordinating tutoring programs at two private schools in the Mission District. She has also volunteered at United Playaz—a youth violence prevention program in the SOMA District and continues to remain in contact with these schools and organizations. Roxanne is committed to working in hard to staff schools so that she can provide historically underserved communities an equitable opportunity to succeed in the education system.

Nicholas Chan graduated from Stanford University with a BS in Product Design, an interdisciplinary major in the Mechanical Engineering and Studio Art departments. Prior to joining the San Francisco Teacher Residency, Nick worked with students who would be the first in their families to graduate from college through Stanford Upward Bound. Additionally, he served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member through Youth Community Service, helping to set up a youth leadership group with East Palo Alto youth. He followed this service with 6 months of middle school tutoring with City Year Louisiana in post-Katrina Baton Rouge before working as an Urban Youth Development Worker with Peace Corps Ecuador. There, Nick worked with youth leadership groups, health centers and schools, giving workshops on HIV/AIDS prevention and education, life skills and general health skills. He stayed a third year to support and train new Peace Corps Volunteers as a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader, focusing on supporting Community Health and Small Business volunteers. Upon his return to the US, he was the founding Operations Manager for Blue Engine, an education startup that places teams of trained teaching assistants in hard-to-serve New York City high school classrooms with an eye towards increasing the academic rigor of high school courses in order to better prepare students for college. Nick is fluent in Spanish. and is completing graduate coursework towards an MA in Secondary Math Education and a preliminary teaching credential through Stanford's Graduate School of Education.

Candy, a San Francisco native and Lowell alum, graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development. Her extensive experience with The Salvation Army in the Tenderloin neighborhood highlights her commitment to serving urban youth in their community. During college, she worked with at-risk high school juniors to help them pass the CASHEE in West Sacramento. After college, she had the privilege of working with a team of San Francisco educators, as the Education Director for The Salvation Army Kroc Center, a brand new community center in the Tenderloin neighborhood, to create and develop educational and recreational programs. The programs included after school, literacy, scouting, and summer day camp. Candy also helped fundraise for the scholarship fund to ensure program fees are affordable to all families. She worked closely with parents, teachers, and community partners to provide programs that met the needs of the children and families. Over 95% of the children in the after school and literacy programs are English Language Learners from lower socioeconomic status. Her bilingual skills in Cantonese and basic Spanish skills helped her to connect with many families. Candy joined the San Francisco Teacher Residency program to pursue her teaching goals to help provide this access to high quality education for all students in San Francisco schools.

Ariana graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. As part of the Dual Degree Program in Teacher Preparation (DDTP) at University of San Francisco she has been working towards her master’s degree and elementary teaching credential. In addition to her year-long residency at El Dorado Elementary, Ariana has worked in several SFUSD elementary schools including Dianne Feinstein and Jose Ortega tutoring students and assisting with small and whole group instruction. Additionally, she gained experience working as a teacher’s aide in a low-income elementary school in Belize, developing lessons and providing instruction to students. Ariana spent six summers working as a teacher’s assistant in an intensive intervention elementary summer school for low-income students in Los Angeles. From these experiences, she has seen the powerful work of how a teacher can work with a community to provide an equitable and meaningful education to their youth. All of these experiences have solidified Ariana’s commitment to teaching in San Francisco so she can help provide students with an education that leads to students working as agents for personal and community success.

Tyler graduated with a BA in Child and Adolescent Development with a focus in school age child and family from San Francisco State University. Tyler completed her undergraduate internship at a public elementary school in South San Francisco, where she continued to volunteer for two years after graduation. Tyler also volunteered at a dual-emersion school in Sonoma for one year. She studied Spanish in college as well as in Nicaragua while also spending time at a local elementary school. This year Tyler is serving in a Kindergarten Class at Hillcrest Elementary, and is currently finishing her MA in Teaching and getting a preliminary teaching credential in Multiple Subjects at the University of San Francisco.

Meghan Elliott received her B.A. in Women's Studies and her B.S. in Psychology at Michigan State University. During her time as an undergraduate, Meghan studied human rights in Ecuador and became fluent in Spanish. Upon her return from Ecuador, she began working as a community organizer in San Francisco's most under-resourced neighborhoods. Before she was accepted into the San Francisco Teacher Residency Program, Meghan worked for SFUSD for 5 years as a Nutrition Educator, supporting students, families and teachers with health lessons and wellness-focused activities.

As part of SFTR Meghan has been working in a first grade Spanish immersion classroom at Buena Vista Horace Mann.

Cynthia Guggenheim earned her Bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in politics from Oberlin College. After graduation she completed the two-year National Teaching Fellowship through the education non-profit Citizen Schools. There, she worked directly with urban Bay Area middle school students, planning and implementing project-based curriculum, coaching staff, and supervising volunteers. She also earned her Master’s in Education from Lesley University in Curriculum Development and Out of School Time Leadership. Cynthia spent several summers as a Group Leader at the New York based education non-profit Project Morry, managing adults and working with underserved elementary and middle school aged campers. In addition to other tutoring and education non-profit programmatic work, Cynthia was a Peer Health Advocate at Oberlin College’s Center for Leadership in Health Promotion. There, she wrote, coordinated, and facilitated numerous health education theater projects for middle, high school, and college students. She is fluent in Spanish and has experience in and a passion for teaching a variety of performing arts skills including guitar, a cappella singing, and improvisational theater.

Kim Hartung graduated from Pomona College with a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics. She is currently working towards her Master’s degree and mathematics credential in the Stanford Teacher Education Program. Her experiences in teaching and community involvement have fueled her dedication to empowering students to develop their potential and connect with their community. Through freelance tutoring during college, she gained experience with building upon students’ knowledge and strengths. She then utilized these skills to plan math lessons for middle school students from under-resourced schools in Sacramento, while working with Breakthrough Collaborative. At Pomona College, she also served as the Commissioner of Community Relations, a peer mentor in two programs, and an Asian American Resource Center intern. After graduating, Kim worked for two years in the National Teaching Fellowship at Citizen Schools in Redwood City, supporting students’ math skill development and college readiness, by teaching lessons after-school and helping to develop the organization’s curriculum. She also worked with community members to help develop extracurricular classes for the students. Kim aims to merge her dedication to community, mutual learning, and the power of mathematics in her teaching career.

Mary Higgins graduated with honors from Santa Clara University as a Liberal Studies major and an Urban Education minor. As an undergraduate, she worked as a student aid in the on-campus pre-school, Kids on Campus, and volunteered at a Head Start pre-school in San Jose. As a student aid, she assisted the main classroom teacher with supporting children in completing class activities and following behavioral expectations in the classroom and on the playground., She has been an assistant swim coach and private swim lesson instructor for the past five years where she helped establish a positive and supportive team environment. She enjoys leading an active and healthy lifestyle and hopes to impart these values to her future students. Mary’s honor thesis was on the benefits of school gardens. She is interested in incorporating nutrition and garden lessons into her classroom instruction. Mary also enjoys swimming, running, hiking, and taking advantage of all the diverse experiences San Francisco has to offer.

Ryan graduated from Birmingham-Southern College with a BA in political science. Immediately after competing his undergraduate work, Ryan went to The Gambia to serve as an Environment volunteer with the Peace Corps. He has since been a paralegal, a social service caseworker and attended the University of Alabama for graduate work in political science. Immediately prior to coming to SFTR, Ryan substitute taught and supervised an after school program at Mission Preparatory Academy in Excelsior Heights. Ryan is currently finishing his MA in Teaching and getting a preliminary teaching credential in Multiple Subjects at the University of San Francisco.

Lisa graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s degree in Global Studies. Lisa was born in Hong Kong, and her family moved to Oakland, CA when she was a very young. As a first generation immigrant, her parents instilled the importance of education in her. She grew up in a Cantonese-speaking household. After graduation, she taught English in Daegu, South Korea in a low-income public elementary school for a year. The following year, she decided to go to China to teach and also to connect to her roots. She taught in a private English institution to young children in Shanghai for a year. She fell in love with teaching and the art of teaching. She decided to move back to California to achieve her passion, and is getting a preliminary teaching credential at the University of San Francisco.

Wayne was born and raised in a Cantonese-speaking household in San Francisco. He attended San Francisco public schools, and graduated from San Francisco State University with a bachelor of arts in biology. During his time at SFSU, Wayne gained experience in education by becoming a “scientist partner” for San Francisco State’s SEPAL program. As part of this program he co-planned and co-taught science lessons in a middle school classroom. During that time, Wayne also tutored kids living the Mission as part of a nonprofit, after-school tutoring program called Grace Educational Mentors. Since 2008, he has led served as a youth minister at Grace Fellowship Community Church. Wayne feels his calling is to share the wonders of science with all youth and to make the prestigious fields of science and medicine accessible to underserved students. Along with his love of science, Wayne also enjoys learning about history, singing, playing bass guitar, and building models.

Stephen graduated with a BS in Physics from the University of San Francisco. Stephen Miller was raised in Manila, Philippines for most of his childhood and attended an international school there called Faith Academy for most of his K-12 career. Stephen earned his undergraduate degree in Physics and is enrolled in the Dual Degree Teaching Program at the University of San Francisco. During this time at USF, Stephen participated in the Reading Buddies tutoring program for elementary students at New Traditions. He has also participated in internships at both Washington High School, as well as, Gateway High School. Stephen is currently finishing his MA in Secondary Physics Education and getting a preliminary teaching credential at the University of San Francisco.

Nikki graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics and a minor in Geography/Environmental Studies. After graduation, Nikki spent a year in Japan teaching English to high school students through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. She developed lessons, provided instruction, and fostered cross-cultural relationships with students and staff. Before beginning her work with the San Francisco Teacher Residency program, she worked in Sacramento as an economic consultant and spent her free time leading a Girl Scout troop and tutoring students of low socioeconomic backgrounds at the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. Through these experiences, Nikki discovered her passion to empower children to believe in themselves and to reach their highest potential. Nikki believes in the importance of connecting with students and recognizing each child’s individual strengths and needs, which she is currently student teaching in a 2^nd grade classroom at El Dorado Elementary School.

Shani Nelson graduated from the University of Utah with a BS in Human Development and Family Studies. Prior to joining the San Francisco Teacher Residency, Shani worked for several years as a counselor at after-school programs serving at-risk and economically disadvantaged youth. She also spent two summers leading youth in an adventure and service program at Anthony Chabot Regional Park. For three years she taught environmental education to sixth-graders from the San Joaquin Valley, developing their understanding of the connections between nature, science, and their personal lives. Shani is completing graduate coursework towards an MA in Secondary Math Education and a preliminary teaching credential through Stanford's Graduate School of Education.

Bryan Olney graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a B.S. in Environmental Sciences, focusing on wildlife biology. Upon graduation, Bryan worked for an environmental consulting firm in Oakland assessing impacts of projects on California wildlife and sensitive natural resources. After four years, he chose to take his passion for science to the world of teaching. In early 2012, he began volunteering at the Making Waves after school program in San Francisco's Mission District. He worked with students from high schools across San Francisco, providing math and science help in order to help students become eligible for four-year colleges. Bryan is currently completing coursework towards an MA in Secondary Science Education and a preliminary teaching credential through Stanford's Graduate School of Education.

Anita graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Third World Studies and a minor in Law and Society. During her time at UCSD, she was a tutor and mentor for the Early Academic Outreach Program, which catered to underserved populations in San Diego. Upon completing her undergraduate degrees, Anita decided to apply to the International and Comparative Education Masters program at UCLA. Her focus there was on understanding how educational policies and programs impact social and economic development, while also considering issues of equity and justice in a global context. The policies and issues she was exposed to made her aware of various factors contributing to the inequities within education internationally and domestically using a comparative lens. After completing her Masters, she moved to San Francisco and later began tutoring for ARC & Associates at the Boys and Girls Club on Treasure Island. This position required her to create, invent, and structure a curriculum in English and Math for first, second, and third graders, many of whom were living in transitional housing. Lastly, she tutored students in AP US History for College Track in San Francisco (an organization focused on assisting underrepresented high school students attend college). This work was the catalyst toward obtaining her teaching credential and joining SFTR. In her free time, Anita enjoys practicing her violin, traveling, and practicing Bharata Natyam (a South Indian dance art form) that she has been learning since the age of four.

Nate Pinsky graduated from Harvey Mudd College with a BS in Mathematics. He is currently working toward his Master's degree in Education and mathematics teaching credential in the Stanford Teacher Education Program. Nate was a math tutor and Writing Center facilitator during college to support his interest in teaching. His attendance at meetings of the Bus Rider's Union and Community Rights Campaign of the Labor/Community Strategy Center in Los Angeles helped him build a critical consciousness about social justice issues and fueled his interest in teaching for equity. Nate speaks Spanish and Russian, and works in the summer at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Perla Rivas received her Bachelor’s in Chemistry from San Francisco State University. She joined the San Francisco Teacher Residency to become a teacher so she could share her love of science with urban youth. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate career Perla’s academic focus has centered on science and education. In college she became an educator with Jumpstart, a national early education organization, developing language and literacy skills in preschool children from low-income neighborhoods in San Francisco. Later she worked as a private tutor for high school students studying chemistry, Spanish, and algebra/calculus. Throughout her years as an undergraduate she volunteered with SFSU and the American Chemical Society in science outreach events such as Family Science Night at the California Academy of Sciences. As a fluent speaker of Spanish, Perla is able to engage Spanish-speaking students and their families in science education. In addition to her love of teaching chemistry, Perla enjoys playing the piano and harp and cooking vegetarian food in her free time.

Yohanna graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor’s in Latin American Studies with a minor in Spanish. She has had extensive experience working in bilingual settings including tutoring immigrant women learning English as a second language in Mujeres Unidas y Activas. As part of her coursework in the Dual Degree in Teacher Preparation program at USF, she has worked in several SFUSD elementary schools including Dianne Feinstein and Guadalupe, where she tutored students and assisted with small and whole group instruction. Additionally, Yohanna worked as a Teaching Aid in a low-income elementary school in Belize, developing lessons and providing instruction to students. As a member of the Puente Project and Latino Empowerment at De Anza Community College, Yohanna created and facilitated workshops and community action days focusing on and promoting higher education for disadvantaged and diverse youth of the greater San Jose area.

Carrie Sanderson graduated from The University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography. Carrie spent three years teaching art classes at The Clementine Montessori School in Boulder, CO. She then moved to the Fiji Islands to lead student travel groups with Rustic Pathways, Fiji that focused on community service. While working in Fiji, Carrie was responsible for guiding students through extremely remote locations while also acting as head photographer. She has had work published. Some of her photographs have been displayed in the Special Collections at The University of Colorado at Boulder and at the University of Maryland. Outside of school, Carrie enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.

Kayla Shaw moved to San Francisco five years ago to attend the University of San Francisco’s (USF) Dual Degree for Teacher Preparation (DDTP) program where she has earned a Bachelor’s in Spanish with a minor in Child and Youth Studies. During her undergraduate studies, she studied abroad for a semester in Argentina. While at USF, Kayla has been involved in several educational endeavors including working as a literacy tutor with the America Reads Program, working as an academic tutor with Families and Youth in Transition, where she tutored in a bilingual setting, and volunteering as a first grade teacher in the Catholic Education program at St Ignatius Church. As part of the DDTP program she has also worked in three different classrooms in SFUSD as a part-time student teacher. Throughout these various opportunities she has had the opportunity to work with a large range of students from kindergarten through 8th grade. She is fluent in Spanish, has a strong interest in languages and loves experiencing the world through reading. She has a passion for working with students of all ages and backgrounds and loves learning as much from the students as they learn from her instruction.

Marloes graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Human Biology, an interdisciplinary major that combines biology, chemistry, anthropology, environmental studies, sociology and psychology. Her concentration in human biology courses was ecology and evolution as she believes that understanding these topics is crucial to conceptually explaining other aspects of biology. She is currently in the process of completing her Master’s in Education and teaching credential program at Stanford (STEP). Marloes became interested in the teaching profession through her work with youth as a tutor and coach. She has been tutoring in various capacities for eight years and has also volunteered as a soccer coach for AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) and Calichicas Soccer Camps. In all her teaching endeavors, Marloes has enjoyed the opportunity to think on her feet to find creative solutions for enhancing students’ learning and enthusiasm about science. Marloes speaks fluent Dutch and is moderately proficient in Spanish. Aside from teaching and science, she is an outdoor enthusiast, avid runner, and all around active person. She is a two-time Boston Marathon qualifier and is currently training for her second go at “The Relay,” a 200-mile team race from Napa to Santa Cruz, as well as AIDS Life Cycle, a week-long bicycle tour from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money for AIDS services. She would be very interested in coaching or helping out with Cross Country or Track teams at her future workplace. She has also been involved with Human Rights activism for many years and is currently working in the Gay-Straight Alliance at Mission.

Dayna Soares graduated with distinction from Sonoma State University with a Bachelor’s in Mathematics and a minor in French. Within her major she had concentrations in both pure Mathematics and Secondary Education Preparation. Dayna also has a Master’s in Mathematics from Boston College and spent three additional years pursuing further mathematics graduate coursework and research at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She has worked extensively with youth and young adults as a tutor, graduate teaching fellow, and university professor. In her five years as an adjunct professor in the math department at the University of San Francisco as well as her five years of teaching undergraduates while in graduate school, she has taught a variety of math courses from remedial algebra through second semester calculus. She also designed and taught an undergraduate general education math course called Real-World Math, a service learning course focused on teaching relevant math focused on social and community issues. Her experience with youth also includes work as an academic mentor for Sonoma State’s PreCollege Programs, a volunteer tutor for Seven Tepees Youth Program in the Mission, and four years as a Math Empowerment Teacher at Making Waves Education Program in Richmond She has an active interest in math enrichment programs for youth, including involvement with the San Francisco Math Circles. Dayna is an avid potter and has taught ceramics classes to youth and adults. She also enjoys cooking, gardening, learning to play guitar, running, swimming, and cycling and has cycled and volunteered for five week-long fundraising bike rides for AIDS research and patient support services.

Brittany graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Human Biology. Her undergraduate experiences served to ignite her dedication to combatting issues of inequity in education, leading her to enroll in the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP). In addition to several experiences working with children outside the school context, Brittany has worked as an after-school math teacher for four years, instructing elementary students in Singaporean math curriculum. Brittany has also worked with historically underserved student populations in East Palo Alto, designing and instructing middle school students in Human Biology curriculum. Brittany’s experiences in education have helped her to realize the importance of giving all students equal access to and preparation for opportunities to advance students’ education. After interning at the US Department of Education on the Promise Neighborhoods Initiative, Brittany gained a newfound respect for place-based initiatives that focus on school improvement in the context of the community. This led Brittany to apply for and join the San Francisco Teacher Residency Program (SFTR), with the intent to serve the diverse student populations living in San Francisco. Brittany teaches ELL Biology at San Francisco International High School; her placement this year has given Brittany an invaluable amount of experience and insight into working with diverse student populations and addressing different learning styles and needs.

Laura graduated from Swarthmore College with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. She worked in biomedical research labs for 10 years and earned her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison before deciding to become a teacher. Laura brings a deep knowledge of the process of science to her teaching. In San Francisco she has volunteered as a visiting scientist at Miraloma Elementary and she volunteered in a math support classroom at John O’Connell High School prior to joining the San Francisco Teacher Residency. Laura firmly believes that all of her students can be successful in science, and hopes to make the subject engaging and accessible to her students. Laura cares about environmental sustainability and is active in John O’Connell High’s “Green Team”.

Brittany is an aspiring science teacher that graduated from the University of California-Berkeley, where she took a number of biology courses while pursuing her undergraduate degree in Public Health and Education. While at Cal, she was involved in organizations - such as faceAIDS (chapter founder) and the Berkeley Free Clinic - rooted in the belief that access to education is a key component to empowerment. As Vice President of her women's fraternity, not only did she oversee the officers on the organization's leading council and facilitate the committee work of 100+ members, she also co-piloted a program called Girls Academy that continues to host weekend seminars that explicitly teach leadership and collaborative skills to middle school girls. Brittany discovered her love of teaching while volunteering in various classrooms in the Oakland and Berkeley Unified School Districts during her last years as an undergraduate, and pursued this interest as a science instructor at C2 Education. She is now student teaching biology at O'Connell High School, an experience that has made her more ready and committed to providing urban youth in San Francisco with high quality educations. Other things Brittany enjoy include facilitating the development of O'Connell HS’s newly founded environmental club with her fellow SFTR members (a.k.a. "The Green Team"), running, quilting, and community health education.