Meet Kennedy Gardner (she/her), an English teacher resident at Roosevelt High School. We spoke recently to chat about her start in teaching. Read more below. Last summer, after graduating from the University of Washington, Kennedy participated in a program through the Breakthrough Collaborative in San Francisco, an umbrella organization of 24 affiliates that offers customized...
Meet Amber Miles (she/her), a kindergarten teacher at Ritter Elementary School and a proud South LA native. We spoke recently about how she fosters college awareness and readiness in her young students while drawing inspiration from her own family’s educational values and experiences. Read more below. Education runs deep in Amber’s roots. Growing up, attending...
Meet Kevin Magaña (he/him), a 12th-grade student at Mendez High School. We connected to discuss his two-week trip abroad to the Dominican Republic this past summer with Global Glimpse. Read more below. Kevin first came across Global Glimpse, a non-profit organization that empowers students from diverse backgrounds to work together, build empathy, connect with the...
Meet Annalie Andrade (she/hers), a first-year, third-grade teacher at Figueroa Street Elementary. We spoke recently about her start in teaching and her connection to the school. Read more below. Annalie’s teaching journey has been a long-time coming, especially her placement at Figueroa Street Elementary School. She lives in the community and is an alum of...
Meet Gabriela Bizarro (she/her), a 9th-grade student at MSTMA at Roosevelt and Hollenbeck Middle School alum. We connected to discuss her love of math and her interest in STEM careers. Read more below. Gabriela is excited about attending MSTMA at Roosevelt because she has heard great things about the school and her middle school friends...
Meet Janeth Morales, a fourth-year student at Roosevelt High School. We talked with her about how the Medical and Health Science pathway created a life-changing interest in the field, her recent honor as a 2023 Linked Learning Student of the Year, and the plans she has for the future. Janeth Morales was a first-year student...
Meet Reinaldo De Jesus, Jordan High School college & career counselor and SAT/PSAT/AP/SST coordinator. Recently, we talked with him about everything he does to help students make the most educated decisions about college and their futures. Read below. In October, we kick off college season. It’s a time when students start researching schools, dig into...
Meet Jordan High School senior Tony Jackson. We talked with him about his musical inspiration, how his passion for music has led to plenty of opportunities at Jordan, and how it’s shaping his thinking around college. “Music is my life for some reason. It’s all I can talk about,” says Tony Jackson, a senior at...
We connected virtually with seniors from all Partnership high schools — Santee Education Complex, Jordan High School, Mendez High School, Roosevelt High School, and MSTMA at Roosevelt — to learn more about their experiences and perspectives after returning to campus. Kailee Johnson, senior and cheer captain at Santee Education Complex, will attend the University of California,...
We recently spoke with Maria Guerra, kindergarten teacher at Grape Street Elementary School. She talked about her journey to becoming an educator, how the pandemic impacted her teaching style, and how seeing students grow is the most rewarding part of her job. Even though Maria Guerra’s first job out of high school was as a...
We connected with Alyssa Carmona, a 12th-grade student at Mendez High School. Below, Alyssa shares more about her role as President of the Associated Student Body, Mendez’s governing student body, and how she’s learned to navigate the job’s responsibilities. “My role as Associated Student Body (ASB) President is to make sure that student voices are...
We recently spoke with Sanquanita Nellum, 7th and 8th grade Math and Special Education Teacher at George Washington Carver Middle School. She shared the challenges and joys of teaching students with dual barriers to education and how having a strong math curriculum supports their learning. Sanquanita began her journey as an educator when she became...
