Announcing Our 2011 Summer Fellows

June 17, 2011

In Latest News

This year, we had more than five times as many applicants for our summer fellowship as last year.  The group we have selected for this summer is a diverse group that brings in an exciting set of skills and knowledge to contribute.  Fellows will be working on projects involving teacher effectiveness, outreach to our community, fundraising, and much more.

John Baldo
John recently taught Pre-Algebra and Geometry in Oakland as a Teach for America corps member.  He graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in computer science and a minor in political science with an emphasis in law and public policy.  He has a keen interest in the intersection of technology and education, especially longitudinal data systems.  During his time at USC, he advocated for improved student services as a director in the undergraduate student government.  He also served as a leader in a grassroots campaign to make USC a more sustainable community.

Sandrena Frischer
Sandrena is an undergrad at UC Berkeley, studying Education and International Area Studies, with a focus on human security and conflict resolution. As a volunteer at Manzanita Community School in Oakland, she gained experience working in an urban education environment. As a volunteer for Amigos de las Americas in Panama and the Dominican Republic, she taught classes about health, the environment, and youth leadership to elementary school students in rural communities. She is a Bay Area Native, and is interested in education policy and education as a means for social change.


Jordan Haedtler
A graduate of the George Washington University, Jordan is a passionate political organizer, writer, and education reform advocate. Jordan has years of experience on grassroots campaigns and with non-profits, working on a wide array of issues. Whether working to pass a renewable electricity standard through Congress, persuading California voters to approve high speed rail, or fighting unjust prison sentence disparities, Jordan has brought dedication to his advocacy. Most recently, Jordan managed a state legislative race in Southeastern Pennsylvania, selected by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee as one of "40 Essential Races" nationwide. In his spare time, he sings barbershop harmony with competitive quartets and choruses.

Jack Holzman
Jack Holzman just completed his first year as a seventh grade math teacher at Elmhurst Community Prep in East Oakland and a 2010 Teach For America Corps Member. While obtaining his bachelor's degree in Computer Science at the University of Illinois, Jack served as an engagement partner for OTCR Consulting, a student-run business and technical consulting firm. This position was heavily focused on project management, staff development, and data analysis. Jack currently resides in Oakland.

Reed Matheny
Reed has been teaching in various capacities for over nine years, tutoring in private and public schools and volunteering as an English teacher through Learning Enterprises in Panama. He has just completed a Master's degree in English Literature at Stanford University, where he also co-founded Ithaka, a thriving 20-person co-op. He is excited to shift his focus from teaching to education advocacy this summer with GO Public Schools. If he's not working for social justice in education, you might find him cooking, reading Joyce or climbing trees in the East Bay hills.

Chinere McDaniels
Chinere McDaniels has been teaching in Oakland Unified for the last 3 years. She is currently a Kindergarten teacher at Hoover elementary. Chinere is passionate about our youth and has strong interest in creating educational opportunities for Oakland youth where there were none. She is an advocate for youth, a mentor and counselor. She has participated in summer camps, tutoring and extracurricular activities with her students. Her favorite quotes are "it takes a village to raise a child" and "the journey of a million steps starts with the first step". She believes that as a community we have the ability to change Oakland's future for the better -- one small step at a time.

Tara Ramanathan
Tara's work focuses on the intersection where education, poverty, and policy meet. In 2006 she authored a chapter in the book Poverty in India, in which she analyzed major lessons learned on poverty alleviation strategies in developing and developed countries.  Her Honors thesis in Economics investigated successful microfinance programs in developing countries, and their application as alternative forms of education in the United States. After graduating, Tara taught in a low-performing school in Richmond with Teach for America; and then joined a research team at UC Berkeley to evaluate the efficacy of Teach for America corps members in boosting achievement among low-performing students.  Tara has played a key leadership role in a number of successful campaigns, including the University of California campaign that led to the UC Regents divestment from Darfur; for which she was recognized with the Brutten Philanthropic Organization of the Year Award.  

Sara Salas
As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, Sara worked with various academic outreach programs serving youth throughout the East Bay. For two years, she served as Team Leader and Volunteer Coordinator for a non-profit organization promoting early childhood education. She also worked as a College Advocate at a local high school where she facilitated CAHSEE and SAT preparation seminars, as well as coordinated the annual College Fair. As a Staff Tutor for Berkeley Unified School District, she provided one-on-one academic support and college application advising. During her last semester, Sara participated in a language and culture program in Brazil where she conducted research on that country's affirmative action initiative in public university admissions. Through this fellowship, she hopes to gain valuable exposure in grassroots organizing and collaborate on progressive reforms for public education in Oakland.

Stephanie Wong
Stephanie is a rising senior at UC Berkeley, studying Media Studies, with a minor in Global Poverty and Practice. Her ties to Oakland public schools began three years ago, when she first became a tutor and mentor for Oakland Asian Students Educational Services (OASES). Since then, she has continued to volunteer with OASES and interned at the U.S. Department of Education. Most recently, she helped instruct a Berkeley undergraduate course on "Current Issues in Education," deconstructing and analyzing the social, political, and economic issues that affect education. She is passionate about social justice, human rights, education, and journalism, all of which help drive her educational interests and experiences.


If you are interested in hearing about future fellowship opportunities this fall and in the future, please join our email list at http://www.gopublicschools.org/.

Posted by Admin - Permalink