Martha is a speaker, writer, educator, and native New Yorker working in pursuit of social
justice. While pursing a M.A. Ed in Secondary Inclusive Education/Special Ed at Teachers
College, Columbia University she works to provide a space in transforming how educators and
students interact with and address the politics of schooling. She is a research conference
presenter, and recently held a workshop at the 34th Annual Winter Roundtable on Cultural
Psychology in Education, on language and labels used in education. She holds a Master of
Science in journalism, from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and a
Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from New York University.
She has worked as a Senior Program Manager, for a national nonprofit, focused on getting
students in and through college, utilizing the power of mentoring. She continues working for
equity as an educational consultant. Helping students reach their full potential is her life's
cause, and she works with practical purpose. This year she continues to interact with students
in middle and high school, coaching through challenges, making cultural connections to
curricular content, and helping access resources.
Sylvia Moon is currently a Teaching Resident in the TR@TC2 program at Teachers College, Columbia University. After graduating with a BA in English from Binghamton University, she taught English as a Foreign Language at a rural elementary school in Jeonju, South Korea for a year before coming to Teachers College to pursue a MA in TESOL. Sylvia hopes to serve NYC public schools as an educator who highly values English Language Learners’ first languages, cultural backgrounds, and experiences as they embark on this journey toward acquiring English as a New Language. She hopes to use a community-based learning approach and integrate students’ surrounding communities as a resource to enhance student-learning. During her free time, Sylvia enjoys studying at cafes and going on road trips with friends.
Rebecca Fitle is a current Teaching Resident and MA candidate in Applied Linguistics/TESOL in TR@TC2, a program of Columbia University’s Teachers College funded by the federal Teacher Quality Partnership Grant. Rebecca’s teaching is grounded in her belief that the ability to read and write are fundamental human rights. She also holds a BA in English from Boston College, an MA in Art History from The University of New Mexico, and is currently pursuing dual certification in English as a New Language and English Language Arts while teaching at a Brooklyn high school. In the ten years that she has made NYC her home, Rebecca earned an MA and M.Phil. from the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University, taught Art Humanities at Columbia College, and fostered the development of community garden groups in her roles as Regional Engagement Manager at New York Restoration Project and Community Organizer at Green Guerillas. Rebecca has found the NYC public school classroom to be an an ideal place to bridge her varied educational and professional experiences. There she refines her expertise in visual teaching strategies, group structure and development and curriculum design.
In the summer of 2017 Rebecca will be traveling to San Jose State as a Summer Scholar of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Institute on The California Immigrant Experience through Literature and Theater.
Laura Schelble spent five years living and teaching in Spain,
Guatemala and Japan before moving back to the United States at the
beginning of 2016 ready to challenge and transform the way in which
we view cultural and linguistic diversity in American schools. She is
currently working towards her MA from Teachers College, Columbia
University in Applied Linguistics and TESOL and has a BA from
Dalhousie University in Psychology and Spanish.