Careers in Urban Education Panel @ Trinity College
Hear the stories of Trinity alumni that are educators here in Hartford and other cities. Learn about their pathway into a career in urban education. There will be time for questions & discussion. Confirmed speakers include Shantel Hanniford, Zuleyka Shaw, Kate Bermingham, Stacey Lopez, Self Suffice (Khaiim Kelly), and Jesse Wanzer.
Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 22
Location: Grand Room, Hallden Hall North
Light Dinner Served. Please sign up below so we can have an accurate count for dinner!
Sponsored by Urban Educational Initiatives, Educational Studies Program, and Career Development
Did you miss this event? You can watch the video recording below, here,or on YouTube.
Hi everyone, my name is Shantel Hanniford and I graduated from Trinity in 2014. While I was at Trinity I double majored in psychology and educational studies. I was also a member of the women’s basketball team and Caribbean Student’s Association (CSA). I am currently in my second year as an Americorps volunteer teacher at an all girls middle school in downtown Hartford, Grace Academy. My decision to teach was not an easy one, and like many of you interested in a pathway into urban education, you have the desire but may be missing the experience and that’s what I was missing when I was at your age at Trinity. Through this volunteer position at Grace Academy I have the flexibility to explore many different aspects of education. Last year my primary roles were 5th grade social studies teacher, administrative assistant, assistant director of Graduate support, and head basketball coach. This year my responsibilities have almost doubled. I am now the athletic director for the entire school, I’m still the head basketball coach, I am now the 5th and 6th grade health teacher, I’m still a 5th grade social studies teacher, 6th grade lead adviser, and I’m still an assistant director of graduate support. Thank you and I look forward to seeing all of you at the event.
Zuleyka Shaw graduated from Trinity in 2006 with a degree in biochemistry. She received her Masters in Science from The University of Connecticut in Curriculum and Instruction in 2009. She has been teaching in the city of Hartford since graduating from UConn. She has worked at two magnet schools and a community school within the district teaching both high school and middle school science. She is currently an 8th grade science teacher at Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy.
I graduated from Trinity with a double major in Psychology and Educational Studies in 2007. While earning my degree at Trinity I also obtained my teaching certification at Saint Joseph College. In the Fall of ’07 I student taught in a First Grade classroom at a Hartford magnet school. In January ’08, after student teaching, I took over a kindergarten classroom for a retiring a teacher and am now in my 8th year of teaching in Hartford. I have taught Kindergarten, First and Second grades and worked in 3 different schools and although it is challenging at times, I plan to stay in the district for many years to come. I stay connected with Trinity and work with the Educational Studies Department as a coordinator for Ed200 placements at my school. Currently, I’m teaching Second Grade at the Expeditionary Learning Academy at Moylan School (ELAMS) in Hartford.
Within Hartford’s youth development sector, Stacey has served as a mentor, bilingual educator, program coordinator, and program director. She currently works as Youth Organizer for the Christian Activities Council in Hartford’s North End neighborhood. Stacey graduated from Trinity College in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Educational Studies and a minor in Community Action Studies. During her undergraduate studies, she held several internships in schools and community-based organizations in which she became passionate about popular education. Knowing that she doesn’t want to be a traditional classroom teacher, Stacey develops and facilitates culturally-relevant programs for several youth and community-focused non-profits. Grounded by a commitment to social justice, Stacey has applied her degrees in a wide range of areas: arts-based programs for populations impacted incarceration, food justice initiatives, urban agriculture, after-school programs, youth mentoring, adult education, and community organizing. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Social Work at University of Saint Joseph and serves on the board of the Judy Dworin Performance Project.
Khaiim the RapOet reaches several thousand individuals each year, through over 300 entertaining workshops, residencies, and performances. His busy schedule is inspired by a mission to help artists and teachers share their talents with the world. Also known as Self Suffice, when credited on musical recordings and Inspiring live performances, he turned down a major label deal from Def Jam to pursue a scholarship in Computer Science, and created his own music download software. Along with Mez of Jay-Z’s Dreamville/Roc Nation, he released “Manhattan Night”, which rose to the top of the independent Hip-Hop Top 40 Charts.
I graduated from Trinity in 2008 with a dual major in Education Studies and Psychology. When I graduated I knew I wanted to pursue either psychology or education. I knew I wanted to do research of some kind because I had done so much of it at Trinity. I started out as a research assistant in a psychology lab and absolutely despised it. I didn’t feel as if I was doing anything of meaning. I started thinking of my options and reflected a little on my time as an Ed Studies student at Trinity. I remembered how much I loved my placements at MD Fox, McDonough, and Parkville. I also thought about a conversation I had with Jack at an AERA conference a few years prior and him mentioning that a lot of Ed Studies students don’t realize that they’d make good teachers. I think we get so locked into the research that we don’t always stop and think, “What difference can I make?”So, I found a few options to return to school to get my teaching certification. I knew I wanted to return to Hartford and teach because Hartford had done so much for me. I enrolled in the University of New Haven’s Master’s in Teaching program. It was a one year (tuition-free!) program. I worked as an intern where I lived (Enfield) and took my classes at night at a satellite branch (Newington). After interning for a year, I student-taught in Hartford at Wish. Interning really prepared me to student-teach. I was also lucky to have an outstanding cooperating teacher that pushed me to become better. My student-teaching experience led me to a long-term sub position in Hartford until I landed a full-time job last year teaching 4th grade at the Expeditionary Learning Academy at Moylan School (ELAMS). I looped this year and am now teaching 5th grade. I love it and couldn’t think of doing anything else. Now I feel like I am finally giving back to Hartford.
