Arts in Education

HGSE Arts in Education Program Student Profiles

Ju-Hye Ahn brings a wealth of international teaching experience to the HGSE Arts in Education program, having spent time in the studio-arts classroom in her native city of Toronto, and a two-year stint at the American School of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia. She has worked as an artist-in-residence at multiple locations in the Northeastern United States, including at the Contemporary Artist Center in North Adams, Massachusetts, and at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont. Ju-Hye enters HGSE with a BFA in Printmaking and a B.Ed. from the Artist-in-Community Education program at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Ariana Austin, a native of Washington, D.C., did her undergraduate work in English literature at Fisk University in Nashville, her master’s in the same subject area at the University of Maryland, and course work at Oxford, at the Sorbonne, and aboard a ship for a semester at sea. She has worked as a teacher’s assistant in a Parisian high school and as a language arts teacher at the Washington Islamic Academy. Former employee of the Meridian International Center and deep believer in social entrepreneurship, she is founding director of ‘Art All Night’, an all-night arts and culture festival in her native city of Washington, D.C.

Julia Beck entered the AIE program directly upon finishing work on her first master’s degree in applied theater at the University of London’s Central School of Speech & Drama. Prior to her studies in the UK, she worked as the assistant director at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Musical Theatre Program and as an education associate at Chicago Children’s Theatre, where she helped to coordinate the Red Kite Project for children with autism. With a BA in theater (and a certificate in musical theater) from Northwestern University, Julia has spent time as a nationally touring and Chicago-based actress—including on a recent production of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.

After receiving bachelor's degrees in music and education from McGill University in 2006, Laura Bouix began working as a band director in the Boston Public Schools and as the director of the Vermont Youth Orchestra Reveille! Music Festival. A part-time student at HGSE, Laura plays in the Brookline Symphony Orchestra, the Lowell House Opera Orchestra, and the Charles River Wind Ensemble. She is an aspiring Argentine tango dancer and an avid cyclist.

Zoë Blatt did her BFA in visual art in a joint program at the University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts in her hometown of Philadelphia, drawing, painting, sculpting, and printmaking for two years before finding her way into fibers installation and interactive works for children. In recent years Zoë has taught after-school art and substituted at a Friends School in Philadelphia, created an after-school mural program in a public middle school, and exhibited her paintings in and around Philadelphia. During the two most recent summers Zoë taught art to at-risk teenagers at a nonprofit summer program in North Philadelphia.

A current Arts in Education graduate program assistant, Charles Burchell works actively as a professional drummer, pianist, songwriter, and producer in the Boston area. A native of New Orleans, Charles has taught music workshops in California, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Panama, and France. He is a recent graduate of the New England Conservatory’s music performance program, and he has started three bands and recorded seven records in his young career.

Sean Caulfield currently serves as co-founder and creative director of the Massachusetts-based organization ARTZ: Artists for Alzheimer’s. His work on Alzheimer’s-specific museum programs have been featured at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, the Louvre in Paris, the National Gallery of Australia, the California Museum in Sacramento, and the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. Through his organization, Sean developed the ARTZ Massachusetts Museum Network to offer free weekly programming and museum experiences to people with dementia and their care partners.

A 2008 graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Alexandria Chambers wrote her University of Texas at Austin honors thesis in American studies (2012) on boy choir boarding schools in the United States. She has sung soprano as a freelance soloist and section leader in Dallas and Austin, sung soprano in numerous choruses (including the University of Texas Chamber Singers and the Youth Chorus of Greater Dallas), and studied theater in an intensive program at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City. In recent years, she also served as a Big Sister, a vacation bible school teacher, and a senior counselor in academics and arts for the Phillips Brooks House Association's Chinatown Adventure camp in Boston. Alex has contributed to several published articles in home décor magazines in Texas for her family’s interior design firm.

Sheryl Chen in recent years has worked as an English language assistant for three primary schools in Toulouse, France, as a community arts liaison for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, and as an education intern at the MFA in their Artful Adventures program. She studied art history and American studies (with a focus on urban development) at UC Berkeley—and for several consecutive summers taught visual art at the Irvine Fine Arts Center in California and on the side tutored students in the fine art of standardized test-taking.

Jody Ellenby came to the Arts in Education program following her time at Northwestern University, where she studied ethnomusicology and completed a thesis entitled “Adult-Child Music Classes as Idiocultures”. She has worked in a number of early childhood education settings—including as a “creative kids’ teacher” for an after-school, literature-based, bilingual theatre program and as a “music together teacher” for children and their families. A South Florida native, Jody was raised on a tropical organic fruit farm.

Evelisa Genova earned two Bachelors degrees back home in Ontario, Canada—one in fine arts and philosophy from McMaster University in 2009, the other in education from the University of Toronto in 2011—before enrolling in the AIE program. She has also worked with the children of immigrant families as an education intern for the Thistletown Regional Centre, as a program leader for the Rustic Pathways travel program (in Fiji), and as an after-school facilitator for Community Matters of Jamestown. A talented and prolific oil painter, Evelisa has shown her work in a variety of gallery exhibitions in Ontario—and on her Gilded Bodies website.

Originally from Scarsdale, New York, Ellen Grenley came to the HGSE Arts in Education program after a six-year stint at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, first as an education assistant and more recently (reversing the terms in her promotion) as an assistant educator. Prior to her work at MoMA, Ellen studied art history at Bowdoin College, in Brunswick, Maine, an experience that included exchange-program and semester-abroad experiences in Aix-en-Provence and Paris. She is interested in further exploring the ways in which museums can provide successful learning environments for individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Marissa A. Gutiérrez-Vicario did her undergraduate work in political science and international relations at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles—and then a Master’s in public administration, nonprofit management, and public policy at New York University. Marissa has attended and presented at human-rights conferences in Italy and France; traveled to India, Cambodia, and Senegal on human-rights research and service trips; and worked for a number of youth education projects, most recently for the Advocacy Lab in Brooklyn and for Public Allies New York. She has been making piñatas since the age of seven—but it took 20 years for her to realize how integral the practice of this folk-art tradition from her Mexican heritage actually is (as evidenced in public artwork she did onsite at Zuccotti Park for Occupy Wall Street).

Lisa Hiton graduated from Boston University’s film school in 2009, worked at Miramax Films for a spell, and then did an MFA in poetry at BU while working as a teaching fellow for renowned poet Robert Pinsky, teaching writing at Wentworth Institute, and serving as a literature and language specialist in the Boston Public Schools. Lisa has studied and worked in a variety of literary spaces, including the New York State Summer Writer’s Institute and Bard College’s Center for Writing and Thinking. She has received a Pushcart Prize nomination from DMQ Review for her poem, “The Senator.”

A published author on the topic of schizophrenia and cognitive behavioral therapy, Lauren Jobson-Ahmed entered the AIE program with nearly a decade’s worth of experience at work for marginalized and at-risk communities in the mental health, non-profit, restorative justice, and educational realms. The Washington Heights native of New York completed her undergraduate studies at Fordham University and has since worked with several organizations incorporating human development research, arts program development, prevention, and community outreach. Lauren’s primary artistic focus is mural making, which has led to the creation of 20 works across New York City.

With a diverse background that includes work as a software specialist and visual artist, Cathy Kaplan enters HGSE with a wide range of educational and professional experience. A graduate of Wellesley College and Goddard College, Cathy also spent five years working in neuroscience research at Dartmouth College and Brown University. She currently resides with her husband and two children in Concord, New Hampshire, where she works as the concert and publicity manager at Concord Community Music School.

Shawn Lavoie came to HGSE on leave from six years of work as development director and multidisciplinary teacher (of humanities, dance, Spanish, circus, and drama) at the Youth Initiative High School in Viroqua, Wisconsin. Shawn has worked actively as a juggler, clown, acrobat, and funambulist in a variety of circus settings, and helped to found the University of Chicago’s first student circus during his time at the school. He currently is the father of a one-year old boy, and looks forward—even though he is a Massachusetts native—to returning to the Youth Initiative High School in Wisconsin upon graduation.

Elise Lemle taught second grade at an independent school in her hometown of Washington, D.C., for the two years prior to her enrollment at HGSE. A jewelry designer and classical vocalist, Elise earned a B.A. in theater and performance studies at Georgetown University, where she worked as a costume and set designer for the Gonda Theater. She is interested in exploring how arts-integrated curriculums can work in her classroom.

Jenny Long is a singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist, and Beatles lover from Los Angeles. Also an admirer of Samuel Beckett, Bob Dylan, Winston Churchill, and Miles Davis, Jenny has worked for a music management company, as a tutor for 826LA, and as a creative consultant for a web project at a classical music radio station. She recently completed her debut album Negentropic and has come to HGSE to explore research around neuroaesthetics, a field which combines neurological research with aesthetics by exploring art on the level of mental states and brain function.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Clare McFadden was the 2011 recipient of the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Crichton Award for her illustrated children’s book, The Flying Orchestra. She has worked actively at the State Library of Queensland to develop arts learning programs, workshops, and events for children. After being awarded a fellowship to study youth engagement in the arts, Clare traveled to Italy to attend the Reggio Emilia International Summer School, as well as to locations in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

After graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in entrepreneurship and marketing management, Nick Monzi followed his passion in the arts through the development of a visual design business, servicing marching arts organizations throughout the United States. The two-time Drum Corps International silver medalist currently teaches the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps in Wisconsin, as well as a variety of high school ensembles in the northeast. Nick serves as an Arts in Education Graduate Program Assistant, and as an entrepreneur-in-residence for BRIDGE @ HGSE, the school’s organization for education innovation.

Lauren Paullin did her undergraduate work in art history at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where she also worked as a docent coordinator and as an education intern for the UVA Art Museum. Lauren has also worked as an intern at the Glave Kocen Gallery in hometown Richmond and as assistant manager for a museum-related Smithsonian Associates youth camp in Washington, D.C. She spent one full semester studying and tutoring English at universities in Lima, Peru.

A native of Seattle and the beneficiary of an arts-enriched childhood, Wilhelmina Peragine graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a major in sociology and a minor in visual arts. Following her studies, Wilhelmina worked as an art teacher, special educator, and first-grade teacher for Teach for America at John Dibert Elementary in New Orleans, helping to close the “arts gap” in the city. She entered the AIE program after two years of teaching art at the KIPP Austin Academy of Arts and Letters in Austin, Texas, and one year of living as a commissioned artist and TFA mentor in Houston.

Kate Pfaff, a native of the famously agricultural “central valley” of Northern California, arrived in Cambridge fresh from undergraduate studies in history and Spanish at UC Berkeley. She spent half a year studying at Universidad de Chile and assisting an English teacher in Santiago. She has worked as a dance educator for UC-Berkeley’s community-service C.R.E.A.T.E. program, at a Berkeley elementary school, and for the Dance Academy in hometown Modesto, and also served as a translator for East Bay Sanctuary and as one of 16 members of the Cal Dance Team.

Erin Preston, born and raised in Las Vegas, most recently taught visual art at the School of Digital Media and Design in San Diego, where she has also served on the Sugar Museum’s board of directors. Erin has also worked as a special education teacher, after-school arts director, digital video artist, public artist, and freelance designer, and is interested in learning more about interdisciplinary project-based learning, educational research practice, and the role of community and policy in education reform. She earned a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design and teacher certification in arts media and entertainment from San Diego State University, where she was in the first cohort of the Linked Learning program.

Daniel B. Román is a visual artist interested in issues of access to quality academic and art education for underserved communities. After his studies at Harvard he plans to establish an art center in his hometown of Cicero, Illinois. Daniel holds a BFA (with high honors) in painting and art history from the University of Illinois, as well as an MFA in painting from the Tyler School of Art. He has held solo exhibitions in Philadelphia and Rome and has had his work featured in New American Paintings, Weekly World News, and Frieze Magazine.

Lela Rosen was born and raised in the artistic community of Brattleboro, Vermont, and grew up singing about teddy bears and performing all over the United States with her family. After studying public policy and music as an undergrad at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Upstate New York, she moved to New York City to teach second grade at Harlem Success Academy. Lela did that for three years—including two years in a collaborate team-teaching classroom (CTT)—with the inspiring help of the Project-Based Learning curriculum.

Los Angeles native Lydia Ross graduated from Columbia University with a BA in American studies. Afterwards, she worked for the Center for Arts Education, helping parents, educators, New York city council members, and various cultural institutions gather support for an education reform bill that would restore dedicated arts funding to New York City public schools. During the last four years Lydia has worked in different capacities at Creative Time, NYC’s vanguard public art nonprofit—first as visitor services manager, then as assistant to the development and executive directors, and more recently as for two years as full-time grant writer.

John Sessler is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he completed a degree in theater. After working as an actor and teaching artist in Chicago, he traveled to Minneapolis to join the education team at the Children's Theatre Company. John became a manager and teaching artist of the theatre's primary community engagement program, Neighborhood Bridges. While he was there, he helped adapt the curriculum to create an early childhood program that used storytelling and puppetry to hone critical literacy skills.

Allison Trombley is a second-year, part-time AIE student and a full-time coordinator of K-12 educational projects for the Harvard-based office of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project. Allison has undergraduate degrees in creative writing and American studies, a master’s degree in American studies, and a history of experiences as a writing teacher and teaching artist in community colleges and urban schools. She has worked as a consultant for arts organizations and for the St. Louis Public Schools in her native state of Missouri.

Prior to joining the AIE cohort at HGSE, Lynn Yang worked with the National Arts Council of Singapore, administering grants, doing policy work, and advocating for theater artists in hopes of developing the drama sector in Singapore. Lynn is a 2009 graduate of Carleton College in Minnesota, where she studied psychology, and she has performed on stage in a variety of capacities, including an all-female version of Lord of the Flies and an outdoor piece featuring 35 women dressed in sackcloth and performing in giant urns of water. She is excited about the potential for growth and expansion in her country’s drama education programs, and looks forward to putting her experiences at Harvard to use in that cause.

Sarah “Zeta” Zuckerman is on leave from her long-time job as teacher of visual arts and spatial intelligence for the Key Learning Community in the Indianapolis Public Schools. A graduate of the Herron School of Art and a mixed-media artist who has had solo shows in Mexico and the United States, Sarah has designed curriculum for a technology-in-arts program at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and has taught dance at the Center for Inquiry, in the International Baccalaureate Program, for the Indianapolis Pubic Schools. She participated in the Project Zero Classroom institute at HGSE in 2009.

Melissa Wolfish was raised in Los Angeles, California, and studied creative writing at Oberlin College. She most recently served as an AmeriCorps fellow with KOREH L.A., the literacy project of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. In college, Melissa gained significant arts administration experience through internships at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), Center Theatre Group (Los Angeles), and TheatreWorks (Palo Alto). A highlight of her experience at Harvard has been working at HGSE's Development and Alumni Relations office, where she writes and edits content for print materials.

2011-12 AIE Student Profiles

2010-11 AIE Student Profiles

2009-10 AIE Student Profiles

2008-09 AIE Student Profiles

2007-08 AIE Student Profiles

2006-07 AIE Student Profiles

AIE Student Involvement

Events and Exhibits

At the Office for the Arts in Education Program, Room 305 Longfellow Hall, students can find a variety of resources such as:

lists of arts-related courses throughout the university and lists of courses at HGSE that lend themselves to arts focusing
information on possible arts-related field placement sites, internships, and job opportunities
guidance on focusing an Arts in Education program
recommendations for instructors who will support arts-related independent studies
selected resources for arts-related research and a collection of past AIE student courses of study and sample student work on arts-related topics
information on arts activities and resources at Harvard and in the surrounding areas