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Alumni Stories

Every Ed School graduate has a story. These are just a few of them. 

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Charlotte Dungan

Students: AI is Part of Your World

Alum helps young people understand how artificial intelligence is changing everything they know

Illustration by Tete Garcia

No, Pinterest Isn’t the Place to Build Lesson Plans

Alum’s nonprofit pilots new play-based early ed curriculum in Boston

College Completion illustration by Wren McDonald

Does Anyone Win When Colleges Compete?

Hypercompetition isn’t working for higher education. Can the field find a way to cooperate?

microphone

Air Time

A new podcast series provides a window into the complex lives of young immigrants in America

Lighthouse illustration by Tete Garcia

How to Become a Teacher

(In Three Easy Steps Over 20 Long Years)

Students in the game club

Game On

Students meet weekly for a board game battle

Illustrations by Adam Maida

The Trying Transfer

What happened when a state tried to fix the complex, and often inequitable, maze community college students need to navigate when they try to make the leap to a four-year school?

Illustration of a magician's hat by Nate Williams

The Problem with Grading

When it comes to how we show what students know, do traditional grading practices deserve an F?

Alexia LeClercq

Eco Ed Justice

Alexia Leclercq, Ed.M.’23, is here for the collective good

Cornelius Troy

Doing Good Work

Cornelius Troy, Ed.M.'21, shares what motivates him as an assistant principal in Miami

Mobius strip on violet background

“Don’t Worry — You’ll Figure It Out”

Learning how to teach design

Students at Focus lunch

Food for Thought

Students and adults tackle an issue over lunch — as equals

Josh Levin

The Ninja Next Door

Recent grad masters Hornet’s Nest and Eyeglass Alley on his way to finals of "American Ninja Warrior"

Joseph Longbottom

The Longbottom Thesis

Joseph Longbottom finds inspiration in his grandfather’s Harvard thesis

Illustration of girl with grandfather

Memories of a Grandfather — and Caring Teachers

A personal understanding of why support is critical for refugee learners

Illustration by Jason Schneider

Oversized Rugby Shirts, the Text, and 25 Years of Parallel Moments

An alum recounts her friendship with another graduate — Temple University’s new president

Illustration of hand with letter

Is it Time to Rethink Recommendation Letters?

How counselors can make college recommendations more equitable

Zid Mancenido

Lessons Learned: Zid Mancenido, Ph.D.'22

What one alum learned about why students don't choose to become teachers

Sneaker

To Whom it May Concern: All of Us

One teacher reflects on how school shootings reverberate

Kate Strangfeld

Think Like a Scientist

One alum's quest to teach science concepts through cooking

Illustration of teachers

Reel-World Education

A new documentary captures teachers creating more equitable classrooms

Illustration of head with squiggly arrow

The Seekers

Meet eight current students and recent graduates who experienced or identified problems in education — and are now working on solutions to help others

Jenny Dorsey

Ed.ible

Jenny Dorsey wants to educate people about her passion: food

UK and US flags in speech bubbles

The Revolution Will Be Zoomed

Students from the United States and United Kingdom virtually debate the American Revolution through alum’s Young Historians Program

Tanya Wright

Crimson Is the New Orange

Tanya Wright left Hollywood for a year of Ivy

Resilience illustration

The Art of Talking With Children

Ten ways to jumpstart conversations with kids that will help them bounce back from challenges.

Illustration by Nadia Hafid

Rookie Lessons

Longtime radio host shares what he’s learned from his incarcerated students.

Illustration of a teacher with students

A Space for Joy

Educators talk about the impact COVID has had on school happiness.

Mariangely Solis Cervera

Working for Wu

Recent alum heads up DEI in a historic Boston administration.

Children in class

The Move to Make Early Childcare Better — for Kids and Teachers

Kim Frusciante’s efforts to be an “early partner” for NoLa families.

Illustration of smoke around school desks

My Climate Moment

How paralyzing sadness over the state of the environment turned to a new education focus.

Matt Grimes

A Swing and a Hit

Matthew Grimes, Ed.M.’21, finds his dream job doing DEI work with the MLB.

Wizard of Oz illustration

The Wizard Behind the Camera

Filmmaker Tracy Heather Strain brings Oz writer and many others to life.

Lagos, Nigeria

Nigeria Is Where I'll Stay

A Nigerian teacher helps out-of-school children in her hometown.

Children on Stage

The Show Went On

Despite COVID, two alums knew the play was the thing.

Illustration of earth on chalkboard

So Your Student Believes the Earth Is Flat

Ten ways for teachers to address science denial.

Pile of letters

Past Tense

How one alum stayed connected during a remote year.

Illustration of students in a classroom

The Greatest Battle in History

America is once again asking the question: Who gets to decide how we teach the history of our country’s past?

Electric School Bus

The School Bus Goes Electric

With nearly 94% of school buses diesel powered, districts are starting to look at converting.

Legal Matters Do Matter

Recent graduate Ayesha Cotton helps families overcome legal obstacles at her school.

Winship Elementary leaders

Blue Ribbon Honors

Local school with HGSE ties named a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

Tony Delarosa

How Do We Get — and Keep — More Asian American Male Teachers?

New York City initiative cofounded by alum finishes first year trying to do just this.

Science symbols

The Nucleus of Teaching Chemistry as a First-Year Teacher — on Zoom

Ruth Park talks lessons learned after a unique inaugural year in the classroom.

Manya Steinfeld

Virtual Works

Virtual and part-time was the best option for many students this year.

Cavman

A Cavalier Attitude Adjustment

An alum dons a beloved costume during COVID to make a campus smile.

Downtown Poughkeepsie, NY

Poughkeepsie on the Rise

Alum learns it’s never too late to come home — and have a lasting impact on students and schools.

Olivia Phillips

What I Learned From Teaching Algebra on TikTok

One HTF alum helps her students through the pandemic by creating algebra refreshers on TikTok.

Illustration by Brian Cronin

Lights! Camera! ... uh, Camera! Hello? Action!

Ten ways to get students to turn on their cameras.

A photo of a female student smiling in class

Happy Students Are Motivated Students

Happiness is positively correlated with motivation and academic achievement.

Illustration of kid on bed in a mask by Brian Cronin

My Get Up and Go Got Up and Went

With a pandemic that has gone on for more than a year, how do students and teachers stay motivated?

David Kwabena Wilson

It's Lonely at the Top

It’s never been easy to be a college president. This past year, with a pandemic in full swing, the job became that much harder.

John Schlimm

The Magnum Opus of Gen Z

A teacher’s journey documenting his students lives led to The Gen Z Time Capsule collaboration with the Andy Warhol Museum.

School Drawing

COVID Has Made It Clear: We Can Do Better

A school leader describes how society can — and should — redefine what school is.

Claudia Espinosa with students in Harlem

All They Need is L.O.V.E.

Mentoring Latinas in New York City schools.

Sports posters with young kids

A Shot at Therapy

Boston-based nonprofit uses sports — now online — to address stress and mental health issues for young people.

Richa Gupta with students

Tools Help Schools in India With SEL During COVID

How one nonprofit is helping students and teachers cope using text, voicemail, and apps.

Lynette Tannis

Virtual Running Records During the Pandemic

Alum was determined not to let students lose ground in reading because of COVID.

Microphone

After Hours Learning — With a Podcast

A class podcast connects students and alumni on their own time.

Malika Ali

Education = Freedom

Based on her parents' experience in Eritria and her own time in school, alum Malika Ali, Ed.M.’19, learned that education meant liberation

FIRST PERSON: Fall 2020, In One Word: Nuts

Graduate Matt Weber, Ed.M.’11, learned something about teaching during a pandemic from the iconic Mr. Goodbar: Keep it simple, be kind, and always carry chocolate.

FIRST PERSON: Teachers, Step Back and Listen

An eight-year veteran teacher realized she didn't know what her students needed — or what was meaningful for them — during online COVID learning

Teresa Bazzera

Teresa Bezerra, Ed.M.’02

Teacher | Arleta High School | Los Angeles

Irvin Scott

Irvin Scott, Ed.M.’07, Ed.D.’11

Senior Lecturer | Harvard Graduate School of Education | Cambridge

Andy Zucker

Andy Zucker, Ed.D.’78

Retired Educational Researcher and Evaluator | Teacher | Cambridge

Kenton Shimozaki

Kenton Shimozaki, Ed.M.'20

Middle School Teacher and HTF Cohort 4 Alum | A Public Charter School | Denver

The Long family

Christian Long, Ed.M.’01, and Karla Long, Ed.M.’01

Lifelong Educators | Granville, Ohio

Svati Lelyveld

Svati Mariam Lelyveld, Ed.M.’12

Eighth-Grade Social Studies Teacher | Bronx School of Young Leaders, MS 331 | New York City

Mara Schanfield

Mara Schanfield, Ed.M.’08, C.A.S. ’09

Senior Technical Assistance Coordinator | American Institutes for Research | St. Paul, Minnesota

Akinyi Williams

Akinyi Williams, Ed.M.’16

Founder and Executive Director | Hope for the Child | Kisumu, Kenya

Alec Lee

Alec Lee, Ed.M.’85

Executive Director | Aim High | San Francisco

Kwame Adams

Kwame Adams, Ed.M.’20

Program Manager | Office of School Transformation, Boston Public Schools | Boston

Melanie Shea

Melanie Shea, Ed.M.’20

History Teacher | Madison Park Technical Vocational High School | Boston

Robin Loewald

Robin Loewald, Ed.M.’19

Ninth-Grade English Teacher | Melrose High School | Melrose, Massachusetts

Felicity Burgess

A "Friends"-Inspired Pivot Back to England

Felicity Burgess, Ed.M.'20, moved home after COVID closed her options

More than Words

Jodi Rosenbaum, Ed.M.’02

Founder and Executive Director | More Than Words | Boston

Pivot Out Loud logo

Pivot Out Loud

An audio series continuing the stories of a few of our contributors. First they pivoted, then what?

Jill Yoshikawa

Jill Yoshikawa, Ed.M.’99

Partner | Creative Marble Consultancy | Sacramento, California

Dhyan Adler-Belendez

Dhyan Adler-Belendez, Ed.M.’18

Founder | Grad Guru | Mexico City

Hetal Jani

Because They're Worth It

Alum starts mentorship program for immigrant girls.

Randy Ribay

The Patron Saint of Writing What You Know

YA author, nominated for a National Book Award, teaches by day, writes by morning.

ColorFULL founders

See Yourself in the Curriculum

ColorFULL addresses lack of diversity in schools' multimedia offerings.

Drew Madson

Recess: Drew Madson, Cartoonist

Drew Madson, Ed.M.’20, doodles highlights from his year at HGSE.

Ann Mantil

METCO, Evaluated

Grad conducts first formal study of 50-year-old school integration program.

Parenting Education

Parent Approved

A look at how much — or how little high schoolers — know about parenting.

Ashton Wheeler Clemmons

Looking for Lights

Why one teacher decided it was time to run for public office.

Alice Liou

Be the Upstander

An alum-created app helps educators address microaggression.

Illustration by Cristina Spano

Right on the Nail

Teacher Joshua Jenkins, Ed.M.'15, writes about disrupting the gender binary.

Molly Heber

High School Insider

How one alum is giving student journalists and writers a place to share their stories.

Alex Tavares

The Unlikely Entrepreneur

A teacher turns an obstacle into an invention that helps readers.

Heather Miller

Prime-Time Parenting

Heather Miller, Ed.M.'00, helps parents navigate technology and chaos during school nights.

Social Justice Sewing Academy

Activism, One Stitch at a Time

Sara Trail, Ed.M.'17, talks sewing, quilts, and social justice.