June 2025 – Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

Executive Director Letter, June 2025

Congratulations to our IRT Scholars who have recently completed the IRT program and are preparing for their next steps! We know that this was not an easy year for graduate admissions, and we are proud of you regardless of your final decision. This year, I learned more from our scholars than I anticipated. I learned about their commitment, discipline, and unwavering hope and optimism, as well as their resolute belief in improving our education system, regardless of their location. I’m proud of what you accomplished, even if this year did not turn out as you anticipated.

Over the last few weeks, we have begun welcoming our newest cohort. This year, we experienced our highest virtual turnover ever for our Orientation, and we hope to continue building on our momentum of expanding our Summer Curriculum to all scholars via both asynchronous and synchronous virtual delivery. Our incoming cohort of over 130 scholars demonstrated a keen ability to articulate why they are invested in their research and goals at this critical time, as well as how this community can support one another. I am grateful to the IRT staff and Summer Workshop Faculty for developing and delivering our content.

Learning from the Environment and the People While Remaining Ever Curious

by Crystal Alexandra Simmons, IRT ’24

When you ask someone “where have you been?” it can bring about a myriad of answers. Depending on the context, we often feel the pressure of naming and listing all the places and spaces. But what’s the point in sharing our travels if we don’t slow down and digest all the lessons from the experiences. Throughout my life, I have traveled to many places in the United States (and still some to go) along with four other countries (technically 5 but the Vatican was kind of a (twofer”). From an early age, my curiosity about the world and the life that inhabits it fascinated me. What do people do for work? What do they eat everyday? Do they like pancakes like me? Do they go see their grandmother monthly like I did? Do they have the same flowers as here? So many more questions had swirled in my head as a young child about ways of life that were happening miles away from my hometown of Waldorf, Maryland. My mother would often call me her “show me” child. As a child, I was constantly watching and learning from my environment. One of those early signs that my instinct to see and connect with the world was far more eminent than I realized. At one point in my adolescence, I thought I was going to go to Johns Hopkins and major in International relations (an elevator pitch I had developed after my first year in high school). But what was always fascinating to me about traveling was the stories of the people. My grandparents always had stories of the food they ate, situations they ran into, and how they met the people along the way. It was where I learned that no matter where you go, connecting with the land is about the people, and the people make the experience.

First Year Perspectives and Advice from IRT Alumni

We asked recent scholars in the IRT 2023 Cohort to share their experiences during their first year in graduate school. Here’s what they had to say…

Hi! My name is Sarah Brokenborough, and I just wrapped up my first year in the joint PhD program in Art History and Latin American Studies at Tulane University in New Orleans. I moved to New Orleans right after finishing my MA in the History of Art in London. I thought I had a pretty solid idea of what I wanted my PhD dissertation to look like. But over the past year, my coursework has really broadened my research interests. I presented at four conferences, an on-campus symposium, and even travelled to Berlin to present at a workshop at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Connecting with other PhD students and faculty helped me see how my interdisciplinary research fits into ongoing conversations in the field. Tulane has been incredibly supportive. My two home departments provided several travel and research grants.

Taking the Next Steps in Their Academic Journey

The IRT congratulates the fortitude and perseverance of its latest cohort as they plan to begin their graduate studies in the constantly evolving educational landscape. These scholars will engage and challenge one another in their graduate programs. The IRT team wishes scholars abundant success and fulfillment in this next step.

Alumni Accolades, June 2025

Reena Goldthree, IRT ’02
Congratulations to Dr. Reena Goldthree, who earned tenure at Princeton University. She is an Associate Professor of African American Studies.

Wilson Okello, IRT ’08
Congratulations to Dr. Wilson Okello, who earned tenure at Penn State University. He is an Associate Professor of Education (HIED) and Research Associate (Center for the Study of Higher Education).

Mariahadessa Tallie, IRT ’17
Mariahadessa earned her Ph.D. in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies from Brown University. Mariahadessa is a poet, artist, and scholar. Congratulations and best wishes are also extended to her daughter Joy-Shanti Sindayiganza, who graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover, class of 2025.

Courtney Murray Ross, IRT ’18
Murray earned her Ph.D. in English and African American Studies from Pennsylvania State University.

Gerald Jae Sevillano, IRT ’18
Sevillano earned his Ph.D. in American Studies from The George Washington University.

Joe Baez, IRT ’18
Baez earned her Ph.D. in American Studies from The George Washington University.

Let us know if you recently received your Ph.D. We would love to share your accomplishment in the IRT Newsletter!