Celebrating Our Summer Workshop
As autumn leaves begin to fall and a new season unfolds, we pause to celebrate the incredible community that came together to create our Summer Workshop (SW). This year’s curriculum asked a bold question: What does it mean to be a professional intellectual? And together, our IRT community rose to answer it.
A Standing Ovation for Our Co-Curriculum Coordinators
Our deepest gratitude goes to our Summer Workshop Co-Curriculum Coordinators—Heather Moore Roberson, Ryan Sermon, and Renée Wilmot, whose visionary leadership shaped a Summer Workshop experience unlike any other. Drawing inspiration from IRT’s legacy while remaining responsive to this moment, they crafted a prescriptive curriculum that challenged scholars to grow in transformative ways—bringing back beloved traditions like the IRT ‘binders’ readings and scholar-led facilitation.
Faculty Who Light the Way
To our exceptional Summer Workshop faculty—Lupita Barrientos, Aaron Benavidez, Armando Martinez, Astrid Moses, and Mariana Sánchez—thank you for generously sharing your graduate journeys, developing highly participatory sessions, and providing thoughtful feedback on scholars’ school list research. In fact, your intensive, two-day preparation for Recruiters’ Weekend (RW) proved invaluable, preparing scholars not just for RW in July, but also for recent Consortium Visit Days. One scholar remarked on the difference your coaching made: “Armando coached us to distinguish ourselves by not only discussing our research questions in our elevator pitches but to also mention our methodologies. I did that in my most recent school visit, and the faculty took notice.”
Tech That Connects Us
A heartfelt thanks to Aaron Briggs and the BW Events team. Their tech support via RingCentral Events brought our sessions and the Recruiters’ Weekend Consortium booths to life virtually. This support was essential in making the Summer Workshop accessible to scholars navigating complex schedules.
Application Season: Where Growth Meets Grace
Advising is in full swing! Our scholars are deep in conversation with their IRT advisors, refining their school lists and, where necessary, pivoting as preferred programs or faculty change. We continue to offer a defer option on a case-by-case basis, knowing that flexibility is crucial in these changing times. Scholars are doing the work—staying informed, seeking additional mentorship from university advisors and program directors, and finding strength in their scholar community.
The in-person consortium visit days have created some truly special moments. Picture this: scholars meeting with program administrators and faculty, not alone, but with fellow IRT Scholars right beside them—experiencing firsthand the strength of belonging to something bigger than themselves.
Meet This Year’s SOPA Dream Team
In addition to regular advisor meetings, scholars meet weekly with their SOPA’s (Statement of Purpose Advisors) to review their SOPs and other writing requirements like resumes and writing samples. This year’s SOPA team consists entirely of esteemed IRT alumni—from both within and outside the Academy—who’ve returned to give back to an organization that profoundly shaped their career trajectories.
During onboarding, several shared moving moments of recognition: “You were my SOPA when I was in IRT, and with your mentorship, I got into graduate school, earned my PhD, and look where I am now.” Talk about coming full circle! These relationships aren’t hierarchical—they’re built on mutual trust, respect, and shared values.
A Word (or Two) From Your ADMP: Naming This Moment
As I reflect on the collaborative tapestry of IRT’s work, I’m drawn to the questions that ground us—the ones that help us navigate change with intention and grace. So I offer these to you as we move deeper into fall:
How are you naming this moment?
What words are you choosing to describe where you are right now?
What communities are you feeling most aligned with?
Where do you feel seen, heard, celebrated?
Who and where do you source support and sustenance when days feel challenging?
What wells do you return to for renewal?
Every day, IRT reminds me of community’s transformative power—those rare spaces where we can show up unhindered, where grace is both given and greeted, and where creativity doesn’t just exist but flourishes.
May we all discover and nurture our communities this fall season.
Malama pono/take good care,
Catherine Wong
Associate Director & Manager of Programs
Institute for Recruitment of Teachers 