Marta Holliday, IRT ’03
Marta was recently promoted to the rank of full professor at Alabama State University. Marta was first hired in 2011 and received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 2017.
“Thank you to the IRT for your continued support of me, from my graduate school application process in 2003, to my journey to my PhD from the University of Iowa, to the job search and tenure application process and now to my journey to becoming a full professor. I am especially indebted to the dedication of my IRT mentors Ms. Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91 and Ms. Alexandra Cornelius, IRT ’91.”
Mayra Canizales Cruz, IRT ’07
Congratulations to Mayra an IRT and Donovan Urban Teaching Scholar alum who has been selected to participate in the Pahara Fellowship Program.
The program was founded in 2007 and their mission states: “Our mission is to strengthen and sustain values-driven leaders who are transforming public education so that every child is prepared to lead a free and fulfilling life.”
Mai Thai, IRT ’10
Mai was promoted to Associate Professor of Sociology at Occidental College. She also published a book, KID COPS, about U.S. policing and the American educational system, from the University of Chicago Press. Additional resources for teachers using the book in class can be found in the KID COPS Reading, Discussion, and Teaching Guide.
Ryan Sermon, IRT ’10, ’12
Sermon is featured on the American Educational Research Association Research Voices page. He is a doctoral student and higher education military fellow at the University of Arizona.
“There’s a lot of talk about why are we trying to isolate these military or veteran students, but it’s really about the psychological safety and them having their own space.”
Elizabeth Gil, IRT ’11
I co-authored this article, “Parent Sensemaking and Information-gathering in Kindergarten School Choice,” where we show how parents experience uneven access to information due to differences in language and socioeconomic status. We also provide recommendations for how school systems can prioritize multi-directional communication and take actions to improve practices to accommodate the realities of families, thereby promoting access to accurate information.
Gil is an associate professor at Fordham University. If you are interested in receiving a copy and cannot access it via institutional or other library access, please reach out to Gil directly.
Rachel (Afua) Ansong, IRT ’14
Kudos to Rachel on the accomplishment of receiving the 2026 Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets for their collection “I buried [her] in a field of lemongrass.” The book prize includes a cash award and publication of their manuscript as part of the African Poetry Book Series by the University of Nebraska Press. Rachel is an assistant professor in Africana Studies at the University of Rhode Island.
Brianne LaBare, IRT ’25
Congratulations to Brianne who graduated from Amherst College this past spring and is pursuing a master’s degree in higher education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Brianne is shown with her high school journalism teacher, William Mayes, (pictured below) whom she nominated for Amherst College’s Phebe and Zephaniah Swift Moore Teaching Award.
Each year, graduating seniors nominate a secondary school teacher who challenged, inspired, and made a lasting impact on their education. If selected, the teacher is flown to Amherst for Commencement Weekend and recognized during the ceremony. Brianne was honored that her nomination was chosen, and Mr. Mayes received one of the awards at the 2025 ceremony. Congratulations!
