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IRT Advising: Then & Now

Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91
Education Programs Specialist, Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

On June 2^nd, 2025, I began onboarding the 35^th IRT Cohort, which includes 135 Scholars! How time flies, quite literally. It was just yesterday that I found myself on the Phillips Academy campus as a senior planning to apply to a variety of graduate schools in two fields nonetheless – Spanish Literature and Higher Education (sound familiar?), and part of one of the biggest in-person IRT Summer Workshops ever held, numbering 42 individuals. I can tell you stories, lol!

While much has stayed the same, much also has changed as it relates to the IRT Advising program. A dedicated IRT team continues to support IRT Scholars every year as they pursue advanced degrees in the humanities, social sciences, math, and education, and the scholars’ camaraderie remains strong in a virtual world and in the face of great challenges to isolate us from one another. LaShawnda Brooks, Catherine Wong, and I serve as school list advisors and work closely with each scholar to create a well-rounded school list that supports the academic endeavors that each student plans to pursue, and one that considers their personal well-being and the political climate as well. It is no small feat to assist IRT Scholars in this new educational environment.

IRT Connects with Tomorrow’s Educators at Breakthrough Boston Collaborative Career Fair

by Catherine Wong, Associate Director & Manager of Programs, IRT

This August, IRT had the privilege of participating in Breakthrough Greater Boston Collaborative Careers in Education Fair at The Foundry in Cambridge, MA_, where we connected with over 80 passionate undergraduate Teaching Fellows exploring their futures in education.

Making Meaningful Connections

Catherine Wong, IRT’s Associate Director & Manager of Programs, represented our organization at this inspiring event. The afternoon brought together a dynamic community of universities, colleges, and educational non-profits with this year’s Breakthrough Teaching Fellows. These were not only undergraduate college students but also individuals who had completed Breakthrough’s rigorous nine-week pre-professional teaching experience, gaining hands-on expertise in student-centered education practices.

Journey Through Academia – Alumni Thoughts

Wilson Okello, Ph.D., IRT ’08, ’14 is a tenured professor at Pennsylvania State University.

To linger, or tarry, in my work has allowed me to think otherwise – to consider more deeply what I am doing and why. Slowing down, for me, has been an invitation to grapple with the entirety of my relationship to my subject matter, to academia, and with it: precarity, terror, refusals, hopes, rebellions, and dreams.

In this moment of shifting national and state policies – policies that call into question how we know and remember, how we live and be – pursuing lines of inquiry that seek to lift the collective “we” higher are often met with suspicion and ire. It takes work to remember, and resolve to do so intently. My hope is that we will remember the way water remembers, as the ancestor Toni Morrison reminded us – always trying to “get back” to valleys, banks, light, and the route of “our original place.”

IRT in Attendance

Phillips Academy Outreach Programs Showcase

In July, IRT staff members Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91, LaShawnda Brooks, Sara Cerretani, and alum Viviana Cordero Garcia IRT ’15 participated in the Phillips Academy Outreach Programs Showcase, an opportunity for the various programs to share their missions and successes with community partners.

UNCF Unite Conference – July 2025

Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91, attended the UNCF’s Unite 2025: Together We Lead Conference in Atlanta and participated in workshops that addressed Black student success, the importance of advising with a racial/cultural lens, and the topic of segregation scholarships, among others.

Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91

Support the IRT!

Hello IRT alums,

I’m Rachel Sacks from Phillips Academy, and I lead fundraising for the IRT. As alumni, you know the incredible impact this program has on scholars and the broader educational community. Importantly, the IRT depends on the generosity of friends and alumni like you – your gifts directly sustain the program and ensure it can continue shaping the next generation of educational leaders.

This year, our goal is 26% alumni participation – and every gift matters! Whether big or small, your support sustains the IRT’s mission, strengthens our alumni community, and fuels new opportunities for growth and impact.

Make your gift online today via this link or reach out to me directly at rsacks@andover.edu – I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you for helping the IRT continue to thrive!

With gratitude,

Rachel Sacks
Associate Director for Advancement Initiatives