2014 Cohort – Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

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.”

Alumni Accolades, February 2025

We are so proud of all of our alumni accomplishments! If you are an IRT alum and would like to share your news in an upcoming post or if you are an alumni author and would like to have your book posted on our alumni publications page, please reach out!

Omar Galárraga, IRT ’00
Congratulations to Omar recently awarded tenure and is the Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice, and Director of the International Health Institute at Brown University.

Photo: Brown University

Connecting and Supporting Teachers

Alyssa Strykers, IRT ’14 shares her experiences leading up to her current role as an assistant principal

I am currently an Assistant Principal at Inwood Academy for Leadership in Manhattan, New York. I was born and raised in NYC and went to Davidson College where I majored in Anthropology with a concentration in Education. Next, I began my career in education with Citizen Schools in NY to see if I truly wanted to pursue teaching.

After my 2-year Americorp commitment, I left NYC to pursue a M.Ed at Boston College (Masters in Moderate Special Needs) through the Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars Program led by Catherine Wong, former Director, Urban Outreach Initiatives. Catherine actively recruited me from IRT. If you are considering a leadership position down the line, I suggest a pathway to special education. You can be a more effective leader when you can teach and differentiate for students who need it the most. You also may be able to receive dual certification in some states. Originally, I thought I would return to NYC right after completion of my Masters but fell in love with my school in Dorchester. I waited until my first cohort of students graduated before returning to teach in NYC. The one thing I wish I had done differently was get my NY teaching certification while I was still in Massachusetts because the transfer of certification was a headache.

Alumni Accolades, September 2023

Gloria Barajas Rojas, IRT ’19 is currently a King, Chavez, Parks Future Faculty Fellow Instructor & Clinician at Central Michigan University. Congratulations Gloria!

Melvin Earle Villaver, IRT ‘18 is an Assistant Professor of Music and Global Black Studies in the Department of Performing Arts at Clemson University. Melvin earned a Ph.D. in American Studies at Purdue University this year. Congratulations and good luck at Clemson!

Alyssa Strykers, IRT’ 14 began their first year as Assistant Principal at Inwood Academy for Leadership Charter School in New York. Congratulations and best wishes for a great school year!

Alumni Accolades, June 2023

Sonia Garcia, IRT ‘92 was appointed as the new assistant dean for Undergraduate Diversity, Equity & Inclusion with the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia.

Monica Muñoz Martinez, IRT ’05 named one of USA Today’s Women of the Year recognizing women who have made a significant impact in their communities across the country. She is an associate professor at the University of Texas.

Candis Watts Smith, IRT ‘05 is the interim Vice Provost of undergraduate education at Duke University.

Cecilia Márquez, IRT ’10 wrote a book “Making the Latino South,” which will be out in September 2023 from the University of North Carolina Press. Márquez is Hunt Family Assistant Professor of History at Duke University. For information on the book visit the UNC Press website.