Alumni – Page 7 – Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

De La Salle Academy: Celebrating 40 Years of Academic Excellence, Access, and Opportunity in Middle School Education

Dr. Angel Gonzalez, IRT ’06 shares his professional journey and focus on the pivotal role of middle school education

Dr. Angel Gonzalez, De La Salle Academy alum class of ’99 and IRT ’06, is the Head of School at De La Salle Academy (DLSA). After attending IRT’s summer internship program, Angel completed his undergraduate degree in sociology at Hunter College-CUNY and was admitted to the University of California, Berkeley for a M.A. and Ph.D. program in Social and Cultural Studies in Education. Angel returned to his middle school alma mater as the social studies teacher and after serving as Academic Dean, Director of Admissions, and Principal, he became Head of School in 2021, taking over from the Founder of the School, Brother Brian Carty, FSC. Angel has taught as an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies and the School of Education at Hunter College, CUNY, and as an adjunct professor in the Educational Leadership Program at the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. In 2024, he was elected to the Board of Trustees for the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).

NCORE: May 28 – June 1, 2024

IRT Associate Director and Manager of Programs Catherine Wong attended the 36th Annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE®) held on the island of O’ahu, Hawai’i. The IRT has attended NCORE® over the last few years, engaging in the five-day conference focusing on community engagement, exchanging knowledge and ideas as it relates to race and ethnicity on campus, and meeting up with IRT alumni and colleagues.

Do you have a conference whereby you feel that you can show up as your full scholar activist self without being second guessed, silenced or stereotyped? Do you have an annual conference or national forum that allows you to embrace your growing edges with other fellow changemakers?

NCORE® has been that conference for me since my entry into higher education more than 2 decades ago. I feel fortunate to have found a conference where critical dialogues are the norm, not the exception, where friendships grow from collegial relationships, and where creativity is a collective effort. Therefore having NCORE® select my home state of Hawai’i for its conference site for the first time in its 36 year history and during API month was wonderfully affirming and exciting.

NCORE Reflection

Juju Wong, IRT’15 discusses her experience at the conference

During my very first NCORE® experience this past May, I organized a panel discussion titled, “The Impact of the UCLA & UH Mānoa Hawaiʻi Program on the Next Generation of Social Justice Educators,” with my mentor, Dr. Rod Labrador (UH Mānoa), and scholar-friends, Miya Sommers (UC Berkeley) and Kirin Rajagopalan (UC Davis).

In 2014, we participated in the UCLA Asian American Studies x UH Mānoa Department of Ethnic Studies Travel Study Program as undergraduate students.

10 years later, we reunited to discuss the impact of ethnic studies pedagogy and curriculum – in practice – to our roles as educators within higher education institutions, public and independent schools, and community organizations.

Calling all IRT Alumni Authors!

Many times throughout the year, the IRT acknowledges donors and volunteers, both IRT alumni and non-alumni thanking them for their service. As we continue to see so many of our esteemed alumni contributing to their fields as published authors, the IRT would like to include a signed copy of an alumni book with these acknowledgments as a powerful way to further the connection of IRT supporters.

If you want to share in this way, please send a signed copy of your work to the IRT office. We will be accepting signed copies on an ongoing basis and sending them to the many wonderful individuals who help the IRT community in their own unique and important ways.

Are you on the IRT Publications list? If you want to share a synopsis of your work in an upcoming newsletter post, please reach out!

Signed copies can be sent to the address below- thank you for your donation!
Institute for Recruitment of Teachers
Phillips Academy
180 Main Street
Andover, MA 01810

###

Reconnecting with our Community

IRT staff have been busy meeting up with alumni and educators at conferences and events. Highlights from the team’s travels are below.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting

The AERA Annual Meeting was held in Philadelphia this past April bringing together education researchers and scholars. The meeting’s theme was Dismantling Racial Injustice and Constructing Educational Possibilities: A Call to Action. IRT Executive Director LaShawnda Brooks and Arts & Sciences Specialist Brittany Zorn, IRT ’13 attended and had the chance to connect with many IRT alumni during the week. The IRT hosted an alumni social gathering while in Philly at the PHS Pop Up Garden South Street.