Program – Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

Associate Director & Manager of Programs Update, June 2026

Meeting the Moment: Summer at IRT

At IRT, “meeting the moment” isn’t just a phrase; it’s a practice. It shows up in how we design programs, support scholars, and build community. This month, that spirit has been especially visible across our newest initiatives and shared experiences.

Welcoming a New Cohort: Energy, Connection, and Strong Beginnings

We recently launched our newest cohort and they came in with energy, curiosity, and a clear commitment to engaging fully from day one.

At our first All Cohort Meeting, scholars actively participated in RingCentral Events, contributing both on stage and in the chat. Their eagerness to connect with one another was immediately clear, setting a strong tone for the months ahead.

This successful launch is thanks in large part to the leadership of Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91, Education Program Specialist, alongside Alba Lamar, IRT ’14, our new Arts and Sciences Program Specialist. Their thoughtful communication and detailed preparation ensured that scholars felt confident and ready to begin. From syllabus walkthroughs to onboarding touchpoints, the feedback has been consistent: scholars felt prepared.

Since launch, the team has kept the momentum going through weekly webinars, alumni panels, and cohort social hours, creating multiple pathways for connection, learning, and community-building.

IRT’s Newest Team Member Dr. Alba Lamar, IRT ’14

Imanalla!
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Alba Lamar, IRT ’14, has joined the IRT as our new Arts and Sciences Program Specialist. A Lënapehòkin-born Andean African-descendant, Alba is a lifelong artivist, educator, independent scholar, and widely published author. Her work is deeply rooted in the study of rematriation, Land-based knowledges, liberation, and abolition. Through the lenses of #guerrilladiscourse, Hip Hop, and Tattoo epistemologies, she explores thriving ontologies and anticolonialism.

Alba brings two decades of experience teaching students from infancy through college, including pre-service teachers. Her career is distinguished by the development of social and environmental justice curricula and resources for parents and educators, with a steadfast focus on Black Liberation, Indigenous Sovereignty, and sustaining, revitalizing pedagogies. Her professional journey has spanned Florida, New York City, Michigan, California, and Shanghai, China. An alumna of the 2014 IRT Associate Program, Alba earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education from Michigan State University. She also holds a Master of Science in Education from CUNY Hunter College and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Linguistics from the University of Central Florida.

Dr. Alba Lamar, IRT ’14

Alba’s connection to our mission is profound. Following her doctoral studies, she served as an IRT Statement of Purpose Advisor in 2021, 2023, and 2025. In this role, she drew upon her lived experience and academic expertise to help aspiring graduate students craft powerful narratives that define their purpose and intellectual curiosity.

As she steps into the role of Arts and Sciences Program Specialist, Alba’s dedication to nurturing underrepresented future educators aligns perfectly with the IRT’s commitment to advocacy and mentorship. We are honored to have her expertise as we continue to expand career paths and elevate the next generation of educational leaders.

Impact of IRT on Your Life

Impact refers to a powerful lasting effect/influence that an event, person, or idea has on a situation.

Many alumni have formed lasting friendships, built lifelong connections, found new opportunities, had family members and children go through the program, or even found a partner through IRT. Whatever the impact, share your story with us.

Share Your Story

What does it mean to advise as a form of justice?

Ulises Garcia Jr., IRT ’21

This was the first question I was asked during my Statement of Purpose (SOP) Advisor interview. It is no secret that we are (and have been) living in trying times. Consequently, I believe the most appropriate way to advise as a form of justice is to acknowledge and appease to the humanity of others. Subsequently, I aimed to meet my advisees where they were at, practiced radical honesty, and challenged them to confidently speak to their strengths. I pulled lessons from my undergraduate journey, my own experience as an IRT advisee, and my graduate and professional learnings.

I remember reaching out to a mentor in undergrad for resume support and he said something that has stuck with me to this day. Before addressing any of his notes he said, “Ulises, I want you to know that I think writing is vulnerable and, therefore, you sharing your writing with me is honorable and I will treat it as such.” I was floored. I don’t know that I had experienced someone be so forward with their care about my writing before but I greatly appreciated that transparency. Writing is a reflection of thought processes put onto paper and asking for feedback is opening oneself up to being critiqued. Sharing drafts of SOP’s for 8 weeks is an act of vulnerability—it requires trust and it was imperative that I relayed that message to my advisees during our first introductory group meeting.

The 2026 IRT Summer Workshop

Rooted in community. Grounded in our ways of knowing. Moving forward together.

Last summer, IRT Scholars came together not to be shaped by the academy, but to understand it, question it, and imagine what it could look like in their hands. They arrived carrying their own histories, their languages, and their ways of knowing. They read Anzaldúa and Crenshaw, Fanon and Spivak, not as distant authorities but as people who had wrestled with the same questions they were asking. They wrote. They pushed each other. They showed up for one another. And they left as a community. This summer, we will continue that work.

Knowledge That Belongs to Us

The 2026 IRT Summer Workshop starts from a simple and honest place: the knowledge scholars bring into the room already matters. Over four weeks of virtual, live, co-created programming, scholars will have space to develop their intellectual identities on their own terms while also building the skills to navigate academic spaces that were not originally designed with them in mind.