Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

Engage with other IRT alumni on the Alumni Portal!

Share your news with the IRT community with two brand new sections: Cohort Notes & Alumni Stories

The alumni community can only be effective if you engage with each other. Join the network and start connecting!

Build connections and develop your own support network by sharing your experiences with other IRT alumni in two easy ways:

The Cohort Notes section is a quick way to let other alumni know what you are up to. Add your professional, personal updates, search for news on other cohort fellows and remain connected to the IRT.

Check out Alumni Stories if you have more to share! It’s a space designed to include more detail on your research, what you have been up to and where you are headed.

Comments/Feedback?
We would love to hear your feedback and how you are engaging on the IRT alumni platform. Please comment on this post or email us your thoughts so we can better develop the network to work for you!

Alumni Accolades, March 2022

Rachel Ansong, IRT ’14

Rachel’s poetry collection, BLACK BALLAD, published by Bull City Press will be available in Summer 2022. You can preorder a copy or find out more about the author and the collection on Rachel’s website.

Yasmin Elgoharry, IRT ‘14, ’20
Yasmin is a recipient of the University of Connecticut’s (UCONN) Neag School 2022 Alumni Board Scholarship. Yasmin is a doctoral student at UCONN in Leading, Learning & Educational Policy with a concentration in higher education racial justice and decolonization.

Elizabeth Gill, IRT ‘11 and Ashley Johnson, IRT ’06
Congratulations to AERA Ed Change SIG members Elizabeth Gill and Ashley Johnson on the recent publication of their paper: “We, as parents, do have a voice”: Learning from community-based programs effectively engaging parents in urban communities. Urban Education.

Executive Letter, January 2022

“I’d like to be remembered as someone who made a difference in the lives of young people – that I nurtured someone and taught them to pursue their dreams and their careers, to leave a legacy.”
– André Leon Talley

As I sat, waiting for the clock to get out of 2021, I was even more aware of the things I hold dear. For the last two or so years, I’ve written to you in my home office, just my dog and me. As much as I love Basil, she responds to the changing world in her way. She didn’t understand the gasps for Betty White, Sidney Poitier, bell hooks, Thich Nhat Hanh, Lani Guinier, or André Leon Talley. And so, I hope for our first newsletter – you will indulge me.

The Importance of Self-Care

Jennifer López, IRT ’10, ’20

Teaching during the pandemic has not been an easy feat. With more demands than ever, educators have had to face challenges like never before.

As I write this article, I cannot help but think about all the planning, grading, calls, make-up work, data analysis, meetings, etc. I need to prepare for the upcoming week. The immense expectations placed on teachers has left many, including myself, overwhelmed and disillusioned. However, my students deserve the absolute best, and so I show up every day and give it my 110%. As I reflect on how I am surviving this school year, I am reminded about the importance of making sure I am filling my cup in some way every day. While I understand the structural educational inequities that currently exist need to be transformed in order to ensure teacher sustainability long-term, finding ways on a day to day basis to help me stay afloat are just as critical.

Meet the IRT’s Student Advisory Board Members

JASMINE MA

My name is Jasmine Ma, and I am from Montréal, Canada. I am an 11^th grader at Phillips Academy, and I currently serve on the student advisory board for the IRT. Growing up, my family moved around a lot, so I have encountered many different learning communities with various degrees of diversity. Reflecting on those experiences made me recognize the vitality of diversity in shaping the way that I think and live, and this is why I wanted to contribute to the IRT’s mission. At the IRT, I am currently working on increasing the presence and awareness of the IRT across the Phillips Academy community and creating potential collaborations between the IRT and the centers for research at Phillips Academy. I am also an avid flute player and I love reading philosophy.