A Phillips Academy Outreach Program
NEWS
Institute for Recruitment of Teachers
JUNE 2018
Staff members Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91, Renata Jones, IRT ’13, and Brittany Zorn, IRT ’13, each give back to the program in their own unique ways. See next page to read more about their journeys.
Phillips Academy’s Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT)
FROM THE INTERIM DIRECTOR
empowers talented underserved and
Congratulations—and Welcome!
underrepresented future educators to teach and serve as leaders in American education because diversity is essential to excellence.
Late spring marks a gratifying transition for the IRT. First, the fall 2017 cohort, having wrapped up the lengthy process of applying to graduate school as IRT fellows, is excitedly preparing to matriculate to various graduate programs. Second, many IRT alumni graduated with master’s degrees in May, completing programs in teaching, school counseling, and higher education. In addition, a number of IRT alumni also successfully completed their doctoral studies this year. The tally of PhD degrees completed by IRT alumni is now 336. These outstanding scholars are eager and well-prepared to join a growing vanguard of transformative educators. We in the IRT office couldn’t be prouder! Third, we have admitted our fall 2018 cohort: their personal stories, research and professional experience, commitment, drive, and activism are simply amazing. And finally, as we prepare for the 2018 Summer Workshop Intern Program and ready ourselves for advising in the fall, we’re also in the final stages of hiring a new executive director to lead the IRT.
Stay Connected with the IRT! Announce good news. Share memories. Post opportunities. Please join these official IRT alumni social media groups. Twitter: @IRTAndover LinkedIn: IRT Andover Facebook: IRT Andover
Poet Nikki Giovanni wrote, “Embrace the change… once you do, you can learn about the new world you’re in and take advantage of it.” In this season of change, we congratulate our alumni and extend our warmest welcome to our 123 accepted scholars. Best wishes,
Kate Slater Photos by Neil Evans, Gil Talbot, John Hurley
ACCOLADES & MILESTONES RECRUITMENT UPDATE
A Team Effort to Select the IRT Class of 2018
41% African American
After piloting a new online application and an adjusted admissions timeline, the IRT received more than 260 completed applications for the 2018 cohort. This solid level of interest in the IRT is due in part to the hard work of our alumni recruiters as well as ongoing webinars and on-campus information sessions. Many international and DACA students are seeing the IRT as a valuable resource, and the IRT is committed to working with these students to help them navigate the process and prepare for graduate school. The IRT Summer Workshop Intern Program and Associate Program have officially enrolled a total of 123 students representing a diverse range of ethnicities, institutions, and fields of study. • 75 members of this year’s cohort will pursue degrees in the arts and sciences; 48 will apply to programs in education. • Higher Education and Student Affairs as well as Counseling and School Psychology are the two most popular master’s degree fields this year. • The three leading PhD fields of study chosen by the 2018 cohort are African American/ Ethnic/Native Studies; Sociology; and Education Studies/Policy/Leadership. • The HBCUs represented by seven students this year are Central State University, Hampton College, Morehouse College, and Spelman College.
FULL CIRCLE
“While advising and supporting diverse education majors at Western Kentucky University on a variety of issues, I also longed for additional ways to expand my capacity to support diverse students. “Kelly Wise [former IRT executive director] had sent IRT alumni an announcement regarding an opening for an associate director position. Intrigued, I called Clement White, a longtime lead faculty member, who encouraged me to apply, and I was hired. “Because of the IRT, I have carved out an entirely different career trajectory and developed expertise in the humanities and social sciences rather than simply ‘education fields.’ “As much as I chose education, it also chose me. Mentoring and supporting hundreds of students as they pursue life-altering career paths in teaching and administration has been most rewarding.”
Renata Jones, IRT ’13 Research Program Specialist “I love understanding the ‘meta’ about everything and was incredibly grateful when the IRT—with Leislie as my mentor—gave me very explicit strategies for
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10% Asian 4% Native American 2% Bi/multiracial; 2% Other; 1% White
CONSORTIUM NEWS
We are very fortunate to have three alumnae currently working in the IRT office. Their first-hand experiences as IRT students and unique perspectives are invaluable! Below, each briefly describes why they chose to join the IRT in a professional capacity.
Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91 Education Programs Specialist
40% Latinx
navigating my PhD application process. I continue to draw from all the IRT taught me as I now support my own undergraduate and graduate mentees. “I have always wanted to return to the IRT and directly pay forward the blessings I received during my application year. As program research specialist, I get to do this as I dig through the data and ‘do some meta thinking’ about the trends and patterns across the past few years. I am really excited about this work and can’t wait to share the findings. It is my hope that the new knowledge will be beneficial to the IRT’s ongoing mission and processes.”
Brittany Zorn, IRT ’13 Arts & Sciences Programs Specialist “As a student, the IRT gave me a whole set of skills and knowledge that otherwise would have been way out of reach for me. Without the IRT I don’t think I would’ve pursued higher education as a career path or even considered applying to graduate school. “Nothing brings me greater joy than working with students, like myself, who have tons of passion and drive, but who just need the right skills and knowledge to be successful. I am really proud to be a part of this team and to do the work that we do!”
Vanderbilt University Joins IRT Consortium The IRT is delighted to welcome Vanderbilt University to the IRT consortium of 40 colleges and universities. Partnerships with institutions such as Vanderbilt that admit and fund IRT students to master’s and PhD programs in arts and sciences and education are what make the pursuit of a graduate degree possible for many underserved and underrepresented scholars. A private research university, Vanderbilt offers a range of graduate and professional degrees through the university’s College of Arts and Science and the Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Vanderbilt’s location in Nashville, TN, increases options for IRT students seeking a consortium school in the South. “We are excited to have Vanderbilt on board as one of our key partners,” says Kate Slater, IRT interim director. “The university’s culture and global research programs make it an invaluable addition to our consortium.”
ACCOLADES & MILESTONES
Cristian Lambaren, IRT ’15, was a speaker at the Second Annual Statewide Hispanic/Latino College Graduation Ceremony held in Lansing, MI. He graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Education this past May. Please email news items to jbonasera@andover.edu.
The Winding Road to a Doctoral Degree
ALUMNA PROFILE
Renee Wilmot applied to the IRT during her junior year of college to increase her knowledge of the graduate school application process. She was accepted as a member of the 2012 Summer Intern Workshop cohort. Throughout her experience, Wilmot says she enjoyed the professionalism, high expectations, and support from the IRT faculty advisors. She matriculated to the Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars Program at Boston College, where she studied secondary English education and earned an MEd degree in 2014. While at Boston College, Wilmot taught high school students in the Cambridge and Boston public schools and was also a graduate assistant and mentor to students in the Donovan program. In 2014, Wilmot relocated to Richmond, VA, where she is currently finishing up her fourth year of teaching English at Church Hill Academy. She returned to the IRT as a Summer Intern Workshop faculty member in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, she received the Early Career Educator of Color Award from the National Council of Teachers of English. Wilmot says that her teaching experiences in a predominantly African American school district piqued her interest in curriculum development and teacher education. The central question she seeks to answer is: How can we as educators create the most academically challenging and culturally empowering learning environment for students of color?
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Alumni and current students of Af‑Lat‑Am, a Phillips Academy club created to promote a greater understanding TE t h e L E RA of the EB experiences of African AF-LAT-AM American YEARS 19 and Latinx 68–2018 students, gathered April 27–29 to mark the club’s 50th anniversary and discuss its decades of impact on the school. As part of this celebration, a fundraising endeavor—which named the IRT as one of five highlighted priorities— was undertaken. Numerous gifts and pledges resulted, all of which will directly benefit our incoming interns and associates.
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Natalia Ortiz, IRT ’11, is finishing her dissertation in urban education at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Ortiz was recently awarded a $20,000 grant from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which supports women scholars and promotes empowerment for women and girls. Ortiz was featured in a news post, titled “Righting Education’s Wrongs,” on CUNY’s website. See www.gc.cuny.edu/News/All-News/Detail?id=44051.
Ryan Sermon, IRT ’10, accepted the position of member-at-large on Wheaton College’s Alumni Board of Directors. Sermon earned a master’s degree in higher education from the University of Arizona and currently works at Pima Community College in admissions and recruitment. He will share his unique perspective on involvement with his local community and board directorship and his governance experiences with IRT summer workshop interns this July during the alumni Graduate Student Panel.
Thank You, Af-Lat-Am
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Jonathan Cortez, IRT ’14, an IRT Advisory Board member, was awarded a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship for fall 2018–spring 2021.
Stephanie Bramlett, IRT ’04, has been appointed Phillips Exeter Academy’s first director of equity and inclusion. Prior to Exeter, Bramlett was the director of the Center for Leadership and the director of inclusive excellence and leadership at St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, CT.
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The Reverend Dr. Shively Jackson Smith, IRT ’02, has accepted an appointment to Boston University’s School of Theology as assistant professor of New Testament. Smith previously served at Wesley Theological Seminary as an assistant professor of New Testament. She earned an MDiv degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, a ThM from Columbia Theological Seminary, and a PhD from Emory University.
On the final day of the anniversary weekend, IRT staff members were given the opportunity to showcase the institute during a morning workshop. In collaboration with Phillips Academy’s three other outreach programs, the workshop highlighted the extensive impact these initiatives are having on communities near and far. We are extremely grateful to the AfLatAm@50 fundraising committee for recognizing how our work aligns with their critical mission to support students of color and to Phillips Academy alumni for their ongoing support.
Renee Wilmot, IRT ’12, ’17 “ How can we as educators create the most academically challenging and culturally empowering learning environment for students of color?”
Wilmot’s strong desire to learn more about curriculum development and teacher education led her back to the IRT last year as a student for the second time: she wanted IRT guidance in choosing and applying to doctoral programs. We are pleased to report that Wilmot will begin a doctoral program in curriculum, instruction, and teacher education at Michigan State University this fall.
IRT ANNUAL ALUMNI SURVEY Please take a few minutes to answer some questions about your professional path since you left the IRT and matriculated to a graduate program. Our goal is to develop a holistic understanding of where our alumni are and where they are working, and then use this data as a tool in our future programming. Thank you for your time and feedback! You can complete the survey at goo.gl/forms/vgB9dMQaiikYtCAF2.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE IRT CLASS OF 2017! Please Support This Extraordinary Program The work of the IRT is made possible by the generosity of Phillips Academy and IRT alumni, parents, and friends. All gifts to the IRT directly support the experience of program interns and associates and help to further the IRT’s mission and vision for greater diversity in U.S. classrooms, among education administrators, and in the professoriate.
Students and faculty gathered for the photo above as the 2017 IRT Summer Workshop Intern Program came to a close. Ninety IRT alumni will matriculate this fall to master’s and doctoral degree programs at the following institutions. Boston College
SUNY Stonybrook*
University of Pennsylvania
Boston University
Tufts University
University of Rochester
Brown University
University of Arizona
University of Southern California
City University of New York*
University of California, Berkeley
University of Vermont
Columbia Teachers College Duke University
Make your gift today at irt.andover.edu/donate.
Ecole Normalie Superieure*
For further information, contact Beth Parsons at 978-749-4523 or bparsons@andover.edu.
Florida International University*
Emory University
George Washington University Harvard Divinity School* Harvard University Michigan State University New York University
Excellence in teaching starts here. Excellence in teaching startsof here. Institute for Recruitment Teachers
Phillips Academy 180 Main Street Andover, Mass. 01810-4161 978-749-4116 irt@andover.edu irt.andover.edu
Northwestern University Rice University Stanford University
University of California, Davis University of California, San Diego University of Colorado, Boulder*
University of Virginia University of Washington, Seattle* University of Wisconsin-Madison Yale University
University of Connecticut University of Maryland, College Park University of Massachusetts, Amherst* University of Michigan University of New Hampshire University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill*
*non-consortium institution