The Montclair programs that participate in the annual survey include Education, Public Health and the University’s Part-Time MBA program.

Highlights from the 2024 Best Graduate Programs Rankings:

• Two of �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s graduate education specializations – Elementary Teacher Education and Curriculum and Instruction – ranked tied for No. 22 and tied for No. 24 in the nation, respectively
• The University’s Master of Public Health climbed 10 spots to No. 140 overall and second in New Jersey in only its second year in the rankings
• The institution’s overall ranked No. 107 (tied for second in N.J.)
• �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Part-Time MBA program ranked No. 207, up one position from last year’s rankings

�ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Graduate Offerings

Montclair offers 115 master’s and eight doctoral programs across a range of disciplines in its 13 colleges and schools.

“Our graduate programs are designed to prepare professionals to advance in their chosen careers by equipping them with the skills needed both now and in the future,” says Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Junius Gonzales. “These rankings are the latest indication that �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s stature as a comprehensive research university continues to ascend.”

For more information about graduate programs at ����vlog, visit montclair.edu/graduate/.

The gathering was for the Global Center on Human Trafficking’s�� 2nd Annual Legislative Breakfast on Human Trafficking on February 2 at University Hall, where the audience heard about survivors’ experiences and the importance of housing to help trafficking survivors rebuild their lives.

As part of the breakfast, the Center also presents the Wellstone/Smith Awards (named for the sponsors of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act signed by President Clinton in 2000) for Outstanding Efforts to Address Human Trafficking. Last year’s winner, survivor and advocate Gina Cavallo, presented this year’s award to Covenant House New Jersey, which provides housing to youths facing homelessness and human trafficking survivors, and to Cristian Eduardo for his advocacy and leadership work on behalf of other survivors.

“This is a very healing moment for me because I was trafficked between New Jersey and New York for a very long time,” said Eduardo, adding that he’d vowed never to return to New Jersey because “my trauma was right here.”

Eduardo, who shared his experience of being labor and sex trafficked, now does advocacy and consulting work on the issue of human trafficking in New York and New Jersey. He said he could not have imagined ever receiving an award. “The reality is that nine years ago, I was waking up thinking that I was going to die or maybe even taking my life was an even better choice than to continue experiencing the exploitation. Now, being in New Jersey and being recognized and working alongside other survivors is really, really healing.”

Eduardo was studying mechanical engineering in his native Mexico, when he was delivered into the hands of traffickers by a campus employee. He was trafficked between Mexico and Canada before arriving in the U.S. He escaped and after much ongoing healing work, he is now an advocate for human trafficking survivors and the LGBTQ+ community. In accepting his award, Eduardo encouraged others who are struggling, telling them their struggles are valid “no matter what you’re going through, things will get better,” he said. “Please don’t give up.”

Eduardo ended his speech acknowledging other survivors of human trafficking. “I wouldn’t be here without other survivors,” he said. “I’m here fighting because I don’t want anybody, any survivor or anyone struggling to feel alone. Let’s continue fighting together but let’s also continue supporting each other.”

Cavallo, who was unable to attend last year’s ceremony due to a necessary life-saving surgery, shared her story of childhood abuse, domestic violence and sex trafficking. “I am a survivor of human trafficking but it’s important to recognize that I am also a leader within the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking.”

Cavallo, who serves as vice president of the coalition, said “giving survivors the opportunity for meaningful leadership of nationally known organizations such as the New Jersey Coalition is incredibly important in the fight against human trafficking, since there is no group with better knowledge of this issue than those who have been directly affected by it. I am proud of the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking for making meaningful survivor inclusivity a vital part of how this great organization operates. It is stronger for who leads an organization matters and whose voices are heard matters.”

State Senator Nellie Pou presented the Wellstone/Smith Award to Assemblyman Sterley Stanley, calling him “one of the unsung heroes in the fight to end trafficking and related violence.”��

After the awards ceremony, Center Director Ali Boak said, “We’re so fortunate in New Jersey to have such strong, amazing, talented, dedicated survivor leaders. You truly are an inspiration for all of us.”

Housing for survivors of human trafficking was the primary topic of this year’s breakfast, attended by state legislative, law enforcement and nonprofit organization leaders, survivors and students.��

“Housing is often the single biggest determinant of whether someone is going to get back on their feet,” said New Jersey State Attorney General Matthew Platkin, who served as keynote speaker. “When you think about what survivors of human trafficking go through, nothing could be more important than having four safe walls around them, where they’re not pushed back into the arms of those who have preyed upon them.”

Platkin said the issue is pervasive, prompting the creation of the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance within the Department of Law and Public Safety, and a recently launched a campaign called STALLS, or Sanctuary from Trafficking: Awareness & Linkage to Law Enforcement & Services. The campaign, launched as part of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, calls for posters (in English and Spanish) to be installed in all public restrooms, including at universities, across the state “all geared towards building awareness about the scale of this problem,” Platkin said. The posters will encourage people to call the national or state Human Trafficking Hotlines or to text “BE FREE.”

“The scale of the problem is massive and affects every aspect of our society,” Platkin said. “There’s a perception sometimes that human trafficking is awful but those are people over there. Victims of human trafficking are walking in plain sight amongst all of us – you’re interacting with them and don’t even know it.”

Boak thanked sponsors of the event, which included the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking, HR Recovery Initiatives, Legal Services of New Jersey. Family Service League, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice and Covenant House New Jersey.

Learn more at the Global Center on Human Trafficking.

Photo gallery

Story by Staff Writer Sylvia A. Martinez. Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters.

The University hosted a special signing ceremony to announce the historic initiative, which is slated to welcome students for the fall 2024 semester, on November 14 in honor of the . The program is one of only 27 such initiatives in the country.

“����vlog has been in the business of preparing teachers for more than 100 years,” Montclair President Jonathan Koppell said during the event. “Initiatives like this are part of our DNA. Montclair was founded as a normal school to prepare teachers for the classroom and to have a profound impact on students’ lives, but that must be done differently now. We are thrilled to enter into this partnership with the Department of Labor and Wayne Township Public Schools to create new and innovative opportunities for people to become teachers.”

School district leaders joined the Department of Labor at the ceremony, which also featured remarks from Department of Labor representatives Michael Blatt and Nicole Field.

“New Jersey, like many other states, faces significant challenges in attracting and retaining education professionals,” says Blatt, a state director for the Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship. “By creating this apprenticeship program, ����vlog is addressing this challenge by providing a high-quality pathway into the teaching profession that creates opportunities for those who have never had that door opened for them before.”

From left: Department of Labor State Director Michael Blatt, Montclair President Jonathan Koppell, College for Education and Engaged Learning Director of Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement Iris DiMaio, and Wayne Township Public Schools Superintendent Mark Toback.

How Does the Teacher Certification Apprenticeship Program Work?

�ѴDzԳٳ���������’s College for Education and Engaged Learning (CEEL) will oversee the program, and will work to partner with school districts to provide access and opportunities to the teaching profession for underrepresented populations.

The Paraprofessional-to-Teacher Pathway will offer current paraprofessionals the chance to complete a bachelor’s degree and teacher certification. The program enables apprentices to gain real-time teaching experience while simultaneously completing teacher certification requirements through an alternate route program.

Wayne Township Public Schools is the first New Jersey school district to partner with Montclair for the program, with more than 30 paraprofessionals expressing initial interest.

“Finding solutions to large-scale problems like the national shortage of teachers will require outside-the-box thinking, and our partnership with ����vlog is an example of what is needed to start solving it,” says Wayne Superintendent of Schools Mark Toback. “We are thrilled to partner with Montclair to develop a unique solution to one of the most pressing problems in public education while supporting our employees in advancing their careers.”

Innovating to Solve the Teacher Shortage

School districts nationwide have felt the impact of the teacher shortage, with a reporting nearly 90% of districts surveyed struggled to hire teachers for the current school year.

With a more than 115-year history of preparing New Jersey’s teachers for the classroom, Montclair is uniquely positioned to solve one of the state’s most pressing educational challenges.

“Montclair has a national reputation for preparing high-quality teachers,” says CEEL Acting Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Sumi Hagiwara. “The apprenticeship program will provide students access to quality teacher preparation while meeting their needs through a flexible pathway.”

For more information on the College of Education and Engaged Learning at ����vlog, visit montclair.edu/ceel.

Addressing and Using AI in School Curriculum

The advice I have for teachers is to approach AI as a learner. Whereas once a learner might wander into an old bookstore for discoveries, today an AI toolbox can provide similar discoveries.

• Identify two or three AI tools that are close to your discipline, passion or profession, and go ahead and play.
• Get the tool to work for you, and examine the output critically.
• Do this on your own and more importantly with students – nothing is more powerful than playing and creating with students, collaboratively, discovering possibilities, problems and roadblocks together. That’s authentic learning (and teaching).

The voices that we’re not hearing in the media are our adjunct professors, our general education instructors and our tutors. On the student side, we are not hearing enough from multilingual writers, poor students with limited digital access, students with disabilities, and African American and Hispanic students. To understand the impact that AI is having in higher education requires that the press investigate these instructor and student experiences.

–Emily Isaacs, Executive Director of the Office for Faculty Excellence

How Anti-Inclusion Efforts Impact Children

Without inclusion, children can’t live in their authentic selves and be in a safe space. If children don’t feel safe, they cannot learn. Children deserve inclusive policies so they can achieve their goals, live authentically and experience joy which is a fundamental human right.

–Patricia Virella, Professor, Educational Leadership

While the rise of anti-inclusion efforts has shifted to the public arena, the U.S. has a long tradition of excluding and misrepresenting marginalized groups in schooling.

Rather than viewing current anti-LGBTQAI and BIPOC inclusion as ignorance or implicit bias of individual teachers or parents, such efforts must be placed within the broader context of historical and institutional oppression and its role in U.S. schooling.

As these racist, trans and homophobic debates rage on in school board meetings and television screens across the country, students are watching and are being affected. A 2019 report from American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) named racism as a social determinant of health that “has a profound impact on the health status of children, adolescents, emerging adults, and their families.” Referring to racism as a “socially transmitted disease passed down through generations,” the AAP acknowledged that children who are the targets of racism have the most significant health impacts.

When an individual is exposed to discrimination, they experience stress responses including “feelings of intense fear, terror, and helplessness.” When students experience stress reactions to racist and anti-LGBTQAI rhetoric, it can be inferred that it will also impact “how the brain and body respond to stress, resulting in short- and long-term health impacts on achievement and mental and physical health.”

Taken as a whole, these anti-inclusion efforts go beyond the textbook and are issues of serious health concerns, particularly for children whose identities are already targeted through racism, homophobia and transphobia.

–Bree Picower, Professor, Teaching and Learning

Concerns Over Mental Health of Students

Anxiety and depression have been rising in young people over the past few years. Social media is considered one of the major factors behind this increase. Many students have traded in-person social connections for hours spent on their smartphones, and the result is that today’s students report being increasingly lonely. We know that close social relationships are important for our mental health and especially in a world in which young people report feeling increasingly stressed by concerns about gun violence, climate change, and the country’s political situation.

–Jeremy Fox, Associate Professor of Psychology

To set up an interview, please contact the Media Relations team.

Her generosity was celebrated in a dedication of the Waichungo Family Courtyard in University Hall on April 26, recognizing Wamwari’s commitment to creating opportunities for the University, the College of Education and Human Services, and the next generation of food science leaders.

“It’s a great honor to have your name and story permanently be part of the University and to serve as a shining light, illuminating a path that countless others will follow,” said University President Jonathan Koppell at the dedication ceremony.

“I cannot express how meaningful it is to have this courtyard named after my family,” shared Wamwari. “For my parents, the late Charity and Asaph, education was both the cornerstone – and the catalyst – of their incredible lives.”

The serendipitous start for Wamwari’s road to Montclair began when her father, who was studying at Harvard while his daughters finished high school in Kenya, learned of Montclair from a classmate who was the son of then President David W.D. Dickson. Her sister, June, is also a Montclair graduate.

That led to Wamwari’s first trip to the United States for freshman orientation at Montclair. Then, it was a long line in a hot gym during registration that changed the trajectory of her education and set her on her path. “I stepped away for a minute, to speak to a gentleman sitting at a table with no line. It happened to be Dr. John Specchio from the Nutrition and Food Studies department. We talked about my interest in food and my love of cooking. By the time we finished, I was sold and decided to change my major from Mathematics to Home Economics with a concentration in Food and Nutrition.”

“If it weren’t for that conversation, I would have gone in an entirely different direction,” says Wamwari, who went on to earn a master’s and doctorate in Food Science at the University of Missouri-Columbia. “He showed me the path to the incredible career I have today. His advice was priceless.”

Wamwari currently serves as the vice president of Global Safety Assessment and Regulatory Affairs at SC Johnson, where she leads a team of more than 140 regulatory compliance, registration, and safety experts in more than 110 countries. Prior to joining SC Johnson, Wamwari spent more than 20 years with The Coca-Cola Company, culminating as vice president of Global Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, and worked at Campbell Soup Company and ConAgra Foods early in her career.

Reflecting her deep belief in the power of education, she established the Wamwari Waichungo Food Science Scholarship at Montclair in 2015 and committed additional endowment support for scholarships and student initiatives to support students in the Nutrition and Food Science program. Wamwari serves on the College of Education and Human Services Advisory Board and has been part of the President’s Club since 2015. She was honored as a distinguished alumna of the College and addressed the undergraduates during Convocation ceremonies in 2021.

Wamwari makes it a priority to serve as a catalyst for the next generation of STEM leaders, particularly young women and young professionals of color, including supporting scholarships at Alliance Girls High School in Kenya, the first high school for African girls, which her mother attended as a young girl. She also supports the June and Wamwari Waichungo scholarship at the high school she and her sister attended, Kenya High School. At the University of Missouri-Columbia, Wamwari is a Distinguished Fellow of the Monticello Society, serves on the advisory board of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and established the W. Waichungo Study Abroad Scholarship endowment that enables international learning opportunities for Food Science students.

“Wamwari’s story underscores the whole point of this University,” says Koppell. “It shows what a university can do in terms of developing human potential … and why it’s important for ����vlog to thrive, because if we don’t develop that potential, we are wasting that potential.”

Acknowledging Wamwari’s influence on students, College of Education and Human Services Acting Dean Katrina Bulkley shared how Wamwari’s belief in students has helped students believe in themselves.

“Thank you for being a wonderful role model … you have devoted your career to science, to nutrition, to helping young people, and to helping the world,” said Bulkley. “We are excited for students to come into this courtyard and to read about your family and to be inspired by you.”

Food Science major Amy Sheridan ’22, who will be graduating with her master’s in Food Science in May, is among the fortunate students who have benefitted from Wamwari’s mentorship and support.

“Dr. Waichungo and I have followed similar educational paths, and maybe that is why I feel a very deep connection to her,” Sheridan shared. “I am grateful to have received the Wamwari Waichungo Food Science scholarship, which helped financially, but also was incredibly inspiring since it was made possible by Dr. Waichungo, and I respect and admire all she has achieved and her desire to make a difference in the world.”

Paying it Forward

Wamwari’s visit to campus was filled with meaningful interactions with students, including a talk titled “Getting the most out of YOU!” with College of Education and Human Services students. Focused on smart, achievable life lessons for student success, the event attracted more than 100 students.

She also was the keynote speaker at the College’s awards and scholarship ceremony, sharing insight on how to embrace the educational journey for students to be successful and reinforcing the importance of giving back time, talent and philanthropic support once they graduate. After her address, Wamwari had the opportunity to present awards to this year’s Waichungo Scholars, and then she herself was surprised with a Donor Recognition Award for her philanthropic efforts in supporting student success.

“Wamwari exemplifies ����vlog, in what she accomplished as a student, in what she’s accomplished professionally, and in what she’s doing as an alumna … showing what it means to be part of a community and the ways in which she can take her success and pay it forward to subsequent generations,” Koppell said in is remarks at the courtyard dedication.

Wamwari left those gathered in the courtyard with these thoughts: “I hope that current and future generations of students – as they walk through or sit in this courtyard – finding their way from one class to another – will discover resilience and create their own paths and embrace new opportunities with every step.”

Story by Director of Development Communications Laura Iandiorio. Photos by John J. LaRosa.

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In her presentation of “The Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 on the Latinx Immigrant Community,” Vilar-Compte discussed how many social and economic factors and growing anti-immigrant rhetoric contributed to their distrust and hesitancy in seeking needed health care.

“The vast majority of undocumented people in our study population were essential workers who actually worked throughout the pandemic under very trying circumstances, and they live in areas that have high mortality and high morbidity of COVID,” she says.

Vilar-Compte studied more than 400 immigrants, half in New York City and half in Los Angeles, and through geocoding and geographic analysis found that COVID-19 and morbidity and mortality rates were higher in the Bronx and Brooklyn in New York, where many immigrants live, and in the meatpacking and warehouse districts in Los Angeles, where many immigrants work. While her research results were not necessarily surprising, Vilar-Compte says “the magnitude was a surprise.”

“These people contributed disproportionately to the economies of these cities, and yet there is no social justice for their burden,” she says.

There are also lessons to be learned from the research, including a significant “need for trusted and culturally sensitive health-care resources” to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, Vilar-Compte says.

“People in the healthcare system can come with a biased lens,” Vilar-Compte is quoted as saying in a looking at the unique toll COVID-19 took on undocumented immigrants, which was . The professor stressed the need for more doctors, nurses and administrative staff from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds as one part of the solution.

However, there are many problems that require solving, as Vilar-Compte pointed out during her presentation. The professor says the long-term impacts include mental health care issues, such as depression for adults and children left parentless due to COVID deaths, exacerbation of chronic diseases and economic challenges, such as food insecurities, among immigrants – all of which are an “invisible story” not being told, she says.

While the more dire consequences of COVID-19 occurred in 2020 and 2021, the pandemic is not over and the long-term effects must be addressed, Vilar-Compte says. “I don’t have solutions for any of these problems but I do know that we need to work together with community organizations and local governments to address them,” she says, adding that she will continue her research and advocacy.

“This is a social justice issue. It is my crusade to ‘visible-ize’ them,” she says.

Associate Provost for Hispanic Initiatives and International Programs Katia Paz Goldfarb says it’s important to highlight not just the celebrations and contributions of Latinx during Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month at Montclair.

“This is extremely important because this is a segment of our population. The Mexican undocumented immigrants in this research are a very invisible group. People often do not want to talk about ‘them,’” she says, adding air quotes. “And yet, they are an intrinsic part of our society. They are part of the way that we live, the way that we would like to live, the services that we like to have. We cannot just use people without making sure that we offer the services and support they need.”

Several students with the Public Health Association at Montclair took time between classes to listen to the presentation.

“It was very informative,” says senior Patricia Bolivar. “The fact that immigrants and the working class are not supported is a social justice issue, which is a cause in our department.”

Genesis Jara, a junior, says the research also highlighted the need to improve access to vaccines for Hispanics.

“This information is relevant, not only with regard to the pandemic, but to inequities that we discuss and try to improve in Public Health,” says Christopher Haggar, a senior Public Health major.

In closing, Vilar-Compte told the audience: “If you encounter an undocumented immigrant, be really nice to them.”

Story by Staff Writer Sylvia A. Martinez. Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters.

Each morning the students would meet up at their schools and, after having breakfast, travel by bus to Montclair for a day of learning. In addition to their Fundamentals of Speech and Introduction to Computer Concepts classes, the students’ days were filled with in-person sessions with success coaches, learning about campus resources and college life. They also found time to play and bond over volleyball in the quad. Once a week, they attended virtual evening tutoring sessions with their success coaches.

During one event with members of the African American and Latinx caucuses, students networked and put their communications skills to the test. Psychology Professor Saundra Collins encouraged the students, telling them: “We are all seeds of greatness. The goal is to push you into something greater than you are.”

The summer program is an integral part of the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy, a nationally recognized partnership between �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s College of Education and Human Services, the Newark Board of Education and the American Federation of Teachers, which aims to help build a locally grown, diverse teacher workforce.

Danielle Epps, the director of Teacher Education Admissions, Recruitment and Diversity at �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Center of Pedagogy who leads the program with Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning and Academy Co-Director Mayida Zaal, says Montclair is developing long-term relationships with students at both Newark high schools beginning in ninth grade when they join the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy. Montclair provides curriculum and professors and participants earn college credits.

“We really believe that by building meaningful relationships and supporting the students through the program – what we call our ‘community of commitment’ – will make a difference in terms of them completing their college degrees, whether they decide to pursue education,” Epps says.

East Side High School student Zeana Fortes says she was glad to participate in the summer academy. “The program has been really supportive of us. We’re able to build relationships with our teachers and with our professors.” Success coaches provided guidance with assignments, and students learned valuable skills, such as time management and note-taking.

Bryan Miranda of East Side High School says he wasn’t sure he’d interact with people outside of those he already knew from his school but discovered he had things in common with others. “I’ve been able to boost my confidence and speak better in public,” Miranda says, adding that he also picked up some new computer knowledge and shortcuts.

Miranda, who wants to attend Montclair next year and major in History, is thrilled that the students who meet qualifications and complete the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy are guaranteed entrance to the University. “This program is wonderful,” he says, noting that he is considering becoming a history teacher.

At first, not everyone was excited about giving up their summer break for summer school.

“My immediate thought was, ‘there goes the summer,’ but by the third day, I was set. I am happy to be here,” says William Ruhno of East Side High School. “The people I’ve gotten to meet from University and the experiences and opportunities that have come because of this program, I’m very thankful for all of it.”

Destiny Bethea, a University High senior, agrees. “This is one of my last summer breaks. I don’t really have adult responsibilities right now, and I’m choosing to come to college,” she says, laughing. “I’m grateful nonetheless. It gave me more insight and knowledge into college, so I’m glad to be here.”

Najmah Johnson, who starts her first year at Montclair, says she’s introverted and that the speech class especially took her out of her comfort zone. The Communications and Media major and Education minor did well on two required speeches and is looking forward to her first on-campus semester with 12 additional credits under her belt: “I am very excited and can’t wait to start the school year,” she says.

Many of the students are still unsure if they will pursue teaching as a career.

Ruhno says that he and his fellow students know the summer academy will help them with any chosen field. “There are so many things that are vital for any career that you choose, like public speaking, making connections and networking. So basically, this is preparing us for life.”

Fortes says she’s torn between teaching and nursing. “But either way, I’m changing people’s lives, and that’s really what I want to do in life.”

Zaal says the overarching goal is to help the students succeed. “Whether you want to become a teacher is really not a criterion for participating in the program because ultimately, they’re going to be very strong consumers of education, they’re going to potentially have the tools that they need to become advocates for change in educational systems in their communities,” she says, adding that “they could potentially teach or work in the school system in other capacities.”

Ultimately, she says, “retaining them in the college experience and giving them the opportunity to persist through college is a really important part of the work.”

The rising Red Hawks take pride in being among the first cohort to participate in the summer academy. “I feel blessed to have this chance to be in this program and be one of the first,” says Bethea. “So, I feel like I’m also helping those future students.”

That was a sentiment echoed by Ruhno. “I’m excited to see where this program will go in the future. To be part of the group of pioneers who started this and who helped form how it’s developing. It’s crazy to think about how much of an impact that we can have on the program itself.”

Bethea says she will urge future Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy students to participate in the summer program. “I will tell them, I know it’s summertime and you want to have fun, but you also have to consider your future.”

Photo Gallery

Story by Staff Writer Sylvia A. Martinez. Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters.

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“Personally, for me, this has definitely been a period of self-reflection,” says Crawford of the experiences this summer as a member of �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Urban Teacher Residency, including visiting neighborhoods where her students live and learning more about the city’s political and social history from community leaders.

“I’ve had a chance to think about my personal values as a person, what I believe, what I stand for, what I don’t support, and how I could bring that into my future classroom,” says Crawford, who as part of the residency will earn a master’s degree in Teaching (MAT) and certification as a teacher of students with disabilities.

The Transformative Education Network – known by its acronym TEN – offers the critical professional development in recruiting and preparing prospective teachers with partner districts, Newark Board of Education and Orange Public Schools. Over the past five years, 98 Montclair graduates have earned degrees through the Urban Teacher Residency and Newark Teacher Project.

The summer orientation helps the prospective teachers understand the distinct neighborhoods and the community-based organizations dedicated to improving the schools, according to Teaching and Learning professors and TEN co-directors Bree Picower and Tanya Maloney.

Environmental concerns are highlighted, particularly the health consequences for children who live In the Ironbound section of Newark crowded with factories and warehouses, a power plant, chemical refineries, the state’s largest garbage incinerator and a Superfund site.

“To actually engage in the environmental justice tour and smell the air and see all of the different places where waste is being collected and how there’s an incinerator right next to people’s homes, that’s a different experience than us, as professors, telling prospective teachers about their students’ experiences,” Maloney says.

“It allows us to have a different conversation when we start to talk about, ‘why do you think that student is acting the way they are in the classroom?’ It allows us to have that conversation from a place of thinking about how that child is being affected by systems, outside actors, that could be out of their control,” Maloney says.

The summer orientation also featured an intentional focus on community partnership and organizing. The Montclair students received an introduction to working with community-based organizations as a way to deepen their connection to the neighborhoods they will serve as teachers, Picower says.

The summer experiences segue directly into curriculum design as prospective teachers develop lesson and unit plans based on the students’ neighborhoods, experiences and identities.

Sharing an example, the professors pointed to a unit on social justice and community activism developed by Urban Teacher Residents Kathryn Restituyo and Katiana LaCroix. The teachers shifted how they were teaching common topics such as “community helpers” to be more culturally relevant for their students, including inviting environmental activist Christian Rodriguez to share how Down Bottom Farms is growing healthy food in the Ironbound.

The unit “solidified how community activism and activists can create substantial change right in their ‘backyard’,” Restituyo and LaCroix shared in the TEN newsletter. “Our students are able to see that within their own community activism plays a vital role.”

Such community wealth connects with the other assets, including the cultures and languages students bring into the classroom, observes Diane Tehranian, an engineer by training who is changing careers. She was attracted to the Newark Teacher Project after her experiences as a parent advocate at Montclair Public Schools, where her children go to school.

“I’m a proponent of hiring teachers of color and I am a white woman who’s coming into this,” she says. “I have an extra burden of needing to educate myself, to put in that extra work if I’m going to be a good teacher.”

Reflecting on what she’s learned this summer, Crawford, who earned a degree in Family Science and Human Development, says she’s confident she’s on the right path. “I feel more confident in myself and my goal,” she says.

Her friend, Tamara Dixon ’22, added the word “enlightening” to the experience. “I’ve learned so much about myself, about the world around me,” says Dixon, who was selected for the Urban Teacher Residency after graduating with a degree in Family Science and Human Development.

“I’m looking forward to meeting my students,” Dixon says, “learning more about the community, and continuing to meet new people who all share the same goal of wanting unity and love and gaining more knowledge.”

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren
Photos courtesy of the Transformative Education Network

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“This year, we’d like to do something different, where we acknowledge a CEHS student in a special way,” said Assistant Dean Carolina E. Gonzalez, inviting Fevrius to the stage for recognition of her student experience at ����vlog, “one that embodies the identity of our college.”

Behind the scenes, Gonzalez was in on a surprise that soon would be viewed live at Sprague Field and afterwards by thousands on .

Just minutes earlier, Hendy Joseph had hurried from the bleachers, secretly entering the field, and was waiting backstage with a large bouquet of flowers. On cue – Gonzalez inviting to the podium “a special someone” to present Fevrius with the honor – Joseph would in fact ask Fevrius for the honor of her hand in marriage.

“Kathy, no words can express my love for you,” Joseph said. “I love you.” And then, on bended knee, “Will you marry me?”

Fevrius, her hands covering her smiling face in surprise, said, “Yes.”

Fevrius is a January 2022 graduate who earned a BS in Public Health with a concentration in Health Systems Administration and Policy. Her professors and those who worked with her at her internship at the East Orange Health Department describe her as a thoughtful, wise and passionate woman who will make outstanding contributions as a public health professional. She currently works at the Bergen Arts and Science Charter Middle School in Garfield, New Jersey.

The couple met at the Tabernacle Church Of God in Newark, and for Joseph, from the moment he first saw Fevrius, “I knew that one day she would be my wife,” he says in a letter about their courtship. It took a year before he found the courage to let her know how he felt and some time before “Kathy agreed to speak to me or even show any interest of some sort, but after seeking the Lord’s approval on her end and me being persistent on my end, Kathy agreed to give me a chance and allow me in her life.”

The story of their engagement has caught the attention of media outlets, including , which reported that Fevrius was thrilled – and surprised – by the gesture.

According to the newspaper, Joseph seemed unusually busy and distracted Thursday morning but she didn’t know why.

“I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ He said, ‘I don’t want to tell you now. I’ll tell you later,’” she said.

She also said there was no doubt of her answer.

“He’s so caring. Oh my goodness,” she said. “He doesn’t want me to suffer anytime. I love him.” Joseph says they plan a church engagement later this month and a wedding in August 2023.

In his letter, the groom-to-be expresses his love. “She is literally a gift sent from Heaven … Kathy is the definition of a soulmate, pure love and affection.”

As they parted the Convocation stage, Fevrius returned to her seat where she would shortly receive her diploma alongside 350 other CEHS graduates, Joseph to the family waiting on the stadium sidelines. Gonzalez wished them “a lifetime of happiness and love.”

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren. Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters.

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One Moment In Time

Leech’s work centers on the well-being of youths who live in marginalized and underserved urban environments. In 2019, about common recruitment and retention obstacles that scholars interested in racial disparities research face: potential mistrust from the black community; a stigmatized research topic; and high participation burden.

The goal of her fellowship project, “Community Conversations and Reimagining Public Safety,” is to help cities center impacted communities in their public safety redesign process.

“Specifically, I aim to conduct community conversations in three geographically distinct jurisdictions and then produce research tool kits openly available to scholars, municipalities and community members attempting to reimagine first response in their cities,” Leech says. “Ensuring that communities have a meaningful voice in the reform process is critical to developing effective and equitable public safety systems.”

The fellowship is backed by the , a philanthropic foundation that supports scholarship and research into the social sciences and humanities, and addresses important societal issues. Leech is one of 28 distinguished scholars and writers selected for this year’s class.

“I am delighted and honored to receive an award that allows me to continue to engage with diverse groups of community members in different regions throughout the U.S.,” Leech says. “Given the current cultural climate and readiness for reform, I’m ecstatic that this support will help me continue this work and bring it to fruition.”

“I can think of no scholar more deserving of this type of recognition than Professor Leech,” says College of Education and Human Services Acting Dean Katrina Bulkley. “Her research in an area in urgent need of reform will continue to serve as a catalyst for positive change. Her scholarship will continue to serve the public good, making her the ideal recipient of this prestigious honor.”

For more information on the College of Education and Human Services at ����vlog, visit .