Author Archives: Woody

Alma Exley Scholar Wins Prestigious Fellowship

Tamashi Hettiarachchi, who is in her second year of teaching chemistry in West Hartford, Conn., has been selected for a prestigious national program that supports early-career science and mathematics teachers in their efforts to develop teaching expertise.

Tamashi Hettiarachchi, right, invited Mehreen Pasha, a medical student at UConn Health,
to talk to her students about careers in medicine.

Intensive Five-Year Program

The Knowles Teaching Fellows Program is an intensive, five-year program that provides financial support in a variety of ways. The program provides stipends during the summer and funds for professional development and also enables teachers to buy classroom materials and join professional organizations. Fellows can also gain graduate credit for work in the fellowship.

Ms. Hettiarachchi, whom we honored in 2022, joins a network of more than 500 Knowles Teaching Fellows in 34 states and the District of Columbia who are committed to improving science and mathematics education.

In total, fellows are eligible to receive more than $50,000 in financial support over the course of the five-year fellowship. Fellows can apply for grants to pursue efforts that will have a positive impact on education in their own classroom and beyond.

UConn Graduate

Ms. Hettiarachchi received our scholarship when she was a student at the University of Connecticut. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry education and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from UConn before taking a position teaching 11th grade chemistry at Hall High School.

“I am so honored and grateful for this opportunity and recognition,” she said. “I hope to use this funding to meet the needs of my students and provide my students with new opportunities in chemistry.

“My pedagogy is rooted in love and joy in the classroom. I strive to ensure that all of my students feel they belong in a science classroom.

“As a teacher of color, I recognize the need to diversify the field and hope that I can aid in that process.”

Ms. Hettiarachchi is advisor to the Future Educators of Diversity Club at Hall High School and a building representative in her local union.

Dr. Santosha Oliver, Assistant NY State Commissioner

Congratulations to Dr. Santosha Oliver, 2007 Alma Exley Scholar, on her appointment as assistant commissioner for standards and instructional programs for New York State Public Schools.

What a happy surprise to run into her at the annual conference of the National Association of State Boards of Education in San Diego. Dr. Oliver’s team was presenting on a years-long initiative to revise the high school graduation requirements in New York State.

Prior to moving to Albany for her new job, Dr. Oliver had been assistant superintendent for Windsor, Conn., public schools since 2016. She began her education career as a science teacher at East Hartford High School. Subsequently, she served as coordinator of assessment, evaluation, and research for the East Hartford Public Schools; assistant principal of the O’Brien STEM Academy of the East Hartford Public Schools; and the administrator in charge of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the Manchester, Conn., Public Schools.

A graduate of Manchester High School, she holds a B.S. degree in biology from Morgan State University and a Ph.D. in genetics and developmental biology from the University of Connecticut. She earned her Connecticut teaching certificate in the Alternate Route to Certification.

I’m so proud of Tosha and all she has accomplished in her illustrious educational career. She has had a big impact along the way, from the classroom to the office, and now she has the opportunity to make a difference on behalf of the 2.5 million public-school students across the state of New York.

I’m also grateful to the supporters of the Alma Exley Scholarship Program, who made it possible for us to recognize Tosha’s potential and give her a boost as she began her career in education.

Best wishes, Tosha, for continued success.

Leaders in the Educator Diversity Drive

Two Alma Exley Scholars are engaged in an initiative to bring more people of color into the educator workforce in Connecticut.

Dr. Violet Jiménez Sims, whom we honored in 2008, is managing director of academic programming for the Connecticut Teacher Residency Program (TRP), which provides a pathway for uncertified school personnel and others to gain teacher certification.

Theo Martinez, whom we honored in 2018, is an elementary teacher by day and teaches several courses in the TRP during evenings and in the summer. Currently, he is teaching a course called Teaching and Learning for Today’s Learner to the incoming cohort of teacher residents, over 90 percent of whom identify as people of color.

Dr. Sims meets up with Mr. Martinez in his classroom.

Candidates Have at Least a Bachelor’s Degree

“To qualify for the Teacher Residency Program,” Dr. Sims said, “candidates must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, though some have graduate degrees and professional credentials in other fields. Also, they should have experience working with marginalized populations as well as a commitment to diversity. Many residents have worked in schools as paraeducators, associate instructors, tutors, or teaching assistants.”

Candidates begin by taking courses during the summer, then spend the academic year in residency in a school under the guidance and supervision of a certified teacher. They take additional courses during the following summer. During their year-long residency, they receive a living wage and benefits. Afterwards, upon being hired as teachers, they receive mentoring support for three years.

In its four years of existence, the program has turned out 65 teachers for Connecticut elementary schools, and 90 percent are people of color.

Varied Experience

Mr. Martinez brings to his TRP classroom five years of teaching in a diverse elementary magnet school in South Windsor run by the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC). He also has taught in a state prison. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UConn and master’s degrees from the University of Hartford and the University of Southern New Hampshire, and he is working on a doctorate at the University of South Carolina (remotely).

“It’s an honor to reconnect with Violet and to work together to meet the program’s vision of disrupting current systems of inequity,” Mr. Martinez said. “Working with these prospective educators reminds me of what I love about being in the classroom. Year after year, TRP recruits unique candidates who are committed to addressing the teacher shortage while increasing the diversity of the teacher workforce in Connecticut.”

Reconnecting in the Classroom

Dr. Sims has known Mr. Martinez for years through their attendance at events sponsored by the Alma Exley Scholarship Program. Their paths crossed again this past year in her capacity as supervisor of the instructors in the Teacher Residency Program.

“Theo is a highly valued member of our faculty,” she said. “He brings to the classroom a wealth of experience in teaching in diverse classrooms, whether in public school or prison, and he shares our commitment to bringing greater diversity to the teaching profession in Connecticut. We are so fortunate to have Theo as an instructor who is also a role model and a positive example of representation and impact in the teaching profession.”

All supporters of the Alma Exley Scholarship Program may find it gratifying that two outstanding members of our scholarship family are working to fulfill Alma’s vision of an education profession that looks like America.

  • Woody Exley