Institute Community
Ajay Abraham lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, where he is the sixth-grade world history teacher at Achievement First Voyager Middle School. He is completing his third year as a teacher. Before Ajay entered the educational world, he worked in politics and government in Washington, DC, first in the U.S. House of Representatives for five years and for progressive campaigns for an additional six years. Ajay originally hails from the West Coast, and spent much of his childhood in Southern California. He is a proud and long-winded history nerd, which his students obviously only pretend to hate.
Max W. Bailey-Farber teaches social studies and assists with the service learning program for secondary students at South Valley Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He grew up mostly in New York City and New Mexico and has lived (studied/worked) in Indonesia, Taiwan, India, Japan, Mexico and Australia. Max is looking forward to attending the Tales from the Chihuahuan Desert Summer Institute at UTEP and gaining experiences and insights that could help him to better serve the predominantly Chihuahuense student body at South Valley Academy. Other major passions include gastronomia, musical subcultures, DJIng, fanzine making/collecting, and bicycle touring. Max can be contacted at
Robin Berry is from Central Florida. She teaches high school credit Spanish and student leadership at Teague Middle School. The 2022-2023 school year marks her 20-year anniversary as a teacher. She is an avid traveler, animal lover, and scrapbooker. Robin leads student tours in Europe most summers. She plans to apply her knowledge of the Chihuahuan Desert histories and narratives to inspire students to think critically about the US–Mexico relationship and how bilingualism enhances the study of both current events and history. Robin can be contacted at
David Boby is from Chicago, Illinois. He teaches English, social sciences, and special education at Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy High School in Chicago. David is happiest riding long distances on a bicycle or trimming the sheets on a sailboat in Lake Michigan. Craft beer and cooking also bring him joy. He looks forward to learning more about the people and histories of the borderlands to bring to his students in the north. David can be reached at
Carolyn Brunelle is originally from Massachusetts, but now lives in Cleveland, Ohio. She teaches Humanities and History at Hawken Upper School, where she is a co-lead for the Humanities 9 curriculum in addition to teaching courses such as Islam and Gender, Outbreak: Disease and Culture, and Rage Against the Machine: Labor, Technology and Society in U.S. History. Outside of school, Carolyn enjoys gardening, singing with her choir, and reading with her cat Gertrude beside her. She hopes to strengthen her U.S. history teaching as a result of this summer’s learning, and she is germinating an idea for a seminar on centering peripheries, which would explore both U.S. borderlands today and peripheries within the medieval Islamic world (her own area of expertise). Carolyn can be reached at
John Cabascango has taught high school English, Spanish, and English to Speakers of Other Languages in the Dominican Republic, Florida, and North Carolina, as well as writing classes at the community college level. He has published two books, several ebooks, poetry, and articles, which have made him very little money, consistent with his scholastic vow of giving up financial means in order to be an educator. John enjoys music, movies, and hanging out with his wife Sherri, his sons Esteban, Santiago, and Cristian. He plans to use his institute experience to inform his teaching and writing. Currently, John teaches at Middle Creek High School in Cary, North Carolina.
Jeanaline Celis is from El Paso, Texas. She teaches eighth-grade dual language, gifted and talented Pre-Advanced Placement reading and social Studies at Wiggs Middle School. Her hobbies include cooking, reading, traveling, and CrossFit. Currently, Jeanaline is pursuing her principal’s certification through the Education Service Center, Region 19. Her post-institute goal is to apply the knowledge acquired through the Summer Institute by teaching and sharing stories from the borderlands of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez with her students. Jeanaline hopes to instill a sense of pride and identity in her students, so that they learn to appreciate the unique experiences of living in a binational, bicultural, and bilingual Frontera.
Michela Corcorran lives in the Washington, DC, area and is originally from Seattle, Washington. She teaches Spanish at Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland. Michela is a lifelong student of the Spanish language. In addition to her language and culture studies, her academic interests also include the history and study of religions. Michela enjoys running, hiking, and spending time outdoors with her partner, Peter, and dog, Millie. She travels to Spanish- speaking countries whenever possible. Michela plans to use what she learns about the Chihuahuan Desert and borderlands narratives to design new, interdisciplinary curriculum on the realities of immigration, culture, and identity on the U.S.-Mexico border for her honors Spanish 5 course.
Kristen Fischer is a Spanish teacher and school administrator in central New Hampshire. A New Englander, she has also spent time living and working in Southern California and New Mexico, and has traveled and studied in a number of Spanish speaking countries. In her spare time, Kristen enjoys walking her dog, reading, listening to podcasts, and trying to learn Chinese on Duolingo. She is excited about this institute. Kristen looks forward to incorporating skills and lessons learned in the Summer Institute in her future Spanish classes.
Brian Gonzalez was born and raised in Whittier, California. Currently, he serves as a high school teacher at a small charter school in South Central Los Angeles. He begins his second year teaching ethnic studies this Fall 2023, as an elective, with tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders. Physical activity in the early mornings gives him life and gets the day off to a great start. Weekend cafe passion planning is his favorite, too! His goal post-institute is to implement borderlands narratives learning into his new ethnic studies class and to create a more culturally relevant experience for his students. Brian can be reached by email at
Danny Haley lives in Crownsville, Maryland, where he spends time fishing and kayaking with his wife and daughters. He teaches English and social studies at Washington Jesuit Academy, which is a tuition-free private school for students from low-income households in Washington, DC. In addition, Danny is a graduate student, studying classic literature at St. John’s College in Annapolis. He plans to apply his knowledge of the Chihuahuan Desert narratives by exploring and analyzing the relationship between the underrepresented stories from the borderlands and the “Great Books” of the Western canon. Danny can be reached by email at
Cindy Mendez Moreno, originally from Covina, California, is a ninth-grade English teacher at Excel Academy Charter High School in East Boston, Massachusetts. She majored in comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley, where she honed her passion for political activism, support of underprivileged communities, and uplifting BIPOC writers. Despite being a new teacher, Cindy has established herself as a prominent educator through her collaborative curriculum changes of texts to be more reflective and representative of her students’ identities and values. Other than teaching, she finds delight in analyzing short stories and creative writing and plans to apply to a graduate program with a focus on Chicano Literature in 2024. Cindy can be reached at
Melissa McDonald is a teacher of English learners and from Novi, Michigan. Currently, she teaches multilingual students in Hazel Park, Michigan. Melissa has also presented professional developments in the areas of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol framework and language acquisition. She has a variety of teaching experiences, teaching in Michigan, North Carolina, and Texas—in both private and public schools. In her free time, Melissa enjoys traveling with her husband and also crafting as a hobby. She hopes to use the narratives of the Chihuahuan Desert as a means to enrich her teaching and advocacy for her students and their families. Melissa can be reached at
Renée Morales is a native of El Paso, and currently lives in Buda, Texas, a suburb of Austin. She has over 13 years of teaching English as a second language and works specifically with newcomers to the United States. Renée loves to watch films and music shows. Most days she spends time with her daughter baking, exploring, and going on playdates. Renée hopes to take borderlands narratives and experiences back to her classroom to guide students, who have crossed borders and countries to come to the United States, find a voice in their own stories and experiences.
Valerie Oswald-Love teaches high school Spanish in Moorestown, New Jersey. She loves travel, nature, and history, and is a singer-songwriter and musician. The woods are her happy place. Valerie is a black belt candidate in Tang Soo Do. She plans to apply her knowledge of the Chihuahuan Desert narratives to lead professional development for staff through her school’s Social Emotional Learning Committee. Valerie also wants to open students’ minds to border and human immigration issues. She can be reached at
Angela Phillips is a high school Spanish teacher in Sylva, North Carolina, a lovely mountain town, which is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Appalachia and on ancient Cherokee lands. In addition to teaching Spanish, Angela has taught French, contemporary literature and film. Some of her areas of interest are themes of gender, class, education, ethnicity, and religion and encouraging learners to question long-standing stereotypes. Angela has led study abroad courses to Mexico and France for approximately 15 students. In her free time, she enjoys cycling, hiking, landscaping, gardening, and photography.
Daniel Robles was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and educated in New York City. Currently, he teaches ninth and tenth-grade English, along with the twelfth-grade semester elective Latinx Literature at Marlborough School in Los Angeles. With his participation in the institute, Danny hopes to enrich his curriculum with more history and authentic stories, so that he can continue to scaffold his students’ learning. In his free time, he loves obsessing over musicals, eating delicious food, reading LGBTQ+ literature, and playing with his two pups named Bumble Bee and Mosquito. Reach Danny at
Shilpa Sarang teaches English language arts and reading to sophomore students at Akins Early College High School in Austin, Texas. She and her family live in Austin, Texas.
M. Katie Shimer is beginning her 18th year at Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. She started her career as a special education teacher and transitioned to the English language arts department six years ago. Currently, Katie specializes in creative writing and film literature on a historic 76-acre, Civil War-era campus in the heart of Indy. She enjoys reading almost anything, taking road trips, spending summers with friends, listening to rock music, collecting actual rocks, and the company of most dogs but especially her own elderly pit bull named Lupa. Through her participation in the institute, Katie hopes to better connect with all of her students, but especially with creative writing students who often hesitate to share their binational stories due to fears of judgment or misunderstanding. The ultimate goal, however, is to build a writing program that abandons the five-paragraph essay curriculum and focuses on meaningful expression, increasing depth of knowledge, and building relevant skills for all students regardless of where they come from or when they arrived. Katie’s email is:
Elisia Stawiecki is originally from Sacramento California, but now lives on the oceanside in sunny Santa Barbara. She has taught seventh-grade English for the past seven years, as well as a short stint as an eighth-grade theatre teacher. Elisia is a professionally trained Latin dancer and has enjoyed bringing her culture into her practice through the foundation of a salsa/bachata dance team on her campus. When she's not teaching, you can find her on the dance floor, at a local brewery, on the beach playing spikeball, in the search for the best vegetarian meals at restaurants, or on walks with her mini Australian shepherd named Koda.
Stephanie Suarez is a New York City public school teacher and loves her role teaching ninth-grade English at The New York Harbor School on Governors Island. Her hobbies include finding cool museum exhibits, cooking with lots of veggies, running, hiking, biking, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts. Reading has always been a passion, but discovering stories and poetry that make her feel more alive, and then sharing them with her students and watching them light up because something resonates, takes the cake. Stephanie hopes to discover and maybe rediscover the power of words to effect change through the borderlands narratives and binationalism tales from the Chihuahuan Desert.
Heather Wilson-Meeks is a theatre director and educator in Houston, Texas. Currently, she is currently the lead director of theatre arts for Cypress Park High School in Cypress, Texas. Heather has taught both high school and middle school theatre arts and English in Texas public schools for 21 years. In addition to directing on her campus, she has coached students in competitive events for the Texas Thespians State Festival and has coached National Qualifiers in Duet and Solo events in both Acting and Musical. In addition to her work in public education, Heather also directs youth theatre and is an active participant in the Houston theatre community. She earned a bachelor’s degree in theatre Arts from University of Texas-Dallas and a master’s in theatre studies from Texas A&M University-Commerce. Heather has attended NEH institutes in New York with Theatre for a New Audience and Shepherd University in conjunction with the Contemporary American Theater Festival. During the pandemic, she also took an online class in playwriting through the Juilliard Extension program and completed an eight-week writing program with playwright Lauren Gunderson. Heather strongly believes in the value of educational theatre and the role it plays in creating community both on the stage and in students’ lives. She is thrilled to learn and grow with the scholars of Tales from the Chihuahuan Desert.
Edward Yoon was born in Maryland, but currently lives and teaches in North Georgia. He co-teaches physical science and geometry during the day at East Hall High School in Gainesville, Georgia. During the evenings, Edward serves as a social studies and English teacher at Mountain Education Charter High School. Outside of school, he enjoys playing basketball and visiting bookstores and libraries. Edward plans to expand his understanding of the Borderlands to better serve the diverse communities of North Georgia. He hopes to honor the unique cultural and linguistic identities of all learners.
