TC’s 2009 master’s and doctoral degree graduates are a diverse and remarkable group, hailing from every corner of the country and some 57 nations. Meet some of them via video interviews in the College’s graduates gallery...

Clarence Cooper
Hometown: New York, New York
Degree/Program: Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching
Clarence discusses both his teaching career in the Newburgh, N.Y., school district and his dissertation, which examines effective teaching strategies at a small high school that he co-founded and led.
 
 
 
 
Daisuke Funai
Hometown:  Born in Osaka, Japan; grew up in New York and Los Angeles
Degree/Program:  M.A. in International Educational Development
Daisuke’s thesis explores how the sharp increase in immigrants to Japan and the explosion of telecommunications technology is rapidly changing the Japanese language.
 
 
 
 

Ashley Gleitman
Hometown: Beverly Hills, California
Degree/Program:  M.A. in Health and Behavioral Studies
Ashley has combined her interest in journalism and technology with a passion for health education and internationalism to become an AIDS/HIV prevention educator in South Africa and New York City.
 
 
 
 
Angela Livingston
Hometown: New York, New York
Degree/Program: M.S. in Speech and Language Pathology
Angela describes her long educational journey from the Dominican Republic to New York City and Teachers College, and how her son’s speech delay set her on a path to become a bilingual speech therapist.
 
 
 
 
Roberta “Nicki” Newton
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Degree/Program: Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching
Nikki discusses her many travels around the world during her time at Teachers College, her burgeoning career as an educational consultant, and her years as a bilingual teacher in the Los Angeles area.
 
 
 
 
Eric Oberstein
Hometown: Bellerose Village, New York
Degree/Program: M.A. in Arts Administration
Eric discusses his experiences at Teachers College, his trip to Cuba with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Alliance, and his plans to enroll in a special arts and education program at Harvard University.
 

 
 
Nisrin Elamin
Hometown: Sudan
Degree/Program: M.A. in Comparative and International Education
Nisrin discusses her teaching in Tanzania, her research on Muslim students in New York City, and her work a Global Kids, a nonprofit organization.
 

 
 

Sara Inbar
Degree/Program: M.A. in Elementary Education
Sara discusses her career path from performing on Broadway to seeking a career in the classroom, and her student teaching at Central Park East Elementary School in East Harlem.
 

Luis Alicea
Hometown: New York, New York
Degree/Program: M.A. in Science Education
Luis discusses his passion for chemistry, his background in higher
education and his plans to pursue a doctoral degree.

Diana Alutto
Hometown: Jericho, New York
Degree/Program: M.A. in Elementary Education
Diana discusses her transition from acting for kids at Disney World to acting for kids in the classroom.

Hareem Khan
Hometown: Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Degree/Program: Ed.M. in Curriculum and Teaching
Hareem discusses her teaching experience in Pakistan, her desire to
establish and reading and writing clinic in Islamabad, and her passion
for books.

Stavroula Kontokourki
Hometown: Cyprus
Degree/Program: Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching
Stavroula discusses her dissertation, which focuses on the ways
third-grade students in public schools become literate in assessment
saturated classrooms. She also discusses the differences and
similarities between the American and Cypriot educational systems.

Major Adam Sawyer, United States Army
Hometown: Reading, Pennsylvania
Degree/Program: M.A. in Organizational Psychology and Leadership
Adam discusses his life as a unit commander in Iraq and getting a master’s degree to prepare to teach and mentor cadets at West Point.

Published Monday, May. 18, 2009