Current Students

Born in the Bronx, NY, Robert discovered his passion for philosophy during his senior year of high school. After graduating from La Salle University with a BA in Philosophy and Communication he discovered that he also had a strong passion for education, and he was determined on becoming a professor of philosophy. In his words, “The greatest way in which I can add to the betterment of society and incite social change is by influencing the minds of our future generations. I intend to get to the root problems in education and reform it in a way that will empower individuals to achieve their personal goals, not simply join in the rat race of the monotonous workforce.” His research interests include but are not limited to education policy, epistemology, and existentialism. He is also interested in thinkers like Dewey, Rousseau, and Montaigne. Robert currently works as a presenter with a company called Elevate Education in which he goes out to middle/high schools throughout the five boroughs and he helps the youth to become better students by teaching them various study skills and belief systems. When he is not engaging in scholarly endeavors, he can be found skateboarding around the concrete jungle of NYC.

Raised in an era before homosexual relationships were acknowledged or accepted, Patricia’s mothers displayed a resilience and advocation against injustices of the era until they could be lawfully wed. Seeing firsthand both the struggles and triumphs of her family solidified her determination to help form a more ethical and morally just world.
She has been greatly inspired by the contributions of Fredrich Nietzsche, Soren Kierkegaard, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Virgina Held, Christopher Hitchens, Patricia S. Churchland, Martha Nussbaum, and Emma Dabiri.

Zev is a master's student from California. He holds his B.A. in Philosophy from Reed College, at which he matriculated after two years of study at Montana State University. Zev is deeply experienced with youth work, and currently serves as the Program Director for the Leadership & Service program of the National Student Leadership Conference. He is committed to creating change in young people worldwide, through education and through philosophy and through their entanglement in content and in form. Beyond academia, Zev is an avid fly fisherman and musician.

Becky Lallande is an educator, dancer, and vocalist from Annandale, Virginia and holds a MA in Psychology in Education and a BA in Religious Studies. Prior to attending graduate school she developed a career as a teaching artist with a focus on early childhood development in the arts. Now with over 15 years of experience in arts education she is passionate in the foundations of learning and cultivating meaningful relationships in educative spaces. She is trained in arts integration techniques for the classroom, trauma-informed arts-based practices, and the modern dance style of Isadora Duncan for children. As an educator she finds a deep importance in understanding the ways in which people communicate with each other, especially through a wide range of perspectives and needs. With deep inquiry toward the intersections of post-materialist science, music, and imagination, she seeks methods of practical implications of research on these topics in education and everyday life. Additional academic research interests include embodied cognition, perceptual studies, policy in education, and the history of psychology and education in the United States.

Brittany holds a BA in English and art history from Muhlenberg College and an MA TESOL from the New School. She teaches English as a Second Language at the American Language Program, Columbia University. Brittany’s pedagogical interests include extensive listening, critical thinking, and incorporating art, poetry, and music into ESL instruction. At TC, Brittany hopes to study the relationship between poetry and education and the ethics of English-language teaching. In her free time, Brittany reads and writes poetry about rock and roll, films, and other poems.

Lake Ouyang was born in Guangdong, China. He graduated from Stony Brook University with a BS in Mathematics and an MAT in Mathematics. During his undergraduate years, he has done personal readings in Buddhist philosophy, Confucianism, and Daoism, finding a deep resonance with all three. This experience formed his belief that education fundamentally cultivates and influences the development of humanity, and shapes our future world. Driven by this conviction, Lake became a middle school teacher. He has a research interest in Virtue ethics and Character Education, seeking answers to questions such as how to teach virtue and practical wisdom, how to guide people in pursuing a good life, and how to introduce philosophy to both children and the general public. Additionally, Lake enjoys comparative studies of Eastern and Western philosophy and wishes to find common ground between these traditions.

Theseus has spent the past two decades working at a nonprofit youth organization, where he developed, implemented and managed comprehensive afterschool programs for elementary and middle school students in public schools throughout Manhattan. These programs supported learning goals in literacy, STEM and leadership development through project-based learning. He is currently building a new nonprofit organization that will work to support the social/emotional needs and mental wellness of children and teens.

Emilia has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland-College Park. Her experiences with researching empathy in STEM education surprised her, resulting in a desire to pursue more philosophical questions about STEM and education. Emilia also currently teaches kindergarten and first grade Math full-time at a public charter school in the South Bronx.

Yuri Zhang has worked for five years in China's education system. During that time, she served as a primary school teacher and textbook creator. She also held several marketing positions in international schools. Yuri comes to the philosophy and education program with lots of questions. She is eager to understand education as a whole by reflecting on the big issues confronting education today. Her hobbies are meeting different people, going to the gym, and taking dance classes. She hopes to have a dog one day.

Addison Zipter graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor's degree in Education. Inspired by her year of student teaching, she is eager to explore and research the big questions of teaching, such as what to teach, how to teach, and the underlying purpose of education. She hopes to find answers throughout her master's program.