Faculty/Staff

Room 145 - ext. 14553; aishah@uainstitute.org

Aisha first joined UAI as a paraprofessional and last year became our parent coordinator.  Throughout all of her roles at UAI, Aisha has always stepped up to do whatever it takes to make sure our students and families are supported and get what they need to thrive!

  RM B45, ext. 84511 - [email protected]

Alison began teaching in NYC public schools over 13 years ago.  Five years into teaching, Alison joined UAI as a middle school math and science teacher.  Over the years, Alison has served a mentor and coach for the NYCDOE teaching fellows program, and she now brings that expertise to UAI as a peer instructional coach.  Her work with her fellow teachers has elevated practice in the classrooms and improved learning experiences for students beyond her own classroom.  Alison brings a wealth of resources and experiences in math education to our school, our students, and their families..

[email protected]

Brenda joined UAI in 2017.  She provides strong academic and social-emotional support throughout the day for our middle school students who need extra help in achieving academic success.  This year, Brenda continues her work with the middles school students.  

Rm 201, ext. 20111 - [email protected]

My given name is Davira Jiménez. I prefer to be called Dai, however. Ya know, like toDAY. I am a proud Brooklynite, born to parents of Afro-Caribbean descent. And, I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to work within a Brooklyn community.I am excited to be joining UAI as the School Business Manager. Before UAI, I worked in other schools as an Operations professional and Culture advocate. As a result of my time in schools I have become more in touch with the importance of prioritizing the safety and care of the communities I work with. I believe wholeheartedly in the learning, the understanding and the restoring of faith in our communities. Not just the ones I come from directly. Needless to say, I look forward to sharing the learning with all of you. Thank you for having me. Now, let's make it a great yea

Room 145, ext. 14552 - [email protected] 

Damaris joins UAI this school year as our school secretary.  With many years of experience, Damaris comes to UAI to a deep knowledge of DOE systems and will be very able to support teachers and staff in getting whatever they need to excel in their own roles.

Room 145 - ext. 14542; [email protected]

RM 405, ext 40511 - [email protected]

Danielle began as a student teacher at UAI in 2012 and is going into her 6th year teaching at UAI.  Danielle quickly adapted UAI’s learning formats to maximize student engagement and access into complex math concepts.  She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Math Education from SUNY Cortland and a Master’s of Science in Special Education from CUNY Hunter.  As a peer instructional coach, Danielle works with her colleagues to develop practice and pedagogy so all students at UAI have stronger and more engaging classroom learning experiences. Focusing energy on problem-solving and bringing the logical thinking and reasoning we learn through studying math to overcome adversities our girls face being young minority women in today’s society.

 

RM 307, ext. 30711 -  [email protected]

A New York native, Joey O’Connor attended the State University of New York: College at Geneseo, where he completed majors in English Literature and Adolescence Education as well as a minor in Women’s & Gender Studies.  Currently, Joey is pursuing his Master of Arts in Teaching at Columbia University to further hone his passion for designing learning experiences that are joyous, rigorous, data-driven, culturally relevant, and empowering. As a fierce advocate for intersectional feminism and social justice, Joey is excited to be part of  the UAI team! Joey invites students to not only collaborate in their close analysis of the craft of diverse authors, but to write their own pointed stories. He is thrilled to work with our young women and support them in cultivating the skills necessary to open doors of opportunity to college and beyond!

[email protected]

Juelle joined UAI nearly 8 years ago as a classroom paraprofessional. Juelle provides calm and persistent support for our most struggling students.  With her individualized support they access learning in the classroom.  With her help, our students have pathways to academic success. This year Juelle will be working with our high school students.

Room 415, ext 41511 - [email protected]

Liza was born in the snow-covered land of Buffalo, NY, and raised in sunny Auburn, AL, After attending The College of Wooster and graduating with a B.A. in Geology and Chemistry, she attended the American Museum of Natural History's Richard Guilder Graduate School and earned a Master of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in Earth Science education.  Liza joins UAI this year to bring Chemistry back to the science program.  Liza is particularly invested in data literacy as a way of encouraging students to be engaged in both local and global issues. She anticipates that exposing students to exciting science will encourage more, particularly young ladies such as those she teachers, to pursue science as a calling.

Room 311, ext 31111 - [email protected]

Martine joined UAI almost 10 years ago as a Special Education teacher.  Martine later left the classroom to support students in the role of dean and later as a college counselor.  After several years of childcare leave, Martine returns to her classroom role, joining the US History classes.

RM B57, , ext. 85711 -  [email protected]).

Matthew began teaching in the Bronx in 2014.  Matthew has a passion for helping our youngest learners develop their excitement about math.  He is dedicated to improving his practice, implementing feedback and advice that he actively seeks out from peers. Matthew also works in our after school program with Girls Inc training our middle school students how to become young engineers via Lego Robotics. 

Room 145 - ext. 14552; [email protected]

Paula joins UAI this year as a reading intervention teacher and general substitute teacher and main office support.  Pauline has been teaching for many years and first came to UAI as a substitute teacher.  We are thrilled to bring her on full time to join our staff for the 2019-20 school year.

RM 307, ext. 30711 - [email protected]

My name is Rebecca Candela and I am originally from Michigan. All of my life I have enjoyed working with children and have work with kids since I was 16 years old.  When trying to figure out my career I knew I wanted to help others and work with kids, so naturally I gravitated towards teaching

I moved to NYC after receiving my Bachelors of Science in Education from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.  I earned my Masters in Literacy Acquisition at City College of New York during my first few years of teaching. I will be starting my 14th year teaching in NYC and my 7th year at UAI.  I will be teaching 9th grade English and AP Language and Composition this year. I love being an English teacher because I love reading. I understand the importance of getting students to love reading, too.  Whenever a student says to me, “I don’t like reading,” my response is, “you just haven’t found the right book.” I especially love working at UAI because it gives me the opportunity to empower young women and guide them in realizing their true potential.  I feel honored that I am able to work with such brilliant young ladies that will shape the future of our country. I believe education is paramount to addressing the many social justice issues in our country. Therefore, my pedagogy is centered on addressing social injustice and this passion is reflected in the curricula I create. 

This year I am excited about my new role as the AP for All Peer Collaborative Teacher Leader.  I’m eager to guide the staff and students at UAI as we work towards creating a strong AP program to ensure that all of our students are college ready.  

RM B53 & B43, ext. 84311 - [email protected]

Born and raised in the South Bronx, I relocated to Long Island as a teenager.  I received my BA from Stony Brook University and my MA in Education from Hunter College. In NYC, I saw first hand how different the “quality” of education was for those who grew up in the same conditions I had versus others children living in the same city. Not solely because of  the lack tangible resources but more so the lack excitement, desire and simple care the teachers bring into the classroom. Being at UAI has allowed me an opportunity to be the teacher I wish I had as a child . It has given me a chance to expose my girls to literature that forces them to widen horizons, change perspectives, as well explore their own identity with the goal of them being well equipped to carve their place in this world.