Meet this year’s team
Summer 2024 Teachers
James
James Collier is a rising junior in Morse College studying Mathematics. His hometown is Cashion, Oklahoma, where he learned to love the night sky! He is an avid astrophotographer and has experience as an Astronomy researcher studying Black Hole X-ray Binaries. He will be teaching a course on Astronomy for his sixth grade students! James also loves biking and nature, and cannot wait to explore Connecticut more throughout the summer.
Virginia
Virginia is from Washington, D.C., and she is a rising senior majoring in Math and pursuing a certificate in education studies. Outside of school, she loves rock climbing, knitting, and singing. When it’s nice outside, you can always spot Virginia setting up her hammock with friends on campus. She can’t wait to meet all of the students and teach a super fun 7th-8th grade math seminar with the U.S. Grant this summer!
Iana
Iana Phipps, who goes by Nini, is a rising History of Science Program senior. She is an international student from Kingston, Jamaica, and her favorite thing to do back home is bamboo rafting. Iana is so looking forward to teaching the 9th grade. Iana is a researcher in the History Department working with 18th-century archival documents to highlight the role of science and medicine in colonial violence. Maps are one of the methods that Iana has used to highlight these historical connections, and she intends to use this experience in class to share her love for maps and think through her research questions with her students. By taking inspiration from fictional maps, atlases, and historical archives, she will work together with her class to think of new ways to showcase and represent the special places that make us who we are. Iana looks forward to speaking with you in her class, “The Mythos of Mapping.”
Lelah
Lelah Shapiro is a rising sophomore from Los Angeles, California! She plans on majoring in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration with a certificate in Education Studies and Data Science. Lelah is so excited to be part of the US Grant Teaching Foundation and will be teaching 7th and 8th graders about Environmental Justice and Civic Action! As a former competitor in California Envirothon and Forestry Challenge, she is eager to teach students about environmental justice and the systems within our ecosystems through a local lens. She can’t wait to share fun facts with her students, including her hidden talents with pogo sticking without her hands, skateboarding, and her karaoke skills (though those need a lot of work).
Mahdere
Mahdere Yared is a rising senior from South Florida majoring in Cognitive Science. She is excited to teach 9th graders about emotional processes in our brain and body (including emotional regulation, dopamine-reward systems, and more)! She hopes this knowledge will empower her students to create habits that make them feel their best and be problem-solvers within their own community. When not in class, you can find Mahdere running, dancing, biking, appreciating art (in its various forms), and going on nature walks.
Abby
Abigail Ojo, a rising junior at Branford College from Brooklyn, New York, is majoring in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry while pursuing a certificate in Education Studies. At Yale, she actively participates in the Yale Gospel Choir and the Yale Nigerian Student Association. This summer, Abigail will be teaching 6th-grade humanities with courses titled “Discovery Joy in Poetry: Words in Motion” and “The Importance of Body Movement: P.E. / Outdoor Activities.” She is passionate about creating a welcoming and joyful classroom environment and is eager to inspire and engage her students throughout the summer.
We can’t wait for you all to meet the teaching team in person this summer!
An Introduction to the Co-Directors—
Lyn
Lyn Rodriguez is a rising sophomore in Branford College from New Haven, Connecticut. While currently undecided, Lyn is interested in majoring in History or Psychology with a certificate in Education Studies. Lyn attended Grant as a student back in 2018 and taught during last year’s summer program. On campus, Lyn works at La Casa Cultural de Julia de Burgos as a student coordinator and performs with Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Yale (BFMdY). Outside of campus, Lyn hangs out with her friends (and dog), enjoys a good video game session, and binges anime. Lyn is excited to come back this year as Co-Director, welcoming new and existing members of the greater U.S. Grant community to the program.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Brauner is a rising junior in Grace Hopper College from a small farming town in Wisconsin. She majors in Political Science with an emphasis on gendered disparities in law worldwide with hopes to work for the US Department of State after graduating from Yale. On campus, Brooklyn writes for the Yale Daily News, competes on the Yale Powerlifting Team, serves as Hopper College President, and works as the program director for Camp Kesem at Yale. She loves to listen to country music and spend quality time with her friends in her free time!