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Michelle became involved in the New York City Public School System nine years ago while completing her undergraduate degree in Childhood and Special Education at New York University. Michelle began her professional career teaching third and fourth grade at the Future Leaders Institute in Harlem. While there, she collaborated with teachers and instructional coaches to design curriculum and participated in an innovative and rigorous professional development program. Michelle joined the team of educators at Community Roots Charter School as a third grade teacher in September 2009, and the following year, she moved up to co-found the fifth grade. In her time at Community Roots, Michelle saw the power that collaboration, strong school culture and a supportive community can have on the education of all students. She has learned how to cultivate students who think critically, respond to the world around them, and take action to solve the problems in the communities that they are a part of. In 2010, Michelle enrolled in the Mathematics Leadership Program at Bank Street College of Education. Through her participation in this program, Michelle developed the belief that teachers must be utilized as researchers and leaders in order to change America's education system for the better.

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Todd worked as a teacher and youth mentor during his years at Amherst College. Afterwards, he traded bonds for an investment bank in New York, Toronto and Tokyo. He loved the opportunity to travel to many different countries and experience different cultures. Always drawn to children, Todd worked at Amherst College's nursery school, and after graduation, he mentored and tutored at I Have A Dream's Chelsea program. In the summer of 2004, Todd left banking to begin investigating opportunities in youth development. He visited schools, interviewed educators, volunteered for Harlem Children's Zone's Head Start program and helped raise funds for Washington D.C.'s SEED boarding charter school. In the fall of 2005, he joined The Boys Club of New York as Director of a social and academic enrichment program for teenage boys. In January of 2007, he began graduate study in Elementary Education at Bank Street College of Education; concurrently, he worked as an apprentice teacher in first grade at Manhattan Country School. After benefiting from the experience of observing and learning from a master-teacher, Todd passed on an opportunity to be a Teach for America corps member in order to continue his apprentice work. He worked (and learned) as a third grade assistant at The School for Children, Bank Street's laboratory school. In 2008, Todd was a co-founding teacher of the third grade at Community Roots Charter School in Fort Green, Brooklyn. Two years later, he helped start their fifth grade.

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