Camino Nuevo TIIP Team Member Bios

Juliet Anyanwu

Juliet Anyanwu graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UCLA and a minor in Political Science (2006). After graduating, she joined Teach for America and taught in New York City at PS 196 for three years in a 1st grade Collaborative Team Teaching Setting while she earned her Masters of Science for Teachers in Childhood Education with a concentration in Students with Disabilities (2008). After her experience in New York City, Juliet moved back to Los Angeles and worked as a Resource Specialist for the Inner City Education Foundation (ICEF). She is currently the Elementary Resource Specialist at Camino Nuevo Charter Academy and supports both elementary and middle school students with Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in their general education settings. Juliet holds a Level 1 Educational Specialist Instruction credential and a Multiple Subject Teaching credential and is in the process of clearing both credentials. This is her fifth year teaching.

Juliet has engaged in the following professional development opportunities:

• Everyday Math Training (Los Angeles, CA)
• On-site Training with Consultants from Teachers College (New York, NY)
• SPED specific PD's (behavior management, autism, learning disabilities, IEP process and law, Welligent training, specific learning disabilities)

Nicole Brown

Nicole earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona and a Masters of Arts in Urban Education from Loyal Marymount University. She was a Teach For America Corps Member from 2008-2010, and holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Nicole has been teaching third grade at Camino Nuevo for the past 5 years.

Nicole has engaged in the following professional development opportunities:

• Summer Reading and Writing Institute Teachers College, Columbia University (June 2008, June 2011)
• Cognitively Guided Instruction training at UCLA (2011)
• Reading with Meaning led by Debbie Miller (August 2009)

Elizabeth Salanave

Elizabeth Salanave graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies and a Minor in Special Education (2004). After graduating, she joined the PLACE Corps graduate program at Loyola Marymount University where she taught 7th and 8th grade math and science at Our Lady of Talpa, an under-resourced Catholic school in Boyle Heights. At the same time while living in community with fellow teachers, she earned her Masters degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Child and Adolescent Literacy (2006). After four years of teaching middle school, Elizabeth sought a new grade level and a new environment to grow professionally. She found Camino Nuevo Charter Academy and was attracted to its social justice mission of preparing students in the MacArthur Park area to be “College Ready! College Bound!” She has since taught 5^th grade at Camino Nuevo’s Harvard site for the last three years and is enjoying its dedication to the development of the teachers for the benefit of the students.

 Elizabeth has engaged in the following professional development opportunities: 

• Summer Reading and Writing Institute Teachers College, Columbia University (June 2008, June 2011)
• Increase Math Skills and Understanding with Singapore Math led by Robin Ramos (April 2008)
• Singapore Math Problem Solving Training through National Council of Teaching of Mathematics

Shannon Brown

Ms. Brown earned her elementary and special education credential by receiving her master's at Long Island University in the state of New York. Shannon had the pleasure of teaching first grade for three years at a private school in New Jersey, before realizing that the good weather and outdoor lifestyle was a better fit. Shannon has been a teacher at Camino Nuevo Charter Academy for three years and has enjoyed various roles such as head teacher of a special day class, instructing students with disabilities in a self-contained setting and currently, Resource Specialist Teacher. Shannon's current role allows her to work with multiple teachers in an inclusion model and combine best practices with professionals who are eager to differentiate instruction to meet student needs.  

Shannon has engaged in the following professional development opportunities:

• Summer Writing Institute Teacher's College, Columbia University (2011)
• Increase Math Skills and Understanding with Singapore Math led by Robin Ramos (2011)
• SPED specific professional develop, focusing on student behaviors and interventions, reading support, IEP writing and Welligent training (ongoing)

Richard Ziegler 

Richard completed his undergraduate studies at New York University majoring in Psychology. After graduation he moved to Los Angeles as part of the 2006 Teach for America Corps. He began his career working at a middle school where he was an RSP teacher. During this time he completed his credential in Special Education. After three years he moved to the Elementary setting at Camino Nuevo Charter Academy. He was drawn the school because of their commitment to Workshop teaching. He taught 2-5 Special Day Class for one year and then moved into 2nd grade general education, where he has continued to teach for the last three years. During this time he completed his Multiple Subject Elementary credential. Most recently has completed the Cotsen: For the Art of Teaching Fellowship.  

Richard has engaged in the following professional development opportunities:

• Summer Reading and Writing Institutes at Teacher's College, Columbia University (2010, 2011,2013)
• Critical Thinking Institute, UCLA Lab School (2013)
• Cognitively Guided Instruction Training at UCLA (2013)

Michael Masters

Mike Masters is Camino Nuevo's seventh grade math/science teacher. In her four years as a teacher, she has also taught the fourth and sixth grade. She went to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena to earn her B.A. in advertising design. Realizing how much she loved to teach children, she went back to school, this time to UCLA, and earned a scholarship to attend Center X's, Teacher Education Program (T.E.P masters degree). She now fuses the creativity of her advertising background and teaching to help inner city students succeed.

Professional Development opportunities also include:

• Recipient of the Fund For Teachers Fellowship (2012-2013)
• UCLA's Teacher Initiated Inquiry Project (team member, 2011-2013)

Chelsea Griswold

Chelsea is our 7th grade Humanities teacher and is in her fifth year here at CNCA. She graduated with Honors from the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Marketing and Business. In addition to this she received a minor in Journalism. She joined Teach For America in 2007 after spending a year working for The Governors Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. She has a Master of Arts in Secondary Education from Loyola Marymount University (2009).

• UCLA's Teacher Initiated Inquiry Project (team member, 2011-2013)

Kelly Erceg

Kelly has been teaching at Camino for three years. Kelly taught third grade her first year at Camino and has spent the past two honing her skills in the fourth grade. Kelly has a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Society from UC Santa Barbara.  She also received her minor in Sports Management. In 2010 she graduated cum laude from Cal State Northridge with a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Learning. This is her sixth year teaching. She holds a California Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.

• Recipient of the Fund For Teachers Fellowship (2012-2013)
• UCLA's Teacher Initiated Inquiry Project (team member, 2011-2013)