2017 Cohort

Stephanie Aguilera was born and raised in Dallas, where she was a member of the first graduating class of the first public all-girls school in Texas, the Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School in the Dallas Independent School District.  After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a major in Political Science and a minor in Latino Studies, Stephanie returned to Texas to join Teach for America in San Antonio.  She began her teaching career at the Young Women’s Leadership Academy (YWLA) in San Antonio ISD, a school within the Young Women’s Preparatory Network that founded the high school she graduated from.  In her four years of teaching, Stephanie has taught middle school math, language arts, and social studies and coached various sports.  She continues to teach seventh and eighth-grade math at her placement school while serving on the Campus Leadership Team as the Middle School Math Department Chair, Student Council Sponsor, and the Sponsor for her first students, the Class of 2020.   In 2015, YWLA was awarded the National Blue Ribbon School distinction in the “Exemplary High Performing” category for ranking in the top 15% of Texas public schools, measured by state assessments and high school graduation rates.   Stephanie was a Sue Lehmann regional finalist in 2015 and was awarded the San Antonio Independent School District Distinguished Teacher of the Year for the middle school category in 2017.  As a first-generation college graduate, Stephanie became interested in education when she learned about the history and politics that contributed to the disparity of educational opportunities for students from zip codes like her own.   She is grateful for the experiences she has gained as a student and teacher within innovative public schools. Stephanie looks forward to joining the SPA New Orleans 2017 cohort, where she will further develop the knowledge and skills necessary to expand her leadership role within public urban school districts.

Deidre Alexander is a graduate of Jackson State University with a B.S. in Elementary Education. She also earned her Masters in Education in School Counseling from Mississippi College. She spent 8 years as a teacher at Brown Elementary School, an urban school in downtown Jackson, MS. While there she taught kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd grades. She served as grade level team leader for 4 years. As a classroom teacher, Deidre implemented innovative strategies to meet the needs of all students. She incorporated teacher made video mini lessons for struggling students and created personalized learning plans to advance students who were above grade level. She molded student leaders within the classroom to facilitate lessons for their peers. Her commitment to excellence in the classroom led to students showing the most proficiency in reading and math within the district. Subsequently, she was voted Teacher of the Year for the 2014-2015 school year by her peers. Deidre would go on to become the literacy coach and interventionist. As an interventionist she revised the structure of the program, and as a result students showed substantial growth in all areas. She coached teachers, modeled lessons, created and facilitated professional developments. Deidre helped develop AcceleRATE (Rigorous Alternatives To Educating), a program which includes blended learning experiences, to a personalized learning model in a multi-age classroom, which includes project based learning. While at Brown Elementary, she founded the school’s first chapter of the National Elementary Honor Society. As chapter adviser, she organized opportunities for students to meet with individuals from different professions. She also served on the school’s Student Achievement Committee. Deidre is proud to have been apart of a team that raised the academic standing of Brown Elementary from a D rating to a B, all in a few years. Deidre is currently a 6th grade ELA teacher at Madison Middle School. She is excited to be part of 2017 SPA Cohort and looks forward to becoming a better leader with the help of staff and classmates.

Megan Bearden is from Houston, Texas. She is a proud graduate of Texas State University. While majoring in mathematics and communications, her work introduced her to the issue of the socio-economic achievement gap. Megan’s time as an Apollo 20 Fellow helped her to discover a passion for educational equity. While navigating her education journey, she realized the pivotal role her mother played in her success. This helped her to understand just how important it was for support systems to be strong and present in various aspects of life. She decided to take the leap into the classroom in 2011 and taught three years of 5thgrade mathematics at KIPP Houston Public Schools. In 2014, Megan decided to sharpen her skills as an educator when she moved to teach at YES Prep Public Schools. She has recently transferred roles within YES and currently serves as the Dean of Students at The YES Prep Hoffman campus. With the SPA program, Megan hopes to gain the knowledge and skill sets that will allow her to impact the communities she works with every day and is looking forward to working with the incredible faculty and staff of SPA NOLA. She is extremely excited about connecting and creating meaningful relationships with classmates.