MAT Cohort 2009-2010

MAT Students—Class of 2008-2009


	Roberto Arguedas BA, History U Penn '03 Secondary History	I was born and raised in San Jose, Costa Rica. After graduation in 2003, I enlisted in the Marine Corps as an infantryman and served two deployments in Iraq. I was honorably discharged in 2007, after which I began my studies towards a Masters of Arts in Teaching at Emory University.
	Dennis Bauer BA, Physics Colgate University '00 Middle Grades Mathematics, Science	I have worked in many educational settings. I completed a year-long Americorps position as a literacy tutor at Sanislo Elementary School in Seattle and spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic teaching environmental science in Spanish. I have also run an after-school program for high school students in DeKalb County, GA. My interests outside of the classroom include gardening, long-distance running, and music.
	Melissa Bobeck BA, Chemistry La Salle College '01 PhD, Chemical Biology University of Michigan '07 Secondary Chemistry	I come to the MAT program after spending a year as a postdoctoral fellow in Emory's Chemistry Department. My research uses yeast as a model system to try to understand protein misfolding, a process intimately linked to diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and prions. The part of my job I enjoy the most is teaching and mentoring. Having been an athlete most of my life, I am deeply satisfied helping others to achieve more than they think they can. I hope to create environments that make science exciting and relevant to my students.
	Charles Bowles BA, English Wabash College '94 MA, Student Personnel Columbia '99 Middle Grades Language Arts, Social Studies	After receiving my BA degree I embarked on a career in editing. It was short lived. A Master's degree from Teacher's College and 12 years in higher education administration later, I'm now earning on my MAT. Future goals in teaching include ESL certification and bringing world cultures into the classroom. When not in class or doing my homework, you can find me playing ultimate frisbee, sneaking in a film or planning upcoming travels.
	Laura Canepa BS, Biology Georgia State '08 Secondary Biology	Growing up in the Atlanta suburb of Stone Mountain, my interest in science was sparked in 4th grade, though it wasn't until high school that I became focused on biology. At the end of my first year in college, I realized my second love was teaching, and so I find myself pursuing an MAT. Once I have my certification and credentials, I'll hybrid what I have taken from my college work in hopes to continue on the path of my next goal: teaching biology and engaging students.
	Anne Coleman BA, Poli Sci/History Presbyterian College '02 Secondary Poli Sci	I was drawn to teaching in 2004 at Dekalb Techinical College where I taught ESL and Adult Literacy classes. I decided it was what I wanted to do full time. I look forward to helping students cultivate their knowledge and use it in a powerful, positive way. I know I will learn as much from my students as they will learn from me. I hope that I will get my students as excited about politics and the workings of government as I am. I will also encourage then to become civically active. I have been married for six years to Hank, a Captain in the US Army. We have two wonderful little boys, Harrison and Jackson. I enjoy traveling and being with family and friends.
	Lynn Lebreton BS, Mechanical Eng. University of Texas '82 MBA Southern Methodist U '87 Middle Grades Science, Mathematics	I was born in New Orleans and moved to Austin and Dallas for my university studies. After receiving my MBA, I worked in management consulting for CapGemini in the US and abroad and then spent 13 years as a principal in an Atlanta-based interactive marketing company. I have been married to my MBA-class sweetheart Alison for 17 years and have two girls, ten and seven. Three years of tutoring 4th and 5th graders in math at my daughters' elementary school convinced me it was time to change careers and enter teaching. I look forward to a second career and to passing along the educational gifts I have received.
	Lark Lewis BS, Mathematics St. Augustine College '04 Secondary Mathematics	I am originally from Washington, DC. Although I have tutored before, I only seriously started thinking about teaching in 2007. With the support found here at Emory, I plan to bring an extra flair to secondary mathematics. When I am not occupied with my 11-month-old daughter, Makenzie, I enjoy trying new restaurants with my fiancé Marcus and shopping with my girlfriends.
	Kristen McNeil BA, English Spelman College '08 Middle Grades Language Arts, Social Studies	I am originally from Randolph, MA. I decided to apply to Emory's MAT program because of my desire to become an educator, which began at an early age. The teachers I had throughout my education helped to develop me into the person I am today. Their guidance and instruction inspired me to pursue the field of education. I want to give other students the same opportunities that were given to me, and I am looking forward to becoming an educator.
	Ryan Powell BA, Educational Studies Emory Univeristy '08 Middle Grades Social Studies, Language Arts	I was born in Nashville but have lived in several states. My mother got a job at Emory when I was 8 years old and so we lived around Atlanta since then. I enrolled in the MAT program because teaching has been a passion of mine for many years now. When I was young I had many teachers who helped shape me into the person I am today. I hope that I too can become a teacher who can help shape the lives of students. I enjoy playing musical instruments and practicing martial arts.
	Joshua Ross BA, Math, Economics Emory University '08 Secondary Mathematics	I was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, then moved to Atlanta for my undergraduate work at Emory. After graduating, I accepted a position as an assistant in an autistic classroom at my childhood elementary school. Tutoring jobs, eleven years at a summer camp, and my work with autistic children have shaped my passion for teaching and led me back to Emory's MAT program. Outside of school, I enjoy cooking, camping, working on crossword puzzles, and watching baseball.
	Sydney Rucker BA, History Agnes Scott College '08 Secondary History	I am originally from Birmingham, Alabama. I am thrilled to be a member of the Emory MAT cohort. I come from a family of teachers, so I have had the opportunity to see educators effectively teach their content area, as well as change lives. While I do plan on working in the classroom, my ultimate goal is to create a diversity consultation firm for academic settings. I look forward to the classes, discussions, and personal reflections that will aid me in finding my niche.
	Leslie Smallwood BA, International Relations USC '04 Secondary Poli Sci	I am from Petaluma, California. After college, I spent a few years volunteering in Tanzania. I first lived at Huruma Orphanage, caring for children and teaching English. I then moved to The School of St Jude. My experience there showed me that teaching provides a rare opportunity to become part of a community in a meaningful way that I look forward to throughout my career. I love hiking, cooking, gardening, crossword puzzles, and spending time with my future husband (on August 16!), Ed.
	Kiel Southwell BA, English Florida International '04 Secondary English	I was born in Portland, where I lived for five years before moving to the Bronx in New York City. At age seven, I moved to the Stone Mountain/Lithonia area of Georgia where I grew into adulthood. I have worked with children with extreme behavioral disorders at a therapeutic facility. My time spent with these children helped me develop a desire to teach. I worked at Garrett Middle School and taught language arts for three years before entering Emory's MAT program where I hope to improve the quality of my teaching.
	Tansy Spruill BA, History University of Virginia '06 Secondary History	I am originally from Hampton, Virginia, and have been living in the Metro Atlanta area for the past two years. I have always had an urge to teach since childhood, but I always felt it was a passing desire. After volunteering for AmeriCorps in 2006-2007, the intense passion I felt and impact the students had on me turned my passing desire to my destiny. In my free time I enjoy reading and cooking.
	Gabrielle Turner BA, Film Studies Univ of New Orleans '06 Middle Grades Language Arts, Social Studies	I am a proud product of New Orleans Public Schools. My journey as a filmmaker began during junior year of high school when an artist introduced me to radio and video production. By senior year, I was making documentaries, and I held creative writing workshops and video production classes in local schools where I saw the disparities within our schools and wanted to be part of the solution. I also saw children who yearned for a quality education. After college, while working in elementary schools, I realized I wanted to be an educator. I am committed to restoring the public schools, especially those of New Orleans.
	Christine Unruh BA, Educational Studies Emory University '08 Middle Grades Science, Mathematics	I'm an Army Brat, born in Berlin, Germany, and raised all over the world. I call Atlanta home now. The five years I spent teaching students and training teachers at the Emory Autism Research Center helped me to decide to change my major from Neuroscience to Educational Studies. I look forward to teaching middle grades science and math.
	Christine Villaverde BA, English, Theater Emory University '08 Secondary English	I am originally from South Florida and, although I miss the beach, Atlanta is my second home. I loved my undergraduate experience here so much that I decided to stay for my Masters as well! I really look forward to spreading my passion for literature with my students one day.
	David Walbert BA, History Connecticut College '01 Middle Grades Social Studies, Language Arts	I was born in Atlanta and attended The Paideia School from kindergarten through high school. I left the sweltering heat of Atlanta for the frigid winters of Connecticut College. I studied Asian History and Religion. The winters were too much and I came back to Atlanta where I began working with autistic children and later becoming an elementary classroom teacher.
	Rebecca Williams BA, English Sarah Lawrence '06 Secondary English	I was born in Atlanta and attended DeKalb County Public Schools during elementary school. I then attended the Paideia School, which was formative in my desire to become a teacher. I studied at Oxford University. After graduation, I worked as a counselor for the Earth Mentoring Institute's summer camp program, where I gained experience mentoring children and teenagers. I then tutored in Atlanta Public Schools and was also a substitute teacher. I am a passionate learner and even more passionate about sharing the experience of learning through teaching.
	Suzanne Young BS, Env Engineering MIT '04 Masters in Engineering MIT '05 Middle Grades Mathematics, Science	I am originally from San Antonio, though I've also lived in Washington DC, Dayton, and most recently Boston, where I attended MIT and worked in environmental consulting. Feeling unchallenged at work, I began to think about "what I really wanted to do with my life" and realized that I always enjoyed teaching. I have taught Sunday school to 4th-5th graders, English as a Second Language to Chinese-speaking adults, and tutored elementary school kids at after-school programs in Boston's Chinatown.