Resident Profiles

Roxanne Cano is a native of San Francisco who was raised in the Mission District and Bayview District. She recently graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and minors in Latin American Studies and Psychology. Roxy is the first person in her family to graduate from college. As an undergrad she was part of USF’s School of Education Dual Degree in Teacher Preparation Program which allowed her to take graduate classes that would work towards her M.A. in teaching. Roxanne is fluent in English and Spanish and is pursing a Bilingual Authorization Certificate that will prepare her to teach in a bilingual setting. Her own experiences in San Francisco schools continue to influence her desire to work with urban youth. These experiences make her passionate about ending the disparities that underrepresented communities—as her own—often find in schools. Roxanne’s experience working with youth includes being a tutor with SFUSD’s Youth and Families in Transition Program as well as coordinating tutoring programs at two private schools in the Mission District. She has also volunteered at United Playaz—a youth violence prevention program in the SOMA District and continues to remain in contact with these schools and organizations. Roxanne is committed to working in hard to staff schools so that she can provide historically underserved communities an equitable opportunity to succeed in the education system.

Nicholas Chan graduated from Stanford University with a BS in Product Design, an interdisciplinary major in the Mechanical Engineering and Studio Art departments. Prior to joining the San Francisco Teacher Residency, Nick worked with students who would be the first in their families to graduate from college through Stanford Upward Bound. Additionally, he served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member through Youth Community Service, helping to set up a youth leadership group with East Palo Alto youth. He followed this service with 6 months of middle school tutoring with City Year Louisiana in post-Katrina Baton Rouge before working as an Urban Youth Development Worker with Peace Corps Ecuador. There, Nick worked with youth leadership groups, health centers and schools, giving workshops on HIV/AIDS prevention and education, life skills and general health skills. He stayed a third year to support and train new Peace Corps Volunteers as a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader, focusing on supporting Community Health and Small Business volunteers. Upon his return to the US, he was the founding Operations Manager for Blue Engine, an education startup that places teams of trained teaching assistants in hard-to-serve New York City high school classrooms with an eye towards increasing the academic rigor of high school courses in order to better prepare students for college. Nick is fluent in Spanish. and is completing graduate coursework towards an MA in Secondary Math Education and a preliminary teaching credential through Stanford's Graduate School of Education.

Ariana graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. As part of the Dual Degree Program in Teacher Preparation (DDTP) at University of San Francisco she has been working towards her master’s degree and elementary teaching credential. In addition to her year-long residency at El Dorado Elementary, Ariana has worked in several SFUSD elementary schools including Dianne Feinstein and Jose Ortega tutoring students and assisting with small and whole group instruction. Additionally, she gained experience working as a teacher’s aide in a low-income elementary school in Belize, developing lessons and providing instruction to students. Ariana spent six summers working as a teacher’s assistant in an intensive intervention elementary summer school for low-income students in Los Angeles. From these experiences, she has seen the powerful work of how a teacher can work with a community to provide an equitable and meaningful education to their youth. All of these experiences have solidified Ariana’s commitment to teaching in San Francisco so she can help provide students with an education that leads to students working as agents for personal and community success.

Meghan Elliott received her B.A. in Women's Studies and her B.S. in Psychology at Michigan State University. During her time as an undergraduate, Meghan studied human rights in Ecuador and became fluent in Spanish. Upon her return from Ecuador, she began working as a community organizer in San Francisco's most under-resourced neighborhoods. Before she was accepted into the San Francisco Teacher Residency Program, Meghan worked for SFUSD for 5 years as a Nutrition Educator, supporting students, families and teachers with health lessons and wellness-focused activities.

As part of SFTR Meghan has been working in a first grade Spanish immersion classroom at Buena Vista Horace Mann.

Abby has been working in educational environments for almost a decade. Prior to her work in the University of San Francisco Teacher Education Program, she attended Vassar College, where she co-led the English as a Second Language tutoring program at local Poughkeepsie High School. After graduating from Vassar with a B.A. in English and a Spanish minor, she spent two years in Córdoba, Argentina, where she taught English to classes of children and adults, edited Spanish-English translations and became fluent in Spanish. Having discovered her love of teaching across languages, Abby moved to San Francisco, where she quickly began working in the diverse, dynamic San Francisco Unified School District. She spent one year as a full-time program leader in the after-school program at Mission Education Center, a newcomer elementary school for Spanish-speaking immigrants. After that, she took a position designing curricula and training teachers as Education Program Manager for America SCORES Bay Area, an educational non-profit providing literacy and recreational programming to SFUSD elementary schools. Abby’s time at America SCORES allowed her to work within a variety of vibrant school communities across the district, and provided her with decisive proof that her place was within the classroom. When not teaching at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 as part of SFTR, Abby enjoys reading, cooking and exploring San Francisco on her bike.

Molly is a recent history graduate of the University of San Francisco, where she is now currently working towards completing her MA in teaching. As an undergraduate Molly became involved with the tutoring program America Reads. Through this program Molly was a literacy tutor for four years at the Tenderloin Community Elementary School where she provided one-on-one assistance and whole group support. While at the Tenderloin School she gained extensive experience working with the neighborhood’s youth and their families. As part of the Dual Degree in Teacher Preparation program at University of San Francisco, Molly was also able to work closely with a US History class at Balboa High School. The teaching she was involved in at Balboa High School provided Molly with an opportunity to see how showing students an alternative means of viewing and learning about history is a powerful tool to these student’s ultimate success inside, and outside, the classroom. As part of SFTR Molly spent a year-long residency in a fifth grade classroom at El Dorado Elementary. She hopes to teach middle school language arts and social studies. She seeks to provide students with an education that is meaningful and relevant to their personal lived experiences.

Nikki graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics and a minor in Geography/Environmental Studies. After graduation, Nikki spent a year in Japan teaching English to high school students through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. She developed lessons, provided instruction, and fostered cross-cultural relationships with students and staff. Before beginning her work with the San Francisco Teacher Residency program, she worked in Sacramento as an economic consultant and spent her free time leading a Girl Scout troop and tutoring students of low socioeconomic backgrounds at the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. Through these experiences, Nikki discovered her passion to empower children to believe in themselves and to reach their highest potential. Nikki believes in the importance of connecting with students and recognizing each child’s individual strengths and needs, which she is currently student teaching in a 2^nd grade classroom at El Dorado Elementary School.

Anita graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Third World Studies and a minor in Law and Society. During her time at UCSD, she was a tutor and mentor for the Early Academic Outreach Program, which catered to underserved populations in San Diego. Upon completing her undergraduate degrees, Anita decided to apply to the International and Comparative Education Masters program at UCLA. Her focus there was on understanding how educational policies and programs impact social and economic development, while also considering issues of equity and justice in a global context. The policies and issues she was exposed to made her aware of various factors contributing to the inequities within education internationally and domestically using a comparative lens. After completing her Masters, she moved to San Francisco and later began tutoring for ARC & Associates at the Boys and Girls Club on Treasure Island. This position required her to create, invent, and structure a curriculum in English and Math for first, second, and third graders, many of whom were living in transitional housing. Lastly, she tutored students in AP US History for College Track in San Francisco (an organization focused on assisting underrepresented high school students attend college). This work was the catalyst toward obtaining her teaching credential and joining SFTR. In her free time, Anita enjoys practicing her violin, traveling, and practicing Bharata Natyam (a South Indian dance art form) that she has been learning since the age of four.

Laura Beth Smith-Heimer graduated from Occidental College in 2010, receiving her degree in sociology, minoring in art history. While at Occidental College, Laura Beth was involved in many organizations. She was Vice President of the Queer Straight Alliance, and board member of the Center for Gender Equity. After graduating, Laura Beth committed herself to a year of service through AmeriCorps, tutoring a group of five students while managing a team of part-time members at United For Success Academy (UFSA) in Oakland, California. Her role as a tutor and supporter for these students who were often pushed aside and deemed unable to improve inspired Laura Beth to gain her credential in elementary education. She decided she wanted to make a difference in students’ lives as early as possible. Her work at UFSA also included coordinating the school’s peer mediation program, as well as interim conflict mediation facilitator. Laura Beth has spent the past year in a second grade classroom at El Dorado Elementary School.

Kayla is an aspiring science teacher who holds an undergraduate degree in Human Biology from Brown University and is presently in the Stanford Teacher Education Program. Beyond teaching ELL Biology to newcomers at San Francisco International High School, Kayla has significant experience working with youth. During college she coordinated an afterschool environmental education and mentoring program at a public high school in Providence, RI. Kayla also studied urban education for a semester in New York City through Bank Street College of Education and student taught 2^nd/3^rd grade in an elementary school. Her passion for urban public education led her back to her home state of California. For two summers she taught middle school ecology and earth science at Breakthrough San Francisco, a summer enrichment and college readiness program for underserved students in the city. Throughout these experiences, Kayla has learned how education can empower youth and communities to advocate for change. In addition, Kayla is a trained mediator and she speaks Spanish and she has led numerous young people on backpacking trips in the wilderness.