Who We Are

Julianne Davis graduated from Princeton University in 2008 with a BSE in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a certificate from the Teacher Preparation Program upon completing her student teaching fifth grade at Community Park School, Princeton, NJ. Julianne has held various positions in the Medford and Mt. Laurel school districts, teaching both math and science at the middle school levels and serving as a long-term elementary school substitute. She currently teaches 8th grade science at Harrington Middle School in Mt. Laurel, NJ. Julianne worked on curriculum and outreach programs at Mpala during her time as an undergraduate, which was one of the catalysts for Julianne’s decision to pursue teaching as a career. She has also been involved in the QUEST program, where she receiving training in in inquiry-based methods for teaching science and assisted in instructing professional development classes for teachers (K-12) and created inquiry-based unit plan for participating teachers to use in their classrooms.

Colleen Kent graduated from Princeton University in 2011 with an A.B. in History and earned her certificate from the Teacher Preparation Program after completing her student teaching at Montgomery High School. She spent her first year teaching as one of the Princeton Fellows at Sherborne School, an all-boys boarding school in Dorset, UK. At Sherborne, Colleen taught a range of ages, from eighth grade to twelfth, as well as a range of subjects, including local history, WWI, William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Colleen also served an integral role in planning the Sherborne Sessions, the school’s first literary festival, which brought a range of prominent professional writers to campus. After returning home, Colleen filled a one-year leave replacement position at Princeton Day School where she taught ninth grade world studies and tenth grade American History. She will begin a new position at the Pingry School this fall, where she will teach ninth grade world history and eleventh grade American history. Colleen also worked with the Princeton University Preparatory Program for two summers, serving as a the art intern and as one of the teaching assistants for the senior cohort.

Dayton Martindale graduated Oak Park High School in 2011, and left his southern California suburb for central New Jersey and Princeton University. There, he is majoring in Astrophysical Sciences, but has taken classes on everything from film to ethics to climate change. He has also become deeply involved with student publication The Nassau Weekly, where he is now managing editor. Journalism, which allowed him to explore all of his different interests, stole his heart. This led Dayton to expand his academic focus from astrophysics to science communication. He still finds the science of space truly incredible, but rather than pursue one specific subject himself, he'd rather let others do the hard work and share a wider range of scientific knowledge with the public. Closest to his heart today is the fate of Earth's environment, which is why, through Princeton's Teacher Preparation Program, he is spending the summer of 2014 in Kenya. There he is working on conversation education in local schools, and aims to transplant what he learns to US classrooms.

Kate Miller graduated from Princeton University in 2008 with an A.B. in Astrophysics and received her certificate in the Teacher Preparation Program after completing student teaching at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, where she taught advanced topics in physics, conceptual physics, pre-calculus. Kate earned her Masters of Arts, Science Education from Columbia University in 2014. She has served as a SAT/ACT Tutor for Revolution Prep, in central NJ and as an instructor for John’s Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, where she created and taught a three week class on college level astronomy for gifted and talented twelve to fifteen year olds. Kate also worked under Dr. Shara conducting research on the Dwarf Novae at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY. Kate has taught at the Brooklyn Latin School since 2010, earning tenure and currently serving as co-chair of the Science Department. In addition to her duties as department co-chair, Kate teaches Conceptual Physics (Grade 9) and IB Physics (Grade 11 and Grade 12) and serves as lead teacher on a team of three, developing a new curriculum for 9th grade conceptual physics.

Helen Yang is a senior at Princeton University, and is currently pursuing certificates in Teacher Preparation Program, American Studies Program, and Environmental Studies. She is an English major with a particular interest in 17th and 18th century British colonial literature. The summer before entering university, she organized a free SAT prep course for underprivileged students in her community, and served as a mentor for high school students. She also works as a tutor for students with ADHD. Helen also has great interest in the environment and conservation. During the summer after her sophomore year, she worked at the American River Water Conservation Center for California’s Bureau of Reclamation, which sought to educate children about the importance of conserving water, and methods of saving it.