Published in ConnectED Newsletter - Volume 7 - Issue 1 - September 2023
Cherisse Cruz is a proud alumna of the CCNY School of Education (SoE) and the Special Education program. She says that her experiences at CCNY have empowered her to become the master of her own education. “I developed a stronger degree of self-awareness and self-confidence as I matured in my field,” she says. The days she enjoyed the most as a student were sitting in classrooms surrounded by peers of diverse backgrounds. “We all shared our different work and life experiences during class discussions and debates, and together, challenged one another to become our best selves. Our professors guided us in our journeys to become the best educators we could be, and to this day, remain lifelong mentors of mine.”
From an early age, Cherisse developed a strong interest in storytelling and journalism and knew that she wanted to cover news stories that mattered and that told the truth. That led to a 12-year career in journalism that allowed her to work as a television producer for renowned journalist Dan Rather. Her career took her all over the world; she had the opportunity to tell and write great stories that ranged from baseball corruption in the Dominican Republic to McAllen, Texas, where she met and interviewed families that were crossing the border to secure a better life. “Despite it all, I realized there was one story I had yet to tell: that of my very own community and childhood peers who experienced what I experienced, the story of students from inner cities who oftentimes are the first in their families to graduate from college.” She explains that this type of story was consistently addressed in the courses she took in her program at the SoE—a two-pronged focus: one on supporting the academic and social needs of underserved student populations and another on making sure all students receive the education they deserve.
Cherisse’s journey as a teacher began when the pandemic disrupted the entire education system and turned a spotlight on existing economic disparities. “I began to see all of this when the world stopped in 2020, and like most of us, I was home, working full time, and also homeschooling my young son. It was then that I became inspired and decided that teaching was my passion and that I would pay it forward to help communities who needed it the most.”
The potential that Cherisse sees every day in her students motivates her a great deal. The desire to be a positive contributing factor in her students’ lives and giving them the best opportunities in life through the gift of an education also motivate her. “Teaching is my passion and I want to inspire my students and foster the love of learning in each of them. My philosophy of education is that all children should have an equitable learning environment where they are challenged, but also have a space where they can grow mentally, emotionally, and socially.” Cultivating and inspiring young minds is a responsibility she does not take lightly. She strongly believes that before we begin teaching, we must know who we are teaching. “It is imperative that as educators we allow our students to show up to classrooms as their authentic selves and encourage and support their varied lived experiences and backgrounds.”
Cherisse is a 6th and 7th grade special educator in English Language Arts and Science at her former middle school, Community Action School in Manhattan. “It feels good to be back home and to give back to the school that provided me with so much during my formative years.” When she thinks about her future academic and personal goals, she envisions the knowledge and skills that she has learned at the SoE to be the foundation that will help her pursue an administrative license and one of the lenses that she will use to help her become a successful school principal.
Last Updated: 09/29/2023 12:21