Carmelita Reyes, Principal
Carmelita is the principal of Oakland International High School. Prior to becoming principal, she was a founding teacher at Life Academy of Health and Bio-Science located in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland. There, she taught 10th grade humanities, journalism and photography. In 2005 she was awarded the honor of "Oakland Unified School District Teacher of the Year,” and in 2007 she was named “Oakland Educator of the Year” by the Marcus Foster Foundation. Carmelita began her teaching career in New York City, teaching to a primarily Dominican population. Carmelita received her BA in Economics at Princeton University and studied abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She received a Masters in Education at Columbia University and received her administrative credential from the BAYCES (Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools) and California State East Bay.
Sailaja Suresh, Academy Director and Curriculum Coach
Sailaja previously worked for the Boston Public Schools as a technology support specialist in Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. While in Boston, she managed a nationally-recognized math and technology integration project and co-authored the district's long-term technology plan, LINC III. After leaving Boston, she decided to take the long way back home to the Bay Area by traveling east through Europe, South Africa, and Asia until she landed in California. Sailaja was a founding teacher at OIHS, teaching math and later computers. Sailaja has a BS in Business Administration and a minor in Religious Studies from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2008, she received an award as the Rookie Teacher of the Year for the Oakland Unified School District.
Lauren Markham, Community Programs Specialist
Lauren graduated from Middlebury College and then obtained her MFA at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Lauren has worked in a variety of positions over the past decade all supporting refugees, immigrants and vulnerable youth. She served as a caseworker and a resettlement capacity worker for the International Rescue Committee, a needs assessment intern in Kampala Uganda, designed curriculum for Soccer Without Borders, taught health classes in El Salvador, worked as the senior programs coordinator for Refugee Transitions and served as programs consultant for the OUSD Refugees office. Lauren speaks Spanish, French and a fair amount of Luganda.
Rebecca Huang, Internships, College and Career Coordinator
As a founding staff member at OIHS, Rebecca has held many roles – coordinating college applications, serving as the school’s liaison to the community of parents, volunteer organizations, Oakland community and foundations. Prior to joining Oakland International, Rebecca Huang was a founding teacher at Life Academy of Health and Bio-Science where for the past six years she taught 11th grade bio-science and coordinated the internship programs for juniors. Rebecca began her teaching career at Fremont High School’s Health Academy. Education is Rebecca’s second career. Prior to teaching, Rebecca worked in biotechnology research and development for 7 years. Rebecca received her BA in biochemistry and molecular biology at UC Santa Cruz. She received her credential in secondary science education at Mills College.
Loraine Woodard, OUSD Literacy Coach
Loraine came to OUSD after working for two decades in education. She earned her bachelor’s degree in International Studies and completed her masters in Education at New College of California. Much of her domestic career was spent in middle school humanities classrooms. However, she spent many years abroad working as a teacher and study abroad coordinator in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Loraine is a fluent Spanish speaker.
Ryann Pollock, Special Education
Ryann graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Education. At Cal she volunteered as a math and science tutor at Berkeley High and New Highland Academy before becoming a Teach For America Fellow. She also worked as a swim instructor at Cal Aquatics. She has CPS, first aid, and life guard certification. Ryann speaks Spanish.
Thi Bui, Art
Thi, a founding teacher at OIHS, was born in Vietnam and came to the US as a refugee when she was a child. She speaks Vietnamese, French and Spanish. She received her BA in art and legal studies from UC Berkeley, an MFA from Bard College, and an MA in Art Education from NYU. Thi taught in New York City schools before returning to the Bay Area and joining the staff of Oakland International High School. She has also worked as an educational consultant with the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in NY and as a curriculum writer for PBS/ Art:21 Education Council. In 2010, she was named the winner of the National Plank Fellowship Award by Fund For Teachers. She is currently working on a graphic novel about the Vietnam War and her family's immigration.
Julio May-Gamboa, English
Julio is a former Teach for America fellow; he graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor in Germanic Languages and Literature. At Princeton, Julio co-chaired the University Film Organization which featured weekly foreign films and worked as a music director and DJ for WPRB. Julio studied abroad in Germany and is also fluent in Spanish.
Toby Rugger, English
Toby is a founding teacher at OIHS; he came to Oakland International after working for three years at Brooklyn International High School as a Humanities teacher. Prior to entering teaching, Toby worked as a program administrator for the Institute of International Education and as a project manager at iAgora.com, an international student website, based in Barcelona, Spain. Toby graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cognitive Science. He received a Master’s in Teaching English as a Second Language from Fordham University.
Jennifer Kelly-DeWitt, English
Teaching is Jen's second, and favorite, career. She spent ten years working in book publishing in New York City and Berkeley before heeding her longtime desire to teach. Jen earned a BA in Art History and English from Wesleyan University and a Master's in English education from Stanford University. She is a proficient speaker of French and a less proficient speaker of Italian and Spanish. On her own time she likes to write fiction, read, and travel.
Irene Kim, English and History
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Irene loves history and the social sciences. The only thing she loves even more is teaching students the skills and values behind the study of history and the social sciences. Prior to joining the OIHS community, Irene taught World History and Global Studies at another Bay Area school. She received her bachelor's degree in Political Science from UCLA and her master's in History Education from Stanford University. A world traveler of sorts, Irene is determined to visit every country that she will ever teach to her students, and improve her semi-fluency in Korean and Spanish.
Raquel Franker, History
Prior to coming to Oakland International, Raquel worked as the study abroad advisor at the University of California Berkley for over a decade. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology and received her teaching credential from Cal State East Bay. Raquel studied abroad at the University of Sao Paulo Brazil and is a proficient speaker of Portuguese. She is a volunteer for the American Field Service.
Deborah Gordon, History
Deborah is a nationally board certified teacher who has taught for 23 years on three continents with students from pre-kindergarten to senior citizens. Prior to coming to OIHS, Deborah was the Distance Learning Coordinator for OUSD. Deborah holds a B.A. in fine arts from San Francisco State University, a M.S. in Educational Leadership from California State University, and a certificate in Online Teaching and Learning from California State Eastbay.
Cormac Kilgallen, History
Cormac graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in History and Tufts University with a masters degree in Education. Later he earned his law degree at Golden Gate University. Cormac previously taught history in Massachusetts and served as the associate director of Education at Sylvan Learning Center. As a lawyer, Cormac worked in a variety of community based legal positions – for the Fair Employment and Housing Commission in SF, Bay Area Legal Aid, Women Employment Women’s Rights Clinic, SF Human Rights Commission and as an Americorps Legal Fellow for Equal Justice Works.
Darien Lencl, History and PE
Darien is a life-long learner trained in the art of teaching social sciences at San Diego State University. Prior to coming to OIHS, Darien taught history at Skyline and Dewey High Schools here in Oakland and worked with some of Oakland’s most under served youth. Darien is excited to bring his interest in health, sports, and fitness to OIHS and lead our PE program.
Courtney Couvreur, Math
Courtney graduated from the University of Michigan with a Masters in Education. Prior to teaching in OIHS, Courtney worked as a math teacher in Tracy, Ca and in Detroit. Michigan. Courtney studied French in undergrad and studied abroad at the Institute de Touraine in Tours France. At OIHS Courtney is an organizer of students, sponsoring the leadership club and organizing events such as graduation.
Cristina Passoni, Math
Cristina, herself an non-native English speaker, joined OIHS as a Teach for America fellow. She graduated from the University California Berkeley with a Bachelor in political economy. Critina has worked at a program intern for the Fair Trade Federation in Washington DC, and for the Association of Volunteer Services International in Milan Italy. She is fluent in Italian and Spanish.
David Hansen, Math
David graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s in history. After college, he began his career in working in outdoor education with troubled youth. In 2007 he entered the Peace Corps and was assigned to service in Cameroon where he worked as an agriculture and forestry extension agent teaching environmental education and helping farmers implement improved methods of planting. David subsequently
worked at Willard Middle School in their garden, health and nutrition program before joining Teach for America. David is fluent in French.
Laura Stuck, Science
Laura graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in psychology and chemistry. After working briefly in Uganda, Laura entered Stanford University’s School of Education where she earned dual masters degrees in International Comparative Education and Education and Chemistry. Laura’s passion for working with the international community stems from having spent a large part of her childhood abroad in
Pakistan and interning abroad in the Dominican Republic.
Geoffrey Gailey, Science
Geoffrey, a Knowles Teaching Fellow, has a bachelor’s in Biology and a masters degree in Education from Cornell University. Prior to teaching at OIHS, Geoff taught science in Boston at a magnet engineering high school and at an adult school that focused on immigrant education. Geoff’s interests in education and science lead him to do fieldwork and training of adults in Africa and allowed him to visit schools in China.
Alicia Lu, Science
Alicia is a Teach for America fellow. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor in neuroscience and sociology. At USC, Alicia was active with Asian Pacific American Student Services and worked at a science mentor at Prep Academy. In addition, she interned with Radical Women, an organization which outreaches to engage the community in political issues of immigration, labor, education,
rights for people of color, women, and the LGBT community. Alicia is fluent in Mandarin.
Ben Gucciardi, Soccer Without Borders
Ben graduated with a bachelors in International Relations and a minor in Spanish followed by a masters degree in Global Educational Leadership from Lehigh University. As the founder and director of Soccer Without Boarders, Ben has focused his energy in youth development through soccer. He and his organization work with students at OIHS and throughout the world. Ben currently coaches at OIHS and serves 500 youth in programs located in Granada, Nicaragua, Uganda and Zambia.
Liza Richheimer, Nutrition, Health and Outdoor Learning
Liza, a founding teacher at OIHS, previously worked at three other schools in the Internationals Network as a science teacher and yoga instructor. Prior to her time at Internationals, Liza worked as an Outward Bound mountaineering instructor for four years, leading teenagers on 3 week mountaineering courses. She enjoys creating curriculum that combines nature, leadership development, and health. Liza graduated from Evergreen State College with a BA in Natural Sciences and Latin American Studies. She completed a Masters in secondary science education from Teachers College at Columbia University. At OIHS, Liza has taught biology, physical education and health as well as served a our coordinator for mental health services.
