Jacquelyn Dur谩n
(Ph.D., )
Growing up in Southern California, Jacquelyn Dur谩n was used to driving everywhere. Then she visited Spain and Bolivia (her father鈥檚 homeland) and discovered cities that value walking and public transportation.
Dur谩n has since gone onto pursue new paths in other ways as well.
In 2004, frustrated by teaching to the test, cookie-cutter lesson plans and a California ballot initiative that curtailed her efforts as an elementary bilingual education teacher, she enrolled as a Ph.D. student in TC鈥檚 Sociology and Education program.
鈥淚 thought I could do this for a few years,鈥� she says. 鈥淔ourteen years later, here I am.鈥�
That may sound like a long time, but Dur谩n has been juggling a particularly heavy load. A first generation-college student, she wrote her dissertation on the scholastic fortunes of immigrant Dominican high school students. The research found that young people in families that moved directly from the Dominican Republic to the suburbs prospered academically and move on to college at a higher rate than their counterparts educated in New York City schools.
Meanwhile, she has also served as Director of Enrichment Services for TC鈥檚 . That work has included leadership of the Center鈥檚 acclaimed summer Maker Camp, which annually provides 200 New York City elementary school students with hands-on experience of aerodynamics, anatomy, botany, structural design, simple machines, geology, life cycles and energy. In fact, Dur谩n is such a familiar sight in July, leading squads of children through TC鈥檚 hallways and creating themed exhibitions of student work for the camp鈥檚 annual science fair, that many people in the TC community haven鈥檛 known she was also completing a doctorate.
On the face of things, not much will change for Dur谩n now that she鈥檚 got her Ph.D. 鈥淚 look at it each morning when I come to work, just to remind myself that it鈥檚 real,鈥� she says, smiling. She plans to continue working at Hollingworth for the foreseeable future, calling her work with youngsters who represent virtually every ethnic group in New York City 鈥渢he bridge鈥� between her dissertation work and her prior as the science curriculum coordinator at the Los Angeles Title I elementary school where she taught English to Spanish-speaking students.
鈥淚 love what we do here,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his kind of teaching, which gives children the freedom to experiment and explore, is so precious.鈥�
Though, actually, there is one other big change. Prior to heading back to California for her high school reunion, Dur谩n, who hasn鈥檛 sat behind the wheel of an automobile for years, decided not to rent a car, opting for a ride-sharing service instead.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I knew I was a New Yorker.鈥� 鈥� Steve Giegerich
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