Hello Hello!!! My name is Anne Gifford, I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio and have resided in Chicago for the past 2 years. I have been in the Education field the past 8 years and love the excitement that each day brings. I earned my Masters of Education at Cleveland State University in Curriculum and Instruction. Prior to joining Chicago Talent and Development, I spent my time teaching High School in Cleveland, working with students to improve as individuals and find success in their social/emotional well being, as well as finding their niche in the academic world. I have additional training in Educational Therapy as well as health and wellness, which I enjoy immensely . When I am not teaching, I love spending my time with family and friends, traveling, and physical activity. I will use my talents and experience to explore and tap into every student's strengths, and build an encouraging environment for self-growth and personal motivation.

I graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, MA in June of 2010, earning degrees in both Mathematics and Chemistry.  From Williams, I joined Teach For America here in Chicago and am joining CTDHS after teaching at Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy in 2010-2011.  I will earn my Masters in Secondary Education in June 2012 from National Louis University.  I wear a bow tie one day a week, and I pride myself on being "a huge nerd."  While outside of the classroom, I runs outside, play ultimate frisbee and pick-up basketball.  I am a sports fanatic, and would love to be involved in coaching baseball or softball at CTDHS.  I grew up in Philadelphia and support those teams, but am always willing to talk sports.  I spent this past summer as the Assistant Director of the camp I grew up going to in upstate New York, and that continues to be a big part of my life.  This year, I will use my TALENTS to demonstrate (in the context of Algebra) that we can do things we never imagined possible.  This sense of empowerment, more than anything else, is what I hope my students will get out of their year in my class.

Hello, my name is Cristina Gonzales, and I was born and raised on the northside of Chicago. I attended Lane Tech High School, Northern Illinois University for undergrad where I majored in English, and Concordia University for graduate school where I received my M.A.T. I taught 10th grade English at UIC College Prep, and Read 180 at ChiArts. During my experiences in high school, college, and teaching, I've been a cheerleader, cheerleading coach, dancer, latin dance instructor, and (my favorite) community service coordinator. On my free time, I absolutely love to cook for my friends and family, so if you need a recipe just ask! This year I will be teaching Freshman Seminar and ALFA Lab. I will use my TALENTS to share the joy of being organized and the love of reading! 

I grew up in New York City and attended Carleton College in Minnesota.  As a Math major, I had the opportunity to do research with professional mathematicians and present my work at national math conferences.  In addition to my studies, I led my college’s house of student activism, worked at the college chapel, and volunteered at the state prison.
Math has always been favorite subject to learn and to teach.  In New York I tutored eighth graders in Pre-Algebra and helped my students gain acceptance to some of the most selective high schools in New York City.  I taught Algebra II in summer school at Bogan High School, and I am excited to work with the ninth graders at CTDHS this year.

In my free my time I enjoy running in the park, going to museums, and making my own silver jewelry.  When I was in high school, I ran track and cross-country, played the flute, and decorated sets for the school plays.
I will use my TALENTS to empower each student to succeed in high school math, college math and the growing number of math-related careers.

I’m a tarheel born, I’m a tarheel bred, and when I die I’ll be a tarheel dead!! My name is Erica Wrencher and I am from a really small town in North Carolina called Aberdeen.  I received my B.A. in History from the awesome University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a recipient of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholarship, I was privileged to learn alongside an awesome cohort of future educators and receive extensive education training during my undergraduate career. I also received a Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary Social Studies from UNC-CH. Call me biased if you’d like, but I believe and will argue that UNC-CH is unquestionably the most amazing university in this nation! Ok. My rant is over! My teaching career began in Moore County, NC, in 2009 where I taught Civics and Economics. After moving to IL with my husband, I taught in Gary, IN, and then in Chicago Public Schools. While teaching, I have also enjoyed being a cheer coach and a debate coach. I also absolutely love music!! I like to sing and listen to other people sing!! I will use my TALENTS to encourage and inspire students to set and reach academic and life goals in order to go to and through college and beyond!!
Signed, a Carolina Girl…the best in the WORLD!

I attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where I received a B.S. in Secondary English Education, a certificate in ESL, and a minor in Spanish. At IU, I studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain, led a sustainability organization on campus, tutored ESL community members, and facilitated positive body image programs for women in my sorority. I completed my student teaching through a special program called the Urban Project, which allows student teachers to live, teach, and volunteer in urban communities. In the spring of 2011, I lived in Albany Park and student taught in both ESL and English classrooms at Amundsen High School. In addition to teaching, I love traveling, spending time with my friends and family, enjoying Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods and restaurants, and obsessing over my golden-doodle puppy, Max. I am very excited to embark on my first year of teaching at Chicago Talent as the Junior English teacher and I am looking forward to finding ways to get involved with students outside of the classroom as well. I will use my TALENTS to foster a positive learning environment that focuses on student success, multiculturalism, and social justice.

LaVerne Sewell is the School and Community Relations Coordinator for Chicago
Talent. She has served the Westside community of Chicago through her various
administrative positions at a charter school in the Austin area for the last 4 years,
working with at-risk youths in the foster care system and assisting relocated
families from the Chicago Housing Authority become more self-sufficient and
successful through a service connector agency. She has a double Bachelors degree
from Aurora University in Psychology and Criminal Justice, with two Masters
degrees from Saint Xavier University in Public and Non Profit Management and
Educational Administration. LaVerne enjoys helping children and adolescents
become successful in their academic and social environments. She has created and
implemented various activities and programs that focused on self-empowerment
and self-awareness. Although she looks at every student she works with as her own,
she recently became a proud parent of her first son in June of 2011. Becoming a
parent motivates her even more to work harder with students in becoming the best
that they can be.

She plans to use her Talents this year to motivate, encourage and support as manystudents as possible to achieve their dreams!

My name is Marci McMahen, and I teach Physics and Chemistry at CTDHS. I graduated from Centenary College of Louisiana with a major in Biology and a minor in History. While in college, I co-organized and led summer orientation for incoming freshmen along with being a Student Ambassador, research assistant at LSUHSC, and leader in various other organizations. I joined Teach for America during my senior year at Centenary and moved to Chicago shortly after graduation - talk about an adventure! I taught Biology at Washington High School on the south side of Chicago during the summer and am beyond excited to start teaching at CTDHS. In my spare time, I love to travel with my friends and family, read as many books as possible, play the piano, and explore the exciting city of Chicago! I will use my TALENTS to help students explore, develop, and discover at a high and rigorous level.