Curriculum Developers
Meet The Educators
Joel Medina
Joel Medina is an educator living in Orange County. He started his career teaching English as a Foreign Language in South America and later returned to the United States to pursue his passion of working with newcomer language learners. He has taught writing and English to students of all ages. He currently works as a Family Liaison at a continuation school in Orange County.
Kearci Moir Thompson
Kearci Moir Thompson is a Visual Arts Educator at Portola High School. She has been teaching for 6 years and runs a Fine Arts program spanning five levels that focuses on painting & drawing, as well as contemporary art history. In her program, she hopes that students are able to develop their own creative voices, hold discussions of the purpose and meaning of art considering context and societal issues, and find in artmaking a joyful and challenging outlet. As she aims to grow as an antiracist educator, she is a core member of the Teachers and Educators for Equity and Allyship at Portola and is passionate about creating spaces for conversations about racial justice, where the voices of the marginalized are prioritized.
Naehee Kwun
For 16 years, Naehee Kwun served as a math teacher, instructional coach, mentor, curriculum designer, and consultant. She designs professional learning experiences for teachers. She speaks at and organizes conferences to elevate teachers in their commitments to make education relevant for all learners and foster student agency to fight for justice. Her portfolio can be found at www.mathingforequity.org Naehee is a first generation Korean American, a wife and mother, and an avid baker.
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Twitter: @NaeheeK
LinkedIn: @NaeheeKwun
Facebook: @Naehee.Kwun
Naomi Breedlove
Naomi Breedlove is an elementary school teacher with 6 years of experience in education. She has taught in schools in both Los Angeles and Orange County. As an educator at the elementary level, she strives to help kids not only build their foundational skills in essential subjects such as reading, writing, and math but also their ability to empathize and connect with others in their community. When not teaching, Naomi spends time with her husband Kyle, daughter Blake, and dog Albus.
Paola Rosenberg
Paola is an inquisitive and engaging high school science teacher with over ten years of teaching experience working with Newcomer Immigrants, Special Education, and International Baccalaureate students in Biology and Environmental Science & Societies. She is a Costa Rican immigrant and a product of migrant field workers and house cleaners. They always stressed the importance of education, advocacy, equity, and kindness to all. Paola has been recognized by CSUF's College of Education as a Distinguished Alumni of the Year, was nominated as an Orange County Teacher of the Year, and has worked on two Golden Bell winning teams for special programs supporting Newcomer Immigrant students.
Stacy Yung
Stacy Yung, co-founder of Educate to Empower, is committed to supporting educators as a thought leader, mentor, and curriculum developer. She has over 15 years of experience in K-12 education as a middle school history teacher and educational leader opening two middle schools as a founding staff member and served as an EdTech mentor, History-Social Science mentor and curriculum lead, and PLC facilitator coach. Stacy speaks at and organizes conferences focused on culturally sustaining pedagogy, social justice, and student-centered learning experiences.
Virginia Nguyen
Virginia Nguyen is a high school history teacher and co-founder of Educate to Empower. She is committed to fostering school communities that center student voice, belonging, and empowerment. In addition to being a teacher and district leader, Virginia impacts teachers nationwide by facilitating workshops, writing articles, and speaking at events advocating for equity and justice in education. Recently, she spearheaded the inaugural Teaching for Justice Conference at UCI. Virginia is a wife, mom, and proud daughter of Vietnamese refugees. These identities continue to shape her dreams and aspirations. As a teacher of 20 years, she believes educators have the power to change the world.
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Twitter: @edu_to_empower
Instagram: @edu_to_empower
Meet The Community Advisors
Jamie Hiber
Jamie Hiber's expertise in the nonprofit sector and museum industry has led to a multitude of collaborations with organizations nationwide. Her passion lies in community memory keeping and storytelling, where she utilizes her talents to provide platforms for underrepresented histories and dedication towards social justice initiatives. She is active in her local community historical societies, Woman's Club, Orange County Archives in Action, Historic Wintersburg Conservancy, the Society of California Archivists, and Society of American Archivists.
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Dr. Krystal Tribbett
Curator for Orange County Regional History
Research Librarian for Orange County
B.A., Vassar College, 2003, Geology/Earth Science
M.A., University of California, San Diego, 2009, History of Science
Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, 2014, History of Science - Science Studies
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Professional Societies
American Society for State and Local History
Oral History Association
Society American Archivists
Society of California Archivists
Southwest Oral History Association
Nicole Gilbertson
Nicole Gilbertson is the Director of the UCI Teacher Academy and the UCI History Project. She earned her PhD and teaching credential at UCI in history. She is committed to creating learning opportunities for students that center their history and those of our community to better understand the world and our place in it. Her work at UCI strives to connect educators, researchers, and community members to implement educational transformations that support equitable outcomes for K-12 students.
Seema Shah
Seema is the Director of Training Team for Groundswellhas been associated with Groundswell for over 20 years. She first became involved as a student in the BRIDGES School Program. Seema has been on staff since 2001 working with Orange County students and school communities on anti-bias, anti-oppression and restorative justice practices. Seema’s work focuses on working alongside school communities to support the planning, implementation and support of restorative techniques to build stronger, engaged and connected campuses throughout Orange County.