EBs Secondary Featured Presenters

Ana Aldrufeu-Madrazo, certified bilingual education teacher with an MA in Teacher Leadership, is a bilingual instructional specialist at Stehlik Elementary and a presenter for the Teaching and Learning Department to support bilingual & ESL teachers on second language acquisition, as well as, a TABE and NABE presenter. She has twelve years of experience as an ELA bilingual teacher and five years as an ELA and Math skills. She has been an Accelerated Language Instruction (ALI) Coordinator at her campus for the last five years. Ana is a passionate advocate for bilingual, bicultural

With over 20 years of experience, Tamara Burson has witnessed the importance of guiding and training educators of second language learners, particularly Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) in secondary schools. Her goals have always been to encourage, instruct, and provide innovative, relevant, and practical ideas for these educators who face the daily challenges of teaching EBs. Ms. Burson has a master’s degree in ESL Education from The University of Texas of the Permian Basin and a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and English from Southwestern Assemblies of God University. Her education and extensive teaching experience in secondary schools have equipped Ms. Burson with a unique set of tools to train teachers. She taught middle and high school English courses in two states with a large population of EBs, California and Texas. She also has years of experience teaching different levels of ESL students, from newcomers to long-term EBs. Ms. Burson has served as department chair, instructional specialist, literacy and content coach, and compliance specialist.

Dr. Carlson is an Associate Research Professor and the Associate Director of TIMES at the University of Houston. She has worked in the field of early literacy and second language acquisition for over 25 years as a Principal Investigator and co-Investigator on several program project grants and evaluations examining: the development of language, literacy, and math skills in school-aged students; mediating and moderating effects of effective instruction, teacher knowledge, and professional development programs; as well as the efficacy of several language and literacy intervention programs. Currently, Dr. Carlson is a co-investigator of an OSEP Model Demonstration Grant (Assessment, Intervention, and Instruction for Prevention and Treatment for Dyslexia) and co-investigator on an IESfunded research center (Center for the Success of English Learners), investigating instructional approaches to improve content learning for ELs. She was also a co-I on the IES-funded National Research and Development Center for English Language Learners and the English Language Learner Strand of the Center on Instruction funded by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education of USED.

Vickie Cooper is a 6th, 7th, and 8th grade English Language Arts/English As a Second Language (ESL), and an English Language Acquisition Lab teacher. She has been an educator and a certified ESL teacher in Aldine ISD at Shotwell Middle School for 10 years. Within her 10 years, she has been selected and honored to serve as campus Teacher of the Year, wrote and won a grant through the Aldine Education Foundation Innovation grant for an ESL podcast idea. Prior to becoming an educator, she worked in the business sector as a trainer for over 10 years. It is in that industry that she developed a passion for technology. She uses her skills, experience and knowledge to meet the needs of all of her students. She enjoys working with and helping students realize their highest potential. Her teaching philosophy is simply “enjoy learning – learn everyday – live to learn – and share your knowledge”.

Margarita Cruz is a high school English and ELL teacher at La Promesa. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Education in TESOL. As a former ELL student, she felt the desire to become an educator from a young age. After graduating from SHSU in 2014, she returned to her hometown of Tomball where she served her community as an English teacher and ELL Specialist for 7 years. This year, she embarked on a new journey and became a part of the La Promesa family. Ms. Cruz is committed to being a lifelong learner in order to provide all students with the tools and support they need to be successful both inside and outside of the classroom.

Lindsay Loredo is the ELA Instructional Specialist and Department Chair at Blanson CTE High School with her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and an M.Ed. in International Literacy and Second Language Instruction from Sam Houston State University. She has a passion for coaching teachers to support ALL students so that every student in Aldine has access to an equitable education, especially those students who often fall through the cracks of our imperfect system. When not on campus, she can be found serving at her church and spending time with her husband and daughter.

In his role as Algebra AEA/Math Department Chair at Nimitz High School, Mr. Meier provides instructional support to all learners and educators. He has a strong connection to our EL population, as he teaches our Algebra AEA students. He is always trying to find new ways to integrate technology to help engage students in learning. Mr. Meier has presented for numerous Math staff developments, BELLA Noche sessions and at SEED last year. He loves sharing new ideas while presenting and wants to make sure you always leave his session with something you can use immediately.

Erica Mullikin is a certified ESL 7th grade science teacher at Hambrick Middle School with her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Sam Houston State University. As a MacArthur graduate, she felt compelled to return to the community that she grew up in to serve the students and families in any way possible. She has served in Aldine for 8 years as a Special Education paraprofessional, dedicated long-term substitute teacher, and teacher. Erica’s passion lies with serving EB students and building their confidence socially, emotionally, and academically and believes that strong relationships and a positive classroom environment are the foundation needed to push students above and beyond their capabilities.

As the Program Director for Middle School Mathematics, Ms. Tiana Rodriguez supports campus mathematics leaders on how to bring the mathematics framework to fruition and collaborates with leaders and teachers on how to materialize our curriculum while engaging students in quality mathematics experiences. She received her Bachelors Degree from the University of Houston, her Masters Degree from Lamar University, and is a proud graduate of Eisenhower High School in Aldine.

Dorina Sackman-Ebuwa is the 2014 Florida Teacher of the Year and Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year. Affectionately called “Miss Dorito” by teachers and students, Dorina was recognized by First Lady and Educator Dr. Jill Biden for excellence in teaching and advocating for English Learners. With her unique teaching style, Miss Dorito has spent the past 25 years empowering ALL students of diverse backgrounds at the K-16 and adult learner level. An expert in building solid relationships that result in successful learning experiences for students and teachers, Ms. Sackman-Ebuwa strongly believes that “Lens of Life” teaching, connecting content to community, and Transformative Emotional Intelligence (TEI) make up the true learning experience.

As a Certified Transformational Intelligence Specialist, Dorina takes her classroom and coaching experiences, collaborative educator workshops, and doctoral research (she’s almost finished!) around the globe inspiring, motivating, empowering, and celebrating teachers, leaders, students, and communities. From innovative, personalized professional development filled with successful and differentiated strategies to authentic “real talk” about what teaching and leading looks like for 2022-2023, Dorina Sackman-Ebuwa encourages all educators to B.E.L.I.E.V.E.! – Be the Educators who Lead to Inspire and Empower Via Empathy!®

Kristi Santi is a tenured Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Houston. She has extensive experience working with high-intensity needs students in the K-20 educational settings. Currently, Dr. Santi is a co-investigator for two Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) grants. The first is a Model Demonstration Grant (Assessment, Intervention, and Instruction for Prevention and Treatment for Dyslexia) and Improvement Science approach to better serve students with dyslexia. The second is a Personnel Development Grant (Leadership for Special Populations and Educational Disparity), a training grant for scholars working in a high-needs public school district. Additionally, Dr. Santi on a large-scale grant focused on dually-identified students: Identification of Reading and Language Disabilities in Spanish-Speaking English Learners.

Ms. Smith has served in public education for over 20 year and holds a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from AmericanIntercontinental University. In her role as ESL Instructional Specialist at Davis High School, Ms. Smith facilitates ESL professional development sessions, models lessons, and provides instructional support to all content areas. Teaching and learning are her passions and she acquires knowledge through professional development, conferences, and collaborating with colleagues. Ms. Smith is a proud Davis Falcon and her main focus is to provide teachers with up-to-date EB information and practical strategies that will positively impact student engagement and achievement.

Carlene Thomas serves as the ESL Program Coordinator for the Texas Education Agency. She has advocated for English learners throughout her career, beginning as a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) professor in Beijing, China. In Texas, Carlene has served in various roles in both elementary and secondary school settings as ESL teacher, ESL curriculum writer, LPAC coordinator, ESL district director, and regional ESL/migrant consultant at ESC 10. She is dedicated to serving English learners and their families by supporting Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in expanding effective bilingual and ESL programs and by advocating for additive bilingualism, particularly within ESL programming.

Dr. Jose Luis Zelaya is a graduate of Texas A&M University Department of Education and CEO of Dr. Zelaya Educational Consulting LLC. At Texas A&M, he pursued a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies, a master’s in education in Curriculum and Instructions, and a Doctorate in Urban Education. He attributes each of his academic accomplishments to his family, mentors, and community who have supported his dreams of educational progress. Dr. Zelaya, 34 years old, is a Dreamer born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. At 13 years of age, he was obligated to flee Honduras and embark on a journey to the United States as an unaccompanied minor. He fled Honduras after living for many years as a street child in absolute poverty and violence levels. After a dangerous 45-day journey, he was found in American soil by immigration officers and months later reunited with his mother and sister in Texas. With the help of his mother, he enrolled in school, and like that, he started to build a new life in this country. Since his arduous journey to this country, Dr. Zelaya has dedicated his time and efforts to his educational career. For him, education was the way to give back to his family and community.