The Speakers

Jen Roberts is a Nationally Board Certified (NBCT) high school English teacher, with over 25 years of experience teaching English Language Arts and Social Science in grades 7-12. She has been teaching English at Point Loma High School since 2006, where she still enjoys the daily pleasure of working with 140+ students. In 2008 Jen became one of the first teachers in her district to have 1:1 laptops for her students. She pioneered best practices in digital pedagogy, online classroom management, and supporting student empowerment with technology. In 2011 Jen became a Google for Education Certified Innovator. Her co-authored book Power Up: Making the Shift to 1:1 Teaching and Learning with Diana Neebe was published by Stenhouse in 2015. From 2011-2021, Jen worked as adjunct faculty at the University of San Diego supporting pre-service teachers in courses that focused on literacy and technology. She has mentored dozens of student teachers, presented at conferences locally, nationally, and virtually. She has also been a guest on many podcasts. CUE named Jen their Outstanding Educator in 2022. She serves her district as a 1:1 Ambassador, and on the Technology Advisory Committee. Her current interests include standards based grading practices and teaching students about generative AI. You can find Jen on Threads @TheJenRoberts and catch up on the things working well in her classroom on her blog at LitandTech.com. 

Amelia Hadley is a high school English and Journalism teacher with over 16 years of experience supporting students as writers. A former journalist, she brings a deep love for language and storytelling into the classroom. Amelia has taught at both the elementary and secondary levels, with a focus on inclusive writing instruction for multilingual learners and students receiving special education services. She is the co-founder of Write2Succeed, an education consulting partnership focused on equitable, scaffolded writing instruction and professional development. Amelia is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, where her research explores how Artificial Intelligence can enhance secondary writing instruction and student voice.

Arisela Hernandez is a Senior Program Associate and the ELA Program Lead who has been working with Facing History and Ourselves in the California region since 2019. Before joining Facing History, she worked as an English Language Arts high school teacher in Los Angeles for seven years. During her time as a teacher, she enjoyed opportunities to facilitate workshops for teachers on dominant vs. non-dominant aspects of identity, dimensions of oppression (internalized, interpersonal, institutional, ideological), culturally and linguistically sustaining teaching tools, and critical theory reading practices. She also enjoyed introducing students to critical theory, literary works by authors of color, and connecting literature themes to students’ lived experiences and current events.

Fatimah Khan is a communicator/graphic artist turned teacher who earned her degree and credentials at California State University, Fullerton. She worked as a Production Assistant at NBC before becoming a dual-language teacher. She began her teaching career 15 years ago in a private school, teaching Spanish to English-only students in grades 5-8. Thereafter, she spent the last 12 years working in the Santa Ana Unified School District, eight of which have been dedicated to teaching first graders how to read and write in Spanish. She is goal-oriented and mostly driven by Albert Einstein’s famous quote, which implies that everyone learns, just in different ways and styles. She is a firm believer that students would be more inclined to learn when having fun, so she uses her creativity and artistic background regularly to help her achieve literacy goals. Furthermore, she has used and merged several strategies, from GLAD to Montessori, to make sure students understand writing concepts. She is excited to start yet another stage in her career as she takes on teaching Art for Middle School this upcoming school year.

Rachel Solis is the Senior Manager of Educational Partnerships for Collaborative Classroom. As a resource and thought partner, she works alongside schools and districts to refine and strengthen practices that pave the way for a better tomorrow. A former teacher of writing, Rachel's journey into education was profoundly shaped by a single student whose writing changed her life forever. This student’s ability to finally express themselves through writing ignited Rachel’s passion for literacy and set her on a path toward the work she does with Collaborative Classroom today. Rachel believes that everyone has a story within them, waiting to be told. As a literacy leader, social-emotional learning advocate, and professional learning facilitator, she leads with her heart, drawing on her rich experience to help educators develop and facilitate equitable, inclusive, and truly collaborative classrooms that reach the whole child, the whole day.

Barbara Vallejo Doten is the Regional Program Director for the California Global Education Project. She is a veteran history/social studies/English teacher who served in Los Angeles and Long Beach and also worked in the LA County Office of Education writing curriculum for history/social studies connected to the Teaching American History Project. She also serves as an adjunct at CSULB Single Subject Credential Program, working with novice educators, and supervising student teachers working in local districts.