Academy of Thought and Industry at San Francisco

Alexandra has spent 21 years as an educator in private and charter schools in California and Massachusetts. Alexandra's expertise is in meeting the needs of students of different ages, socioeconomic groups, and academic abilities, first as a teacher and then as an administrator. She has diverse experience in developing classroom curriculum and creating environments that are stimulating, culturally diverse, and inclusive to accommodate all learning styles and challenges. As a charter school leader, she demonstrated the capacity to teach, motivate, and direct teams while maintaining a positive school culture and high standards resulting in high student achievement. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and A Masters in Educational Leadership. Alexandra lives in Berkeley with her husband of 21 years and two teenage children. She was born in the Dominican Republic and has lived in NYC, Massachusetts, and California.

Jenifer has been on a journey to learn more about youth and inspires to assist in personal growth in any way possible. As a recent graduate from State University of New York at Canton, Jenifer holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration in the field of Sport Management. Currently, Jenifer is attending the Sport Management Masters Program at the University of San Francisco to continue her journey in the sport industry with a focus on youth and community relations. With a background as a Resident Assistant, a Student Ambassador and a Junior Giants AmeriCorps Associate, Jenifer brings great enthusiasm, experience working with students, and a new perspective to ATI. During her free time, Jenifer enjoys reading a nice book, staying active and going on adventures.

Michael Rivera is a passionate educational leader who's especially drawn to student mentorship, community impact, and operations management. He earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration Management from San Francisco State University and has spent the past five years as a Social Enterprise Manager for a nonprofit organization, JUMA Ventures, focused on recruitment and youth development in underserved communities. In addition, he earned a master's degree in Sport Management at the University of San Francisco and studied abroad in South Africa fundraising and coaching for Alexandra Baseball youth. During his studies, he also worked as an events manager for the Community Relations and Arena Operations at the Golden State Warriors. With his background in sport and community, Michael brings creativity, energy, and dedication to the ATI team. During his free time, Michael loves to stay active with cross-fit training and building his podcast channel reviewing movies, television shows, sports, entertainment and social issues.

Marvin Liyanage holds a Masters In Education Degree from Gevirtz Graduate School Of Education where he wrote a thesis on Self-Directed Learning, was the recipient of the Dr. J Fellowship for student self-actualization, and completed a practicum through the National Institute of Education in Singapore. Before starting his teaching career he completed a Masters of Neuroscience degree at the University of Bonn, Germany where he focused on learning and memory. In his teaching he has focused on student empowerment, curiosity-provoking science curriculum design, and leveraging tech for learning. In his free time he loves to get outdoors, read, and work on creative entrepreneurial projects.

Kiana is a wildlife and quantitative biologist who is eager to bring her passion and enthusiasm for scientific research to young students. Kiana obtained her Bachelors in biology at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a concentration in ecology. Kiana continued her education at Cal Poly in the masters program in biology, where she studied overwintering microhabitat selection of western monarch butterflies. Kiana believes the best way to approach science is with curiosity, skepticism, and evidence. Kiana is also well versed in statistics and applied coding and data visualization, which she is excited to introduce to young students. In her free time, Kiana enjoys dog sitting, basket weaving, camping, game nights, and spending time with her friends and family.

David grew up in the California Bay Area and has since spent much of his life working and studying abroad. He holds a doctorate in English Literature and Creative Writing (PhD), as well as degrees in English Literature (BA, MA) and Publishing Media (MA). He is also a published author and playwright. His teaching career has been international and varied. He began by teaching introductory classes in English for undergraduates in Canada. He later provided tutorials and guest lectures within the University of Oxford. Between 2008 and 2012, he also taught and organized high school courses in both English Literature and Creative Writing at one of the more esteemed international summer schools in Oxford. Most recently, he was employed as a Language and Literature Teacher at an International School in Tallinn, Estonia. Besides teaching, he also loves film, old music, and the sea.

Sharon has been guiding students through the college admissions process for 40 years. Her experiences include serving as Director of College Counseling at Head Royce School; Associate Director of Admissions at Mills College; Consultant for the College Board; Instructor for the UC Berkeley Extension College and Career Certificate Program and other counseling roles. She has read applications for Cal Berkeley and UC Davis, and served on national committee for the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. With all that said, she really considers herself to be a matchmaker. Sharon thinks that there is no bigger thrill than to match a student with the right college. A native of the Bay Area, she is the very proud mom of 2 grown daughters. Her new passion (thanks to the pandemic) is cajun cooking.

Susana is an interdisciplinary artist and educator. She was born and raised in Mexico. Throughout her life, Susana has always shown her interest for illustration and ability to create and design and she has always been fascinated by images and how the world is represented through the eyes of others and she always had a talent for drawing and creativity. She earned a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design. She has worked on numerous personal and commercial freelance projects since moving to the states, her proudest of which is being a dedicated alumni of the Imaginism Studios’ many programs, where she have spent a lot of time honing her creative skills designing and creating original illustrated characters while being personally mentored by some of their great artists and have been asked to collaborate in some of their personal Illustration projects.

Mr. Feinberg graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT with a bachelor's degree in Theatre. He moved to California in 2003 and has been teaching ever since. He specialized in the role of Education Specialist in several schools throughout the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Alameda, Lafayette, and Piedmont. When not in the classroom, Mr. Feinberg enjoys being outdoors, reading, volunteering in the East Bay Regional Parks district, and playing board games.

I graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor's degree in Philosophy, with a minor in Psychology. Soon after Davis, I finished my master’s degree in Philosophy (concentration in Moral Psychology) from SFSU. After San Francisco State, I received a prestigious graduate assistantship to pursue a fully-funded master’s degree in Philosophy (concentration in Philosophy of Mind) at SUNY at Albany. When I am not teaching, I love traveling, going hiking, debating about philosophy and politics, and especially playing video games. I have been to Thailand, Cambodia, Israel, Mexico, Canada, and have moved around the United States a dozen times between the West and East coasts. Fun fact: I love to talk about the philosophical underpinnings of video games and movies (don’t get me started about the Matrix and Philosophy).

Alex has a passion for educating the whole person, combining intellectual rigor with emotional intelligence to guide and mentor adolescents to create a life that is successful and fulfilling on every level. He graduated summa cum laude from Boston College with a bachelor's degree in History and Philosophy, the latter of which he also pursued at the graduate level at DePaul University. At Boston College, he was a member of their Honors Program, a four-year interdisciplinary Socratic Great Books program aimed at investigating the fundamental texts and ideas of the western canon, including philosophy, poetry, literature, theology and social science. Since graduating from Boston College, he has worked in diverse fields, including as a professional freelance writer and editor, nonprofit administrative manager, and carpenter. Alex also holds a Professional Life Coach certification from the Synthesis Center in Amherst, MA and worked for several years as a coach and trainer in the Mankind Project. He is also a long-time musician and music enthusiast, having played the guitar for over a decade, as well as an avid outdoorsman.