Full name: Christine Gentry
Degree/Graduating Year: M.Ed., 2005
Location: Corona, CA
Position in HAEd: Los Angeles Co-Chair
Current role or job: Visiting Assistant Professor & Corona-Norco Residency Director for the NYU Steinhardt Teacher Residency Program
3 Fun Facts: (1) I used to work in the education department at a zoo; I was the person who went around to all the elementary schools dressed in all khaki, with animals hanging off me. (2) I once went on a date with Jeff Goldblum (pictorial evidence provided upon request). (3) I'm a living kidney donor--ask me about it sometime!
Why did you join HAEd?
I have devoted my entire professional life to improving outcomes for students in Title I public schools. Co-leading the Los Angeles chapter of this SIG is an important part of continuing my work to ensure every child has access to high-quality public education by allowing me to connect with local colleagues doing important work in the field of education.
What do you hope to achieve through HAED?
Meeting and collaborating with awesome human beings.
How did you get involved in education?
I had a life-changing English teacher in 8th grade; I vowed to grow up to be just like him.
What is something that inspires you?
Seeing my former students' amazing lives on Facebook.
What is the most memorable experience you remember from your time at Harvard?
I had the worst fall of my life on the cobblestones of Garden Street. I may have been running...in the rain...in heels.
What advice do you have for other Harvard alumni?
"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." -Ralph Waldo Emerson