Our Team

Principal Investigator

Tatyana Kleyn is Professor of Bilingual Education and TESOL programs at The City College of New York. She received an Ed.D. in international educational development from Teachers College, Columbia University. Tatyana was a Fulbright Scholar in Oaxaca, Mexico studying return migration and Past President of the New York State Association for Bilingual Education. She served as acting co-PI and associate investigator for the CUNY-New York State Initiative on Emergent Bilinguals (CUNY-NYSIEB), and co-PI for the Multilingual Learner Project (MLP) and Building Secondary Educator and Administrator Leadership (B-SEAL) for Multilingual Learners, both federal Title III grant programs. Tatyana has authored books and articles on immigration, translanguaging, and bilingual education. Her recent books include Living, Learning and Languaging Across Borders: Students Between the US and Mexico and Lessons from a Dual Language Bilingual School: Celebrando Una Década de Dos Puentes Elementary. Her work in film as a producer and director includes CUNY-IIE's Supporting Immigrants in Schools and Not Too Young video series as well as the Living Undocumented Series and Una Vida, Dos Países: Children and Youth (Back) in Mexico. Tatyana was an elementary school teacher in San Pedro Sula, Honduras and Atlanta, Georgia. For more information see TatyanaKleyn.com.

Co-Principal Investigator

Sara P. Lopez Amezquita (formerly Alvarez) is Associate Professor of English at Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY) and 2018-2020 Cultivating New Voices Fellow at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Sara’s qualitative research focuses on the multilingual and academic writing practices of self-outed U.S. undocumented young adults. Her past research ethnographically examined the multilingual social media literacy practices among second-generation Latina/e youth and their transnational families in Kentucky. Her publications have appeared in the journals Equity and Excellence in Education, World Englishes, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, among others.

Co-Principal Investigator

Nancy Stern is a Professor in the Programs in Bilingual Education & TESOL at The City College of New York and in the Linguistics Program at the CUNY Graduate Center. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the Graduate Center, and has published in the fields of theoretical linguistics, teacher education, and bilingualism (including 'On So-Called Spanglish,' 2011, with Ricardo Otheguy). A former department chair and former director of the Programs in Bilingual Education & TESOL, she is currently the PI of B-SEAL, a five-year National Professional Development Project funded by the US Department of Education, and is a Co-PI in CUNY-IIE with responsibility for administration and finance. In addition, Nancy serves as the president of the Columbia School Linguistic Society, and on the Academic Council of American Friends of Combatants for Peace.

Project Director

Daniela Alulema is the Project Director for the CUNY-Initiative on Immigration and Education. She previously served as director of programs at the Center for Migration Studies for nearly eight years, where she managed community-based research projects on the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, on statelessness in the United States and on the impact of deportation on US families and communities. She has also authored reports on the impact of DACA and the critical role educators play in the lives of immigrant youth. Daniela received her Master of Science degree in Urban Policy Analysis and Management at The New School and a bachelor's degree in Accounting from Baruch College, CUNY. Originally from Ecuador, Daniela brings her journey as an undocumented immigrant and belief in human-centered policymaking and research into her work.

Interim Co-Principal Investigator

Tamara (Tammy) Alsace, Ph.D., is retired from the Buffalo Public Schools, where she held various positions during her 32+ year career, including as a bilingual elementary and special education teacher, professional development specialist, and Director of Multilingual Education. In that role, she led the bilingual, ESOL, & world languages programs. Since retiring, she has worked as a consultant in a number of school districts as well as for the Regional Bilingual Ed Resource Network (RBE-RN) and the Council of the Great City Schools. Dr. Alsace serves on several non-profit boards and is active in professional & community organizations in Buffalo and at the state and national levels. A tireless advocate for the educational rights of multilingual/immigrant students and their families, she is a past president of the NYS Association for Bilingual Education (NYSABE) and currently co-chairs their advocacy committee.  She is co-editor of the text Bilingual Special Education for the 21st Century: A New Interface (2022, IGI Global).  Tammy has been part of CUNY-IIE since its inception. 

Aminata Diop, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Assistant Professor and Education Consultant at City College. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Education from the CUNY Graduate Center, an M.P.A. in International Leadership Management, an M.A. in Culture and Communications from New York University. Her research addresses the intersectionality between culture, language, and social identity of immigrant youth while making visible a group that is often ignored and/or overlooked in school discourse, policies, and education research. Her dissertation focused on immigrant students from African descent, transnational mothering, and integration experiences of transnationalized children. Her research illuminates how the increase of the Black immigrant population in the U.S. complicates dominant ideologies of nationalism and mainstream perceptions of normal family structures.

Ariana Mangual Figueroa is a Professor in the Ph.D. Programs in Urban Education and Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Cultures at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She is an educational anthropologist who explores the ways in which the everyday lives of children and adults who belong to mixed-status families and communities are shaped by their legal and cultural citizenship. Her work has appeared in journals including Educational Researcher, American Educational Research Journal, and Anthropology & Education Quarterly. Her first book – Knowing Silence: How Children Talk About Immigration Status in School – was published in 2024 by the University of Minnesota Press. You can read it in print and online here at Manifold.

Carmina Makar was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. She holds a BA in Communication Studies from ITESO University and earned her doctoral degree in International Education Development from Teachers College, Columbia University as a Fulbright Fellow. Her research and teaching interests focus on language development for diverse populations; non formal education settings and transnational approaches to education and teacher training. She currently teaches for the Programs of Bilingual Education and TESOL at The City College of New York.

Cecilia M. Espinosa, Ph.D., was born in Ecuador, South America. She is currently a Professor in the Department of Early Childhood/Childhood Education (ECCE) at Lehman College, CUNY. She received her PhD from Arizona State University. Cecilia started her education career as a teacher’s assistant. She was a bilingual multiage teacher and director of a dual language program in Phoenix, Arizona. Currently, she teaches courses on biliteracy, observation and assessment, and English as a new language. She is also the Professional Development Liaison at Samara Dual Language School. Cecilia is a Faculty Associate of the New York City Writing Project (NYCWP); she is an Associate Investigator of the CUNY-Initiative on Immigration and Education (CUNY-IIE). Cecilia served as an Associate Investigator of the Project CUNY New York State Initiative Emergent Bilinguals and New York State (CUNY NYSIEB); she served as Chair of the Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature in Fiction (NCTE). Cecilia co-led with Dr. Patricia Velasco, the NY State Department of Education Project on Practices with Multilingual Learners and the Next Generation Learning Standards. Cecilia has authored articles and chapters on biliteracy development, descriptive processes, teacher-as-researcher, and children’s literature that nurtures and affirms their identities. She co-authored with Laura Ascenzi-Moreno the book, Rooted in Strength: Using Translanguaging to Grow Multilingual Readers and Writers.

Ivana Espinet is an Associate Professor at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Education from the CUNY Graduate Center and an M.A. in Instructional Technology and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is originally from Argentina, and her journey as an immigrant and mother of three bilingual children has shaped her research interests on the use of multimodal and collaborative methodologies to learn about the experiences of emergent bilinguals and their families in schools, as well as language education policies and practices.

Dr. Maite T. Sánchez is an Associate Professor of Bilingual Education at Hunter College, CUNY. She is an Advisor for CUNY-IIE. Maite holds a Ph.D. in education from Boston College, a M.Ed. in education from Northeastern University, and a B.A in psychology from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (Lima, Peru), from where she immigrated from. Maite has worked closely with teachers, school administrators and state-level officials to create professional development opportunities, materials, and research studies to better understand the dynamic bi/multlingual trajectories of language minoritized students and to create educational opportunities that support these students. Her research focuses on language education policies and practices, translanguaging pedagogy, and supporting novice bilingual education teachers entering the profession. Further information can be found on her website: www.maitesanchez.org.

Ashley Busone Rodriguez is a third grade teacher in an integrated co-teaching classroom at Dos Puentes Elementary School, a dual language school in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. She holds an M.A. in Bilingual Education from The City College of New York. Prior to teaching third grade, Ashley taught English for Speakers of Other Languages for adults and teenagers in Harlem, Boston, Santiago de Chile, and Morogoro, Tanzania. Ashley has co-authored articles and curricula related to translanguaging, immigration, popular education and indigenous language education.

Brian Avila Klein (formerly Aguilar Avila) is a proud two-time CUNY alumnus who is an Urban Education PhD student at the Graduate Center, CUNY. He is also an Administrative Specialist/PhD Program Administrator in the Biomedical Engineering Department at The City College of New York (CCNY). He holds a B.E. in Biomedical Engineering from CCNY and recently earned an M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Administration with a focus on Institutional Research from Baruch College. He serves as a data analyst at CUNY-IIE, where he hones in his engineering and institutional research skills from his prior studies, to assist in the collection and analysis of survey data from partner schools.

Emilia Fiallo is an experienced educator specializing in English Language Arts and Bilingual Education. With over a decade of service in NYC public high schools, she has developed culturally responsive and inclusive curricula that celebrate the needs of multilingual and multicultural students. She holds a Master of Arts in Bilingual & Bicultural Education with a Bilingual Extension from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English Secondary Education from Hunter College. As a tenured high school teacher, Emilia spent five years exclusively supporting newly arrived immigrant students in the NYC Department of Education, focusing on their social-emotional development to help them achieve academic success. Her work is shaped by her personal experience as a formerly undocumented youth from ages 9 to 29 in NYC. She believes that educators have tremendous power and influence over students' lives, and this power must be wielded responsibly to benefit all school community members.

Isamar Jimenez-Vazquez is an educator and scholar pursuing a degree in Bilingual Childhood Education. Born in Puebla, Mexico and raised in New York City, Isamar has been an advocate for undocumented students like herself for many years. Isamar has over 10 years experience in the public school system in New York City, gaining invaluable and extensive knowledge on the many facets of our educational system. Isamar is passionate about bringing awareness and creating solutions to support educators regardless of immigration status, in the hope of creating greater access to a fair and just education for all. In her role at CUNY-IIE’s UndocuEdu, she uplifted the experiences of undocumented students and educators, by highlighting the positive impact and vital role we have in our communities.

Kellie Griffith Tanaka is a bilingual dual language teacher currently working as a Project Researcher for CUNY-IIE. As part of her role at CUNY-IIE, Kellie supports middle school educators working with immigrant-origin students across New York State. She also works with teacher candidates in the Bilingual Education and TESOL Programs at both Hunter College and City College of New York (CCNY). After a decade of teaching in early childhood bilingual classrooms, Kellie’s philosophy of education centers the voices of young immigrant-origin students through translanguaging and culturally responsive teaching practices. Her international teaching experiences include a year in Loja, Ecuador, as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, and three summers in San Jose, Costa Rica working with PK-12 students. Kellie completed her master’s degree in Bilingual Education at CCNY in 2018 and was featured in CUNY-IIE’s Not Too Young: Immigration in Elementary Schools video series.

Michael E. Dorcelly is a Ph.D. student in the Urban Education program at the CUNY Graduate Center. He was born and raised in Spring Valley, NY and is of Haitian heritage. His research interests center Black immigrant communities in the U.S. and the factors influencing their educational and vocational pursuits. For over a decade, he has worked with PreK-12 schools, universities, and community-based organizations throughout the greater NYC area in developing curricular models, enrichment programming, and equity-focused interventions for children and youth. Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Communications from William Paterson University and a master’s degree in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Rachel Duff is an educator, organizer, and current PhD student in Urban Education at the Graduate Center, CUNY. She is from the Deep South and Puerto Rico, two integral parts of her positionality. She is a former educator of English for emergent multilingual students and has worked in education policy and research in both Washington, DC and Jacksonville, FL. Her research interests include understanding how early career educators develop critical consciousness and subsequently how critically conscious teachers impact student belonging and family engagement for newcomer and/or undocumented youth. Rachel obtained her bachelor’s in English Education at the University of North Florida and master’s in Educational Transformation at Georgetown University. She has organized in Northeast Florida with a Black-led grassroots organization fighting for self-determination and freedom.

Sunisa considers herself part of the 1.5 generation of immigrants who were resettled in the U.S. following the Vietnam War. Born in a refugee camp in Thailand to Lao parents, she and her family were resettled in upstate New York just after she turned one. Having graduated from New York State public schools, she also lived, attended university, and worked in northern California before returning to the east coast and transitioning to a career as a public school teacher. Sunisa currently teaches 11th and 12th grade English Language Arts at The International High School at Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, a place she considers home as she enters her ninth year at the school. Her interest in language, particularly translanguaging and home languages, has led her to the Graduate Center at CUNY, where she hopes to contribute years of progressive, critical, and transformative educational experiences to the project. In her free time, she enjoys many forms of health and happiness.

Jan Heli Bautista is CUNY-IIE's Communications Manager. He is a Queens College graduate who is deeply committed to community advocacy and organizing. He is dedicated to empowering marginalized immigrant communities through education. He also aspires to become a college professor that applies his knowledge and experiences to instill a positive change for future generations.

Lesly Jimenez-Vazquez is the social media manager for the CUNY-Initiative on Immigration and Education as well as Paralegal for NYC where she focuses on supporting the new migrants various legal services. She is an artist, organizer, and all-around creative mind. After spending years in corporate retail, she now focuses on creating spaces for Fat BIPOC women and provides her social media skills to different non-profit organizations. Lesly is one of the founders of the NYC-based Fat Femme Collective. Born in Puebla, Mexico, Lesly migrated to New York when she was 5 years old. She hopes her journey as an immigrant and her passion for creation shines through in her work and helps to lift up the voices of BIPOC immigrants like herself.

Leza Rawlins provides administrative support to CUNY-IIE. She has a background in finance and health care, and previously worked at various financial institutions, and most recently at Mount Sinai Health System. Leza has volunteered as a member of the Mount Sinai Health System Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention (SAVI) Program. With an interest in medicine, Leza will soon be resuming part-time pre-clinical studies in nursing.

Maria Ximena Diaz is a CCNY grad. Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, she is a first-generation college grad committed to providing equitable educational opportunities to immigrant communities in New York. Her passion lies in empowering people by providing them with access to available resources, tools, and information that can facilitate their success. Maria firmly believes that education should be accessible to everyone and that, with the right guidance and support, students can reach their full potential and become the best version of themselves.