Interests & Specialties
Equity and Justice in Education
Racial Literacy
Anti-racist SEL
Anti-Racist Teaching
Multimodal learning
Learning experience design
Writing and copywriting
Instructional and Course Design
Digital Education
Ed Tech
Digital authoring tools + LMS
Hi, I’m Selena.
I’m a Bronx born and raised Black Puerto Rican educator, writer, advocate, and mom.
As a child, I felt strongly that schools could be both places of joy and despair. My experience as an NYC Public School student led me to the belief that community members, especially in communities of color, should be teaching at their local schools. So after several education internships throughout high school and spending my senior year at NYU’s Project MUST, I committed myself to my calling: teaching.
My career started in museum education working for two iconic NYC institutions, the American Museum of Natural History and the New York Hall of Science.
While working at NYSCI, I earned my M.A. in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, with a focus on inclusive and equitable curriculum and instruction. Through my graduate level work, I began diving into the field of C&I, specifically focusing on equity, new literacies, media, and multimodal approaches to learning.
As soon as I completed my fieldwork and certification requirements, I began teaching at the New York City Department of Education. For a decade, I have worked as a general education teacher, ELA teacher, and curriculum writer using anti-racist/anti-bias, culturally responsive-sustaining and trauma-informed practices. I soon had the opportunity to join the NYCDOE Teacher Career Pathways program as a teacher leader or Peer Collaborative Teacher, giving me the opportunity to work with teachers across my district and receive invaluable mentorship in school leadership. In addition, I worked with the NYC Service department bringing a civics education program to my school, mentoring students to lead community outreach programs. I also had the opportunity to be a founding teacher at an innovative and respected public school. As a teacher, my mission has always been working towards educational equity and social change.
Eventually, I came back to my program at Teachers College as a clinical faculty member for several years, co-teaching a graduate level course in curriculum and instruction. This opportunity opened doors to working on research projects, opening my room as a lab classroom for innovative initiatives, mentoring student teachers, and facilitating workshops.
While teaching, I earned my MLIS degree at Syracuse University, because of my passion for the intersection of critical digital pedagogy and educational technology. In my role as a librarian, I successfully authored a grant that was awarded $900,000 to fund the construction of a modern library media lab.
During my recent sabbatical from the classroom, I have been working as a learning experience designer in the education start-up space, leveraging social impact/social entrepreneurship to promote educational and health equity. I have had the opportunity to work with nonprofits and private organizations, such as PBS, New School Venture Funds, On Deck, and the Medici Group.
Outside of education, I work passionately as a health advocate and full-spectrum doula, serving as a parent advocate at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore. As a parent, of a child dealing with chronic illness and medical complexities, I have a first-hand look of the unique challenges people face in our healthcare and education system. To expand my work in this space I have founded Nurtured, an organization focusing on family wellness and health advocacy for BIPOC folks.
Finally, I love writing about equity, justice, and the future of learning. My words have appeared in various education publications, online magazines, and newspapers like Edutopia, ASCD, City Limits, Learning For Justice (Teaching Tolerance), NCTE, and Chalkbeat, among others. Additionally, I’ve been interviewed and featured in the Washington Post, Truthout, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker.
As an educator, designer, and writer I seek to push the boundaries of what education could be through liberatory and humanizing pedagogical practices. The future of education has limitless potential if we continue to innovate, explore, and center equity for all. Ultimately, through collective action, we can create a more just and liberating society for everyone.