Our Staff

  • Ashia Troiano (she/her/hers) is an educator and organizer from Harlem, New York and the Co-Founder + Executive Director for At the Table. Previously, she served as the Tutor Manager for the Dorm Project at the New York Foundling, taught Social Studies to high schoolers and middle schoolers, and wrote curriculum for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

    Ashia is on the steering committee of the New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE), a grassroots organization that fights for social justice inside and outside the classroom. With NYCoRE, Ashia has co-facilitated three teacher study groups: “Criminalization of Our Youth,” “Storytelling to Heal Ourselves and Educate Our Youth,” and “This is what an antiracist school would look like.” She has also co-presented workshops at Facing Race, Free Minds Free People, and the NYCoRE conferences.

    Ashia received a Bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College, with a major in Education and History and a minor in Black Studies, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University. 

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  • Melanie (she/her/hers) is an educator and advisor with At the Table. She is a first-generation college student and recent Summa Cum Laude graduate from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she received a bachelor’s degree with a double-major in Criminology and Spanish: Latin American Literatures and Cultures while also working in John Jay’s financial aid office.

    Before joining the team, Melanie was a Tutor for Reading Town Sunnyside where she worked with students in preschool and elementary school. She was also a part of the first cohort for the Teaching for Social Justice Fellowship, a partnership between John Jay College and Teacher’s College – Columbia University. She enjoys volunteering for organizations, such as Literacy Partners, that provide Adult Literacy classes to immigrant and non-native English speakers.

    Melanie’s work with At the Table is inspired by the guidance and support she received from her faculty mentor at John Jay, and by her own journey toward college success at CUNY. She is excited to share her knowledge and experiences with current and future college students.

  • Nick (he/him) is an educator and advisor with At the Table. Prior to joining At the Table, he worked in a variety of educational and service environments. He has tutored all age ranges from kindergarten to college students and enjoys continually learning alongside the students at At the Table. 

    His favorite part of tutoring is connecting with students and building their passions and interests into tutoring sessions, so he’s excited to work directly with students and get to know them. 

    Nick received his bachelor’s degree in Literature and Education. In his free time, he enjoys socializing, soaking up the sun, asking questions, and finding new vantage points.

  • Jaclyn (she/her/hers) is a Program Supervisor with At the Table. Before joining the team, she served as a Tutor Supervisor for the Dorm Project at the New York Foundling. She also supported students in The Foundling’s Road to Success, College Bound, and Afterschool Allies programs.

    During Jaclyn's career in education, she has taught students at every age level, ranging from preschoolers with disabilities to adults seeking their GED. In addition to mentoring and educating youth involved with the foster care system, Jaclyn participated in advocacy for survivors of domestic violence with organizations including Safe Horizon and assisted with research projects and publications on the impact of animal-assisted intervention on veterans as well as child survivors of sexual abuse.

    Jaclyn has a bachelor’s degree in English from CUNY College of Staten Island with minors in French and Women’s Studies. She also received a master’s degree in Instruction and Curriculum from Kean University.

  • Laura she/her/hers is a college navigator with At The Table. Before joining the team, she served as an Anti-Racist Task Officer at SUNY Purchase, working alongside the Director of the Conservatory of Theatre Arts and professors to develop strategies to make Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) a core value. Laura strongly believes in using theatrical methods for reflective practice and critical analysis to encourage community building, cultural humility, and self-development.

    Over the years, Laura has worked as a residential advisor for young adults with mental, emotional, and behavioral disabilities in a supportive housing setting. She served as a patient care educator and assistant for people with physical disabilities, assisting in devising their care plans and supporting clinical outreach. She's worked as a childcare specialist facilitating residential advocacy at a women's and children's shelter with Women In Need (WIN). Laura has her associate's in Communication and Media Arts from Westchester Community College and a bachelor's in Theatre and Performance from SUNY Purchase.

  • Keeno (they/them) is an educator and advisor with At the Table. They are a graduate from the University of California, Irvine where they received a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.A. in Psychology. Before joining the team, Keeno was a research assistant in the Learning and Decision Neuroscience Lab and MathBioU at UC Irvine. After graduating, Keeno worked as a data analytics intern at Pacific Life.

    Keeno began tutoring in high school where they were an Algebra 2 Student Teacher, working with small groups of students who had failing math grades. At UC Irvine, they were a LARC Calculus Tutorial Leader where they taught Calc II in a small group supplemental instruction setting. Keeno enjoys supporting students in achieving their goals and advocating for themselves. For them, the best part of tutoring is watching students' confidence and abilities grow in subjects that they originally struggled with.

    Outside of work, Keeno enjoys long distance running, journaling, yoga, mindfulness and media analysis.

  • Yashar (they/he) is an educator and advisor with At the Table. Yashar graduated from Swarthmore College where they received a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Political Sociology and Computer Science. Prior to At the Table, Yashar tutored students of all ages in subjects ranging from mathematics to biology.

    When not at work, Yashar loves learning languages, taking photos, and taking long walks in the city.

  • Samrin Hasib (she/her/hers) is an educator and advisor with At the Table. She received a combined BA/MA in Mathematics and Adolescent Mathematics education from CUNY Hunter College. She was in the Thomas Hunter Honors Program at Hunter College and received a BA in Special Honors as well. She is currently working on earning a second BA degree in Biology at CUNY Queens College.

    Samrin has been involved in public service since her college days. She was in the JFEW (Jewish Foundation for Education of Women) program at Hunter College and interned at the nonprofit, Strive. She also interned at the educational nonprofit, Urban Arts Partnership. She has been tutoring and teaching mathematics to middle school, high school and college students since 2016. She is excited to continue serving her community at At the Table.

    When not working or studying, Samrin is busy watching soccer, analyzing tactics, and discussing soccer on a podcast. She also enjoys feeding her neighborhood’s cats and has informally adopted four of them!

  • Ericka Pérez (they/them) is an advisor and educator with At the Table. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the Bronx, Ericka graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies and a minor in Latin American & Latine Studies. 

    Prior to At the Table, Ericka worked as an educator for high school students in the South Bronx. They have led a variety of educational initiatives ranging from diplomatic service trips abroad and international admissions bootcamps to youth leadership programs and community safety workshops. Ericka brings a significant amount of experience as a freelance tutor and college admissions counselor, working with students from K-12 and higher education. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, Ericka has worked with students across cultures and geographies. 

    When they are not behind a computer, Ericka can be found behind the DJ booth or the microphone at a comedy club. 

  • Destiny (she/her/hers) is an educator and advisor with At the Table. She received a B.S. in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University, where she focused on human development and psychological services.

    Prior to joining the team, she worked with a community-based nonprofit in overseeing youth programs and led a cohort of high school students in after-school programming. This gave her the opportunity to help youth develop goals for the future, academic support and tutoring, and create an inclusive and safe environment for students to explore their interests. During her time in school, she worked with first-generation high school and college students, from navigating college applications and financial aid, to mentoring and providing leadership development to first and second-year students. Her interest comes from seeing inequitable systems in education and other human services, and a belief that everyone should have access to resources in all areas of need.

    When not busy with work, Destiny enjoys traveling to new countries, playing volleyball, spending time with her grandparents, and listening to podcasts.

  • Juan "PaPo" (he/him/his) is an organizer from Brooklyn, New York, and the Community Development Coordinator for At The Table. Previously, Juan served as the Senior Coordinator for the Community Navigator Program at Hunter College's Silberman School of Social Work in a coalition-building capacity with human services organizations that support individuals affected by crime, youth, and people in reentry. In 2022, he was the lead facilitator for the Community Navigator Institute, where he delivered comprehensive instruction on the inception of peer workforce models and community engagement tools and strategies.

    Juan was also an Admissions Officer for the Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work, where he advocated to create equitable programming and safe spaces for marginalized students of all backgrounds. Juan received a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from Thomas Edison State University.

    Juan identifies his "master status" as a Poet Organizer, believing in the transformative potential of innovation and creativity across all facets of the human story.

  • Anschel (he/him/his) is an educator and advisor with At The Table. Before joining the team, he was a research fellow at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where he studied geometry and topology. Throughout his educational career, Anschel has taught undergraduate- and graduate-level mathematics courses, worked in outreach programs for elementary school students, and tutored incarcerated people seeking their GEDs. He received a BA in mathematics and computer science from Tufts University and a PhD in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania.

    Anschel was raised in Jersey City and now lives in East Harlem with two superb cats and his partner (also superb). He has previously lived in Somerville, Massachusetts, La Paz, Bolivia, Philadelphia, and Morelia, Mexico. Outside of work he enjoys learning languages, playing the guitar incompetently but enthusiastically, and collecting antique calculators and typewriters.

  • Heather (she/her/hers) is an educator and advisor with At the Table. She received a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University with honors in History and a certificate in Environmental Studies, and a law degree cum laude from Duke University, where she focused on public interest law.

    Prior to joining At the Table, Heather worked at a legal education company writing study aids for law students. In law school, she interned with civil legal aid organizations and worked in two student clinics providing legal assistance to low-income clients on issues related to housing, consumer debt, and health. She currently volunteers as an adult literacy tutor with Brooklyn Public Library. She is excited to combine her advocacy and tutoring skills in her work with At the Table.

    In her free time, Heather enjoys watching movies and walking around or reading in one of the many parks and gardens of New York City.

  • Chelsea (she/they) is the Operations + Data Analytics Coordinator for At the Table. She grew up in Michigan and Texas and spent the last 9 years in Boston. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.A. in French Language and Literature. While at Tufts, she was a part of the Tufts Labor Coalition and the Club Tennis team.

    Before joining At the Table, Chelsea held roles at a number of start-up organizations, including Director of Operations at Databento, a financial technology company redefining access to market data; Service Manager at Juliet, a restaurant working toward fair wages and equity in the industry; and Editor-in-Chief of Melisma, a student-run music magazine. Chelsea is excited to bring her experience in operations and data to At the Table and to learn from the staff and students.

    Chelsea is a fan of the WNBA and the NWSL (Go Liberty & Gotham!). She enjoys walking, biking, hiking, playing sports, listening to podcasts, watching or performing improv and sketch comedy, and learning new things.

  • Mike (he/him/his), At the Table’s Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, has spent over a decade building long-term individualized programs to support the educational aspirations of people with lived experience of foster care.

    Mike previously led the Educational Services team at The Foundling, where he and his colleagues launched four new tutoring initiatives serving hundreds of students in care annually across New York City. These included Road to Success, which serves young people in 7th grade through college, and Dorm Project tutoring, which became part of NYC’s College Choice program. Mike also oversaw the Educational Advocacy program, which connected students in The Foundling’s foster care with the resources they deserved in school.

    In 2020, Mike left The Foundling to start At the Table, which now serves over 150 students currently and formerly in foster care with college tutoring, advising, and so much more. Mike feels proudest of the way At the Table’s values show up in our shared practice, whether that means putting students’ goals first, refusing to turn anyone away for having struggled academically, or finding creative ways to build community and stay connected with our students long-term.

    Mike spends his time outside of work playing a range of needlessly-complicated board games, doing community organizing, and chasing after his small daughter, who as of this writing has developed what she terms “super-speed.” He holds a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University.