Announcing the 2022-23 CLAVE Postdoctoral Fellow: Priscilla Reyes, Ed.D.
A Latinx Educator Recognized for Inspiring Students who Self-identify as Women, Genderqueer, or Non-binary to Explore Computing and Technology Fields Joins the CLAVE Community.
The Centro de Excelencia at National Louis University serves as the hub for programs and initiatives that advance our work as a community and career- focused Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). The CLAVE Postdoctoral Fellowship program is a key activity of the Promoting Post-baccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans grant from the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Division of the Department of Education.
CLAVE is an acronym for “Comunidades Latinas Academicas con Vision de Exito,” [Latinx Academic Communities with Vision of Success]. Through its Graduate Student Institute, the Center de Excelencia seeks to increase enrollment of Latinx students in Masters and Doctoral programs, develop and support a network of promising doctoral scholars, and increase their professional networks, writing capacity, and financial and professional knowledge.
The goal of the CLAVE Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, within the CLAVE Graduate Student Institute at National Louis University, is to build the talent pool of Latinx faculty at colleges and universities at both the national and local levels, particularly the metropolitan Chicago area. Successful candidates for the program are selected on the basis of scholarly promise and potential for research and/or community engagement pertaining to Latinx or other BIPOC groups in doctoral education.
The CLAVE Graduate Student Institute is extremely pleased to introduce the 2022-2023 CLAVE Postdoctoral Fellow: Dr. Priscilla Reyes
Dr. Priscilla Reyes (she/ella) is a CLAVE Postdoctoral Fellow with the Centro de Excelencia at National Louis University. She earned an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from National Louis University, a Master’s in Business Administration from Monroe College, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boricua College.
Dr. Reyes is the first in her family to hold graduate degrees. She has overcome many adversities, from being born to a teenage mother to living in poverty. Dr. Reyes is originally from the Bronx, NY and as a teenager, her family moved to Orlando, FL, where she attended and graduated from Oak Ridge High School. For college, Dr. Reyes relocated back to New York, where she obtained her undergraduate degree and an M.B.A.
Currently, Dr. Reyes serves as the Senior Administrator for the Evans Community School in Orlando, FL. The Evans Community School is located on the Evans High School campus and includes a primary health care provider, nurse, mental health counselor, and dentist ready to help students, staff, and community members with caring for their health and wellness needs. Evans High School is located in one of the highest crime areas of Central Florida and serves a student body in which 72% are living under the poverty income line.
Dr. Reyes began her career as an educator at Apopka High School in Career and Technical Education (CTE), teaching AP Computer science and Digital Information Technology. She taught at Apopka High School for five years, where she created new extracurricular activities such as the Darter Coding club, Girls Who Code, and the Apk ESports club. She then transitioned into the post-secondary sector as an adjunct faculty at Orange Technical College in the Modeling Simulation Design and Production programs.
Creating a welcoming learning environment for all students of diverse backgrounds is important to Dr. Reyes. Since starting her teaching career, she has inspired students to take more computer classes. Her relationship building with Latinx, Black, and female students helped increase enrollment in her classes. In 2019 she was recognized with the National Center for Women in Technology’s Central Florida Educator award for playing a pivotal role in encouraging 9th-12th grade students who self-identify as women, genderqueer, or non-binary to explore their interests in computing and technology.
Dr. Reyes is enthusiastic about joining the CLAVE team. She became a teacher to be a role model in the classroom for Latinx students who share her same interest. She feels there is a lack of Latinx representation in the technological sector. Educators are viewed as being the gatekeepers of knowledge and they can help set the foundations of a promising future for all. From children to adults, educators hold a prodigious responsibility to open up the minds of all students. Her goal is to be a part of the change that helps empower our future Latinx students.
