Our Staff

  • Ashia Troiano (she/her/hers) is an educator and organizer from Harlem, New York and the Head of Educational Coaching 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 a tutor 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/his) is a tutor with At the Table. Prior to joining At the Table, he worked on a housing organization’s educational support team, providing general support to families navigating school systems and supporting an after school tutoring program for elementary school students.

    His favorite part of tutoring is connecting with the students and building their passions and interests into tutoring sessions, so he’s excited to once again be working directly with students and getting to know them. He has tutored all age ranges from kindergarten to college students and is looking forward to continually learning alongside the students at At the Table.

    Nick received his bachelor’s degree in Literature and Education from Duke University. In his free time, he enjoys meeting new people, lounging in the sun, and window shopping at bookstores. One of his goals for the next year is to learn how to compost.

  • Jaclyn (she/her/hers) is a tutor 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.

    Over the past eight years, Jaclyn 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 access advisor 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.

  • Kareena (they/she) is a tutor with At the Table. They are a recent 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, Kareena gained technical experience at UC Irvine as a research assistant in the Learning and Decision Neuroscience Lab and MathBioU. After graduating, Kareena worked as a data analytics intern at Pacific Life.

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

    Outside of work, Kareena enjoys exploring new music genres, long distance running, thrifting, journaling, and playing video games.

  • Venus (she/her) is a tutor with At The Table. She received her bachelor’s degree from Sarah Lawrence College where she studied english and education.

    Prior to joining At The Table, Venus was a curriculum developer for the Art of Problem Solving, an online math education program. Through this role, she was the author of the San Diego Math Competition for high schoolers. Before her time in those hallways, Venus worked in pre-schools and after-school programs, engaging with youth in both recreational and educational environments.

    In her free time, Venus plays basketball, guitar, and chess. On sunny days, you can find her in a park with a book of poetry.

  • Samrin Hasib (she/her/hers) is a tutor 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!

  • Mike (he/him/his) is the founder and executive director of At the Table. He previously served as the Assistant Vice President for Educational Services at the New York Foundling, one of New York City’s oldest and largest social services agencies.

    During his tenure at The Foundling, Mike and his team designed and launched four new tutoring programs for youth in foster care in kindergarten through college that collectively serve over 350 students annually with long-term individualized academic support. He also oversaw the Foundling’s best-in-class Educational Advocacy program, which connects the 600 to 800 school-aged youth in The Foundling’s care to the resources they need to succeed in school.

    Prior to his time at The Foundling, Mike worked for four years as a tutor and Director of Research and Development at Pinnacle Prep, a private tutoring company focusing on standardized test prep. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University.

  • Destiny (she/her/hers) is a tutor 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.

  • Heather (she/her/hers) is a tutor 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.