“The Story on how he got to where he is and his current work”

Veronica is an attorney who is working in the Immigration and Refugee Services of our local Catholic Charities.  Veronica received her law degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law with an emphasis in Immigration and Social Justice.  She will speak to the Nu Class on current immigration policies and why she cares about immigration law.

Jasmin Reyes Baerga, and Christine Cleveland, OCPS Office of Homeless and Migrant Education

Jasmin Reyes Baerga has over a decade of experience working in clinical and non-clinical social services, community-based programs, non-profit organizations as well as in the elementary school environment providing prevention counseling, crisis intervention, case management, cross-agency collaboration, and facilitating; just to name a few, to a diverse population. Ms. Reyes Baerga is currently a District Homeless Education Liaison for OCPS where she utilizes her experience and knowledge to assist and advocate for the homeless youth’s educational rights at OCPS.

Ms. Reyes Baerga is passionate about helping her community and has a love especially for the Arts (music, spoken-word poetry, and theater are her favorites). Ms. Reyes Baerga holds a B.A. in Legal Studies, M.S. in Criminal Justice, and B.S. in Psychology (with a Certificate in Behavioral Forensics) all from the University of Central Florida. She is currently pursuing her Florida Teaching Certification and hopes one day to either become a History teacher, doctor in Behavioral Forensics, or a superhero.

Christine Cleveland is a proud graduate of the University of Alabama and Stetson University.  She started her work in education as a counselor and supervisor at the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.  After seven years, she decided that she wanted to make a bigger impact with students and joined Teach For America, where she taught English as a Second Language and English Language Arts in Houston, Texas.  In 2005, she moved to Orlando, Florida to teach third grade, where she could share her passion for math and science.  Over the years Christine served in curriculum as a school level Curriculum Coach, a District Coach, Coordinator, and District Senior Administrator.  She is passionate about helping students in need, and is why she decided to take on a new position as Senior Administrator of Homeless and Migrant Education.  While this new role is very different from curriculum, she loves the direct impact her department makes on students, families, and community partners in Orlando.

Pastor Lee is a graduate of Mount Union College, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, with Honors, in English, and a Master of Divinity Degree, from the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Philadelphia.
His entire career has focused on the renewal of congregations in conflict and decline, dealing with such issues as suicide, misconduct, sudden death, and  substance abuse, on the part of lead pastors, and the effect difficult chapters of ministry had on the congregations they served.

In The Second Mountain, political commentator and author David Brooks explains how individuals and societies can transition from selfish individualism to a focus on community.

UCF Downtown, in partnership with Valencia College, will bring 7,700 students to live, learn and work in downtown Orlando, creating a game-changing campus in the heart of the city. Scheduled to open in fall 2019, this transformational project, which kick-starts Orlando’s $1 billion public-private Creative Village, will increase access for students, provide pathways into high-demand career fields, foster collaboration with neighbors in meaningful ways and improve countless lives through the power of education.

Dr. Carroll received her EdD from Auburn University in English/Language Arts Teacher Education, along with a M.S. from Florida State University. She came to UCF from Oklahoma State University, where she served as dean and director of professional education and the Stella V. Anderson Endowed Professor of Education.

Dr. Carroll was associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Education at Florida State University and a faculty member there for 21 years, serving in various administrative roles, including department chair and program coordinator.

Sissi (as she likes to be called) also served as an assistant professor at Georgetown College in Kentucky, specializing in teacher education and adolescent and young-adult literature.

John will give a talk based on work done by John Dominic Crossan on Mathew’s Gospel and how Mathew’s use of the term “Kingdom of Heaven” rather than Jesus’s term “Kingdom of God”, has confused Christian theology for 2000 years. Understanding the significance of this discussion is fundamental to progressive Christianity.