JEREMIAN FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Kindergarten Special Education Teacher
- Tutor
Biography
Liana Harper-Cruz is a Kindergarten Special Education teacher and is proud to be a part of the Department of Education's NYC Teaching Collaborative Program. This highly selective program allows her to teach while pursuing her Master of Education in General Education / Special Education for grades 1-6. Before becoming a Special Education teacher, she was a music teacher for 2 years, where she taught vocal music and movement for grades pre-k through 8th for the Archdiocese of New York. When she is not teaching, she can spend quality time with her husband, 8-year-old daughter, and 3-year-old son.
Lisa Ridley is married with three children. Lisa was the owner of Lisa's Professional Business Services for over 10 years. She is currently the District Clerk and Records Access Officer for The Malverne Union Free School District for 14 years with the knowledge of Education and open meetings Law. She has expertise in event planning such as registering Board members to conferences and coordinating their hotel reservations and planning meals for board sponsored events. Lisa's passion is to help others. In her spare time when not spending it with her family, friends, and work, she loves to draw and paint.
Lisa ‘s encouragement to others is, "continue to stand on God's word and his alone."
Job Titles:
- Year HBCU Student Scholarship
The Jeremian Foundation, Inc. in honor of Ms. Ruby Arvie - Ford, has committed to give $1000 scholarships to first year Historically Black College / University (HBCU) students.
Biography
Samantha Edwards is married with two sons. She was the Owner/Director of a Child Care Service for 28 years. She specializes in Reading Comprehension, Spelling, and Vocabulary. Samantha achieved a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. She also completed a Master Degree in Educational Assessment and Evaluation. Samantha has also obtained a Certificate in Criminal Justice and Behavior Analysis which allows her to work with children who are Autistic. She recently completed her Certification as a Parent Trainer. Which gives her the opportunity to assist parents to better communicate with their children.
Biography
Sharon Edmonston has been an elementary school teacher for the past 17 years, teaching all subjects to elementary students in grades 1-5 and this year STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, The Arts, and Math).
Her driving passion, purpose and calling is to help children realize their dreams and potential. She believes children build hope from their ability to see themselves successful and this can either be cultivated or hampered by teachers. This passion has been cultivated over the years while teaching in a variety of settings, as well as, watching the tremendous impact both positive and negative education has had on her 3 children and now 4 grandchildren.
Sharon has her BA from Adelphi University, Master of Science with Honors in Education from Dowling College, and an Advanced Graduate Certificate with honors, in Educational Leadership on both the School Building and School District levels.
When she's not teaching, Sharon enjoys spending time with her devoted husband of 37 years.
Job Titles:
- President / Founder / Tutor
- President and Founder of Jeremian Tutoring Services
Biography
Shonna Washington is the President and Founder of Jeremian Tutoring Services. Her motto is "Improving the opportunities of our children…one child at a time."
Shonna has her BS in Finance and MS in General Education. She is a current doctoral student in education with a planned graduation date of 2023.
Shonna has nearly 20 years of professional teaching and training experience within the corporate and private sector. She loves tutoring and teaching but especially loves working with children. She has become an advocate for children in learning communities.
Shonna believes in having a "level playing ground" across the board. She understands that one size does not fit all and that unique learning experiences are needed for students to be successful in school. Shonna has also become an advocate for teachers; taking advantage of opportunities to partner with them to discover ways to improve students' educational experience as well as support teachers as they educate our children.