By the time she finished middle school in the St. Louis area, Selena Wang, B.S. ’23, was “fully invested in science.” She majored in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Miami, with minors in chemistry and microbiology/immunology.
Genesis “Gema” Leiva Cerna, B.A. ’23, grew up in Miami and chose the University because it was close to home—and “there was always something to do.” At the U, she majored in global health and minored in psychology and dance.
Teaching was not on either’s radar as a possible career path, although Wang tutored extensively in high school and then for Hurricane athletes as an undergraduate at the U.
As graduation approached, medical school applications beckoned for Wang, until her advisor encouraged her to take a break and step outside of academia to explore alternatives and focus on personal growth. Leiva Cerna was considering a number of post-graduation options when a visitor arrived in her sociology class with an invitation to explore a new program aimed at graduating seniors.
Wang and Leiva Cerna both signed up for the Teacher Accelerator Program (TAP).
Designed to address the persistent shortage of classroom teachers in Miami-Dade County, TAP is a partnership between the School of Education and Human Development, Achieve Miami, and Teach for America. The program includes a spring semester course and a paid summer internship that paves the way to a guaranteed teaching position with Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
According to Laura Kohn-Wood, dean of the School of Education and Human Development, TAP “addresses two needs—providing our students a path to a career and helping address the critical teacher shortage in our community.” It does so by offering encouragement, skill-building sessions, and ongoing support to first-year teachers so they can improve the lives of their students.
Miami philanthropist and education activist Leslie Miller, founder and president of Achieve Miami, initially approached Kohn-Wood with the idea of TAP in 2022. Along with Teach for America, they developed a partnership between the University and the community.
After graduating from the University and the TAP program in 2023, Wang and Leiva Cerna secured positions at Miami Jackson Senior High School, with Wang teaching chemistry and molecular science, and Leiva Cerna teaching biology. During the 2024-25 academic year, Miami Jackson nominated both for Rookie Teacher of the Year, part of a district-wide program to honor excellence in teaching.
Wang and Leiva Cerna shared the challenges and rewards they have encountered during their time at Miami Jackson.
The school’s student body includes a significant cohort of English-language learners (ELL), mostly Spanish-speaking, which presented Wang with immediate challenges.
“I don’t speak Spanish, so the first month or so with the ELL students is pretty difficult when they realize you don’t speak their language,” Wang explained. “But when you take the time and invest in their lives and their learning, they really do reciprocate. And some of my ELL students are [among] the best students I have had in my class. … When you see the influence you have on them and the impact you make in their lives—that’s definitely the best part of the job. There’s nothing else.”
This year, Wang is teaching in a new biotechnology magnet program at Miami Jackson—a class that she is particularly excited about. “It’s been a great experience, working with kids who love science and really want to learn,” she said.
Wang credits Matthew Deroo, associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, who taught her TAP seminar, with equipping her to succeed in the classroom. Not only did Deroo’s seminar cover the regulatory nuts and bolts of classroom teaching in Florida, but it also delved into the question of what makes an effective teacher.
“Deroo is a great instructor who respects his students,” Wang recounted. “He understands pedagogy and is invested in psychology, and he took the time to show us what works in learning. He changed my perspective on teaching, and I try to bring [those lessons] into the classroom.”
For her part, Leiva Cerna noted that her coursework at the University “had an immense impact on my ability to be an effective teacher. I took many psychology, sociology, and human development-centered courses that helped set a foundation for all the new skills I learned through TAP, [such as] lesson planning, classroom management, and conflict resolution.”
Leiva Cerna is frank about the challenges of teaching high schoolers. “Managing a classroom of teenagers is a challenge in and of itself,” she said, especially when a student misbehaves or is inclined to give up on learning.
Yet when students respond, become engaged, and learn, Leiva Cerna gains the satisfaction of a job well done: “It is a real pleasure to see students dive into further discourse around the topics we cover, and apply their newfound knowledge into their lives outside the classroom.”
