Authors’ Biographies

Editor

Melissa Colón, PhD [Editor]

Melissa Colón is an Assistant Professor at the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston in the program of Urban Education Leadership, and Policy Studies. She is also a Research Associate at the Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy (UMass Boston).   Her latest book, co-edited with Dr. Lorna Rivera, Critical Perspectives on Latino Education Education in Massachusetts will be published by Umass Press in August 2025.  To learn more about her visit: https://melissacolonphd.wordpress.com/

Contributing Authors

Belén Zúñiga, MS

Belén is a passionate content creator and marketing strategist who is committed to advancing opportunities for Latine students in higher education. She has previously worked in enrollment marketing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and currently serves as the Director of Enrollment Marketing at UMass Boston. Additionally, Belén is a Ph.D. student in the Higher Education program at UMass Boston, holding a B.S. in Communication and an M.S. in Global Marketing Management from Boston University. To learn more about her visit: linkedin.com/in/belenzuniga5

Magdalena Romo, PhD Student

Magdalena is a California-grown mixed-Chicana scholar, working on her PhD in School Psychology at UMass Boston. She holds a double B.A. in Communication and Global Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Post undergrad, she worked in a variety of settings, including public, special education, outdoor education, and wilderness therapy. Her favorite place to be is in the ocean, at the beach, or under a blanket of stars in the woods. She has returned to academia to explore the intersection of mental health and education in schools, as well as diving deeper into her own mixed-Latinx identity and navigating systems of oppression. To learn more about her visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/magdalena-romo-8a3b7756/

Natasha Fortes, M.Ed

Natasha is currently teaching high school mathematics in Boston Public Schools. She was born and raised In Brockton, MA, and is proud to be Cape Verdean. She received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and minored In Black Studies at UMass Dartmouth before obtaining her Master’s in Secondary Education at Boston College. Outside of teaching in BPS for seven years, she is attending UMass Boston to receive a Ph.D in Urban Education, Leadership, and Policy Studies. While engaging in her Ph.D program, she is an adjunct professor for the Wheatly School of Education, teaching a graduate course. Also, she is a part of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., a historically black sorority that prides itself on scholarship, service, and helping the communities around them.

Lydia Burrage-Goodwin, BA and MLIS

Lydia has been the Special Projects Librarian in the Collections and Scholarly Communications Department at UMass Boston’s Healey Library for just under a year. She is passionate about helping people access accurate and reliable information for their research and scholarship, and to stay informed. This is her first time working on the creation of an Open Educational Resource, but it won’t be the last. Prior to becoming an open-access librarian, she was a public-school music educator, teaching elementary orchestra in Virginia, Florida and Massachusetts.  To learn more about her, please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydia-burrage-goodwin/

Lucas Hall, MSLIS and MDiv.

Lucas has been a Reference and Instruction Librarian at the University of Massachusetts Boston for five years. He’s been an enthusiastic member of UMass Boston’s OER Working Group since 2021 and has assisted faculty in finding and adopting open educational resources for their courses. This book is his first time assisting with a project of OER creation. Before UMass, Lucas worked for eleven years as a special education and inclusion high school teacher and librarian in the Boston Public Schools and had a two-year stint at the Boston Public Library as a “floater” librarian. To learn more about him, visit:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-hall-boston

Shereka King, M.Ed

Shereka King is a long-time Boston Public School educator, currently serving as a school principal. She is also a Ph.d student in Urban Education, Leadership, and Policy Studies at UMass Boston.

Nicole Elaine McLaren, M.Ed.

Nicole Elaine (she/her) is a doctoral candidate at the University of Massachusetts Boston in the Urban Education, Leadership, and Policy Studies program. Nicole Elaine is a descendant of the Caribbean Island of Barbados, born and raised in Rhode Island. A first-generation scholar-practitioner, Nicole Elaine is an educator and building principal for the Brockton Public Schools District. Her dissertation research focuses on the journey in education for Black girls, Black women who carry the twoness of being a girl/woman whose learning experiences K-12 (and beyond) are reflected in their teaching practices.  To connect with her visit: www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemclaren 

Megan Murray, M.Ed

Megan is a dedicated third-grade teacher in Boston who is committed to educational equity for all students. She is a Ph.D. student in the University of Massachusetts Urban Education, Leadership and Policy program, and her research focuses on student experiences of inclusive special education. Megan holds a BA in Elementary Education from Saint Michael’s College and an M.Ed in Curriculum and Teaching.

Emily Romero, M.Ed

Emily (she/her/ella) is a proud first-generation Latina with cultural roots in Puerto Rico and El Salvador. She is a doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Originally from the Bronx, New York, Emily earned a Bachelor of Science from Fordham University, double majoring in Psychology and Sociology. She also holds a Master’s in Education from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Emily is passionate about supporting Latiné K-12 students and their families, with a focus on helping newcomer students transition into the American school system and fostering their social-emotional and academic well-being. She is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment for all students through everyday practices and by addressing systemic issues through policy change.  To connect with her visit: www.linkedin.com/in/emily-d-romero