Hello! My name is Carissa Duran. I'm a mom to two rambunctious bunnies. I spent the past 8 years serving as a teacher and instructional coach at the secondary level, most notably serving as a founding teacher at Del Lago Academy, Campus of Applied Science in Escondido, CA. It was here where my work to advance educational justice through innovative, student-centered pedagogy earned me recognition as 2019 Personalized Learning Teacher of the Year from the Aurora Institute (formerly iNACOL). I consider myself an educator in pursuit of justice and believe that as long as we're serving diverse students with diverse backgrounds— which we are—we need to leverage educational technology and personalization to bridge the opportunity gap and give all students an onramp to success. Outside of work, I enjoy soaking in the beauty of nature— local hikes and weekend getaways are my self-care strategies. I won’t turn down an outdoor adventure!
