Mohammed Ali
World History Teacher
Mohammad Ali was born In Karachi, Pakistan and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He has received his B.A from University of Wyoming in Education and his M.A. in American history from Western Illinois University. Mr. Ali has taught for the past 6 years. Mr. Ali is very excited to be the member of the Muchin College Prep team.
Ryan Allen
Founding Multicultural Literature Teacher
Mr. Allen was born and raised in Chicago, IL. After high school, Mr. Allen attended the College of Wooster. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, in both Psychology and Black Studies, Mr. Allen became the Director of Multi-cultural recruitment at The College of Wooster. He also served in the office of the Dean of Multicultural Affairs. While at Wooster he directed the The College of Wooster’s Youngstown Early Intervention Program. This program serves students from 8th grade through their senior year and educates them on the social and academic aspects of college, as well as insuring that they are academically prepared for the rigors of college. In 2003 he moved back to Chicago to be closer to family and friends and has been a Chicago area coach for the past 6 years.
Jacob Begres
Chemistry Teacher
Mr. Begres is one of Muchin's two chemistry teachers. He is a part of the Teach For America program, which he joined after earning his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Michigan. He is also the men's soccer coach at Muchin. Mr. Begres has been very active in all kinds of athletics his entire life, ranging from soccer to boxing and believes that a sound mind and body are key to success at MCP. While at Michigan, Mr. Begres did medical research studying the HIV virus and also banked blood and blood borne pathogens. He believes that science should be both fun and challenging, and is excited to make significant gains this year at Muchin!
Malia Burns
Multicultural Literature Teacher
Malia Burns is a Hawaiian native who moved to the Pacific Northwest at age 12 and maintains close ties to her home island of Kauai. She studied Political Science and French at Seattle University where she she had the opportunity to work for an international development organization in West Africa. Upon returning, with a strong conviction in liberating power of education, she joined the 2006 corps of Teach For America. Placed in the South Bronx, Malia fell in love with teaching at the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice. After teaching social studies there for three years, she decided to move to Chicago and is delighted to have found a school (full) of passionate people who tirelessly prepare our students for collegiate success.
Christine Chen
Performing Arts Teacher
Christine Chen was born in Brooklyn, New York, but soon moved to Honolulu, HI, where she grew up. It was in high school where Ms. Chen fell in love with Performing Arts and musical theatre. After high school, Ms. Chen attended Wellesley College, an all-women’s liberal arts college right outside of Boston. Even though she was a Neuroscience major at Wellesley College, Ms. Chen was involved with the school's choir, orchestra (cello), and became the President and Musical Director of the Blue Notes, an a cappella group. After college, Ms. Chen moved to Chicago to join Teach for America in an effort to give all children the chance to obtain quality education. In her free time, Ms. Chen enjoys karaoke with friends, attending concerts at Millenium Park, and cooking new and exciting things! At Muchin Colllege Prep, Ms. Chen hopes that Performing Arts will help her students express themselves and become confident leaders by expanding their horizons through theatre, drama, and music.
Dave Church
Physical Education Teacher
Dave Church was born in the NW Suburbs of Chicago, but moved to Marietta, Georgia with his family while still in high school. He attended Georgia Southern University and took a teaching job in Cobb County Georgia after graduation. After just a year, he decided to see where an education degree could take him. Between 2001 and 2009, Mr. Church taught ESL, Special Education, and Physical Education in South Korea, Australia, and Thailand. He also finished his Master’s Degree in Special Education along the way. In the summer of 2009, Mr. Church returned to his home town of Chicago to be closer to his family and see what the real world was really like. He spends his free time playing tennis, soccer, rugby, biking, and hanging out in the library.
Josiah D. Colombo
Special Education Teacher
Josiah D. Colombo was born in a small town called Saranac Lake in upstate New York, but grew up as a nomad living in five countries and four states. After graduating from a high school in Seoul, South Korea he moved to Tampa, Florida to attend the University of South Florida where he completed an internship in fifth grade and graduated as a proud Bull with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Certification. After graduation, he taught third grade in a bi-lingual classroom for a year before he moved to Chicago to attend graduate school and work at Loyola University Chicago. This past spring, Mr. Colombo graduated from Loyola with a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration, but missing the classroom and working directly with students he decided to return. He is excited to have the opportunity to work with the high school students, parents, and staff at Muchin and share his passion for education. Mr. Colombo is a firm believer in life long-learning and is currently working on his second Master’s degree at National Louis University in special education. In his free time he enjoys spending time with family and friends, eating chocolate, exploring the city, running, staying active, and traveling.
Katherine Critchfield
Multicultural Literature Teacher
Ms. Critchfield was a founding teacher at Muchin College Prep (MCP) in 2009 and can still be found teaching Multicultural Literature and Nonfiction Literature. She grew up in small-town Michigan just outside Ann Arbor and attended the University of Michigan for two years, later transferring to Albion College, a small Liberal Arts school. In college, Ms. Critchfield was active in the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, varsity swimming, and tutoring programs for Albion youth. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Albion in 2004 with a degree in English, minor in Psychology, and Secondary Education concentration, Ms. Critchfield student-taught and was hired at Northwest High School in Jackson, Michigan. In 2007 she moved to Chicago and taught English at another charter school before joining the MCP staff. She is the proud advisor of a great group of girls from the class of 2013. Outside the classroom, Ms. Critchfield enjoys reading, photography, cooking, traveling, walking her dog, and taking advantage of all that Chicago has to offer like concerts, parks, and museums. Someday soon, she hopes to finish her Master's Degree in either Counseling or Reading. She is excited to meet and work with her new students and families this year at MCP.
Kimberly Fortner
Dance Teacher
Ms. Fortner was born and raised in Decatur, Illinois. She spent her undergraduate studies at Illinois State majoring in Speech Communication and minoring in Dance. Ms. Fortner spent her childhood in dance troupes, performing in show choirs and traveling with theatre groups. She was elated during college when given the opportunity to pursue a dream to perform at Walt Disney World in the Entertainment Department. Ms. Fortner was lucky enough to perform in “the Festival of the Lion King” and was a part of the last show of the millennium!! This internship in the Entertainment Department kept her passion brewing and upon returning to school, Ms. Fortner took advantage of many new choreography opportunities for classes, programs, fraternities, sororities and local small theatre groups. Ms. Fortner decided to move to the “big city” of Chicago upon graduation and although working in Human Resources, the love of performance and dancing was always a part of her life. She decided to pursue her Master’s in teaching a few years later and follow a true love to work with young adults and inspire them to follow their dreams. After working for two years at an Elementary Charter school and starting their first dance team, Ms. Fortner was given an incredible opportunity to work in a high school and teach Dance at Muchin College Prep!! She hopes to inspire the high school students of Muchin College Prep to work hard, follow their dreams, and appreciate the incredible feeling one can get when dancing!
D. Nigel Green
Special Education Teacher
D. Nigel Green was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. While attending Northern Illinois University, he earned his BS in Marketing, before entering the financial sector as a risk analyst. Following an aspiration to educate held since his senior year of college and a wish to assist children in situations similar to his upbringing, he joined the Teach for America program to pursue his dream of becoming an educator. While living and working in St. Louis through TFA, Mr. Green earned his M.Ed in special education from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. Most recently, Mr. Green taught special education in St. Louis, Missouri for 2 years before returning home to change the trajectories of students in his hometown. He is honored and privileged to have the opportunity to connect with such an amazing culture and amazing kids. He hopes that he inspires them to welcome challenges – as they will only serve to make them stronger individuals.
Eric Guynn
Physical Education Teacher
Eric Guynn hails from St. Louis, Missouri. He majored in Communications at St. Louis University and minored in Marketing. He got his start in education at St. Louis Public Schools as a substitute teacher and mentor when in between projects in the construction management industry. Motivated by the will to see students achieving goals Mr. Guynn decided to leave the construction industry to take on the opportunity to teach full time at Muchin. Mr. Guynn has trained and mentored players on the collegiate level (Harris Stowe State University), high school, and grammar school levels for many different sports. He also has coached football and baseball in the past. Eric finds much fulfillment in each moment he spends with students helping them achieve their fitness and live long goals.
Darrell Gustafson
English Teacher
Darrell Gustafson was born in Seattle, WA, but grew up all over the world, first moving to Zaire, Africa (now Congo), when he was 5 years old and spending most of his childhood there. He returned to the U.S. to attend North Park University in Chicago, IL, home of the Vikings and also the alma mater of several Noble Street Charter Schools graduates. At North Park he received his bachelor’s degree with a double major of Psychology and Theology. Over the past eight years, Mr. Gustafson has taught everything from Kindergarten to College in places as diverse as Chicago, Chad and Cameroon (Africa), Seattle, and most recently the Mississippi Delta. In addition to teaching full time there, he also completed his master’s degree in education from Delta State University, home of the Fighting Okra. For most of his life, Mr. Gustafson’s favorite subject was English, and he is proud to be a member of the esteemed faculty of Muchin College Prep where is excited to be equipping the next generation of master writers and expert grammarians.
Rick Jager
English Teacher
Mr. Jager grew up in the northwest Chicago suburb of McHenry, Illinois. After graduating from McHenry East Campus, Mr. Jager attended Illinois State University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications with an emphasis in broadcasting television and radio. Right after college Mr. Jager began an internship at WGN radio in Chicago. After showing much promise as a news writer and producer, Mr. Jager was hired to work at WGN Radio as a news writer and producer during the morning drive time. After doing this for nearly 4 years, he felt he needed to make a change. A good friend suggested he try substitute teaching while he decided what to do next. Not long after, he decided to make education his career of choice. Mr. Jager soon began attending classes at National-Louis University to obtain his teaching certification. Soon after finishing his certification classes, Mr. Jager took a job teaching 7th grade at another charter school in Chicago. He taught there for three years but always wanted to teach high school, which brought him to Muchin College Prep and the Noble Network. He is thrilled about helping students prepare for their college careers. When he is not at work, Mr. Jager enjoys reading books, playing guitar and hanging out with his dog Elvis.
Emily Mason
Founding Algebra Teacher
Emily R. Mason was born and raised in Chanhassen, MN. After high school, she was accepted into DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. She ran four years on DePauw's varsity cross-country and track and field teams. In 2007, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. For the past two years, she taught 7th and 8th graders Pre-Algebra and Algebra respectively in St. Louis, MO. Over the summer she worked in Atlanta, GA as an advisor to incoming teachers training them how to instruct effectively. Emily has worked with children of all ages her entire life and is beyond thrilled to push Muchin's scholars beyond their potential as they begin their journey to prepare for college.
Jaclyn McCorkle
Founding Art Teacher
Jaclyn McCorkle was born and raised in Lee County Georgia where she attended high school and was a volunteer firefighter for 5 years. She later attended Kennesaw State University where she received her Bachelor degree in Art Education. While attending collage she worked at a local airbrush shop as an art designer and apprentice. After graduating college in 2006 she moved to Chicago where she has been teaching for the last 4 years. Ms. McCorkle truly believes that there is an artist in each of her students and it is her desire to help them find it. Although she has taught all grades from K-12, she has always enjoyed teaching on the high school level and is thrilled to be part of the founding staff at Muchin College Prep and a part of the Noble Network.
Nella McOsker
Special Education Teacher
Nella McOsker hails from San Pedro, CA a southern city in Los Angeles County. She studied political science, economics, and philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. In her undergrad years she was the executive director of an afterschool program for middle school students in South Bend, IN using a curriculum focused on communication, conflict resolution, civic engagement, and other leadership skills. She taught English as a second language in Puebla, Mexico. She has worked for various political offices on legislation promoting after school programs, gang intervention programs, and other forms of youth development. She joined Teach For America to unify all these interests and experiences, all of which support the notion that America's youth deserve maximum exposure to educational opportunities. She is currently working towards a Masters degree in education at National Louis University. Nella works with the 10th grade math and science subjects as a Learning Specialist in addition to being a case manager.
Esmeralda Mora
Spanish Teacher
Ms. Mora is the Spanish teacher at MCP. She is a Noble alumna and also graduated with a bachelor of arts in international studies from Kenyon College. While at Kenyon, she was one of the few Hispanic students on campus, and helped to establish a Hispanic presence there. The Hispanic heritage and culture is very important to her, and she hopes to share that passion with her students. As a Noble Street alumna, she has been able to witness first-hand the impact that teachers and staff at Noble Street have on their students. She is excited and eager to share the experiences she had as a Noble student with her own students as she prepares them to be successful college graduates.
Leo Olmedo
Biology Teacher
Mr. Olmedo was born and raised in Houston, Texas where the term y’all entered his vernacular. His parents were immigrants from Honduras who came to America to give their children a better future. Mr. Olmedo was the first in his family to go to college and he decided to go up north to the University of Chicago. He studied Biology and Computational Neuroscience for four years. He worked in the Eve Van Cauter Sleep lab where they linked a lack of second wave sleep to an increased risk for developing Type II Diabetes. He also worked in the lab of Nicho Hatsopoulos where he studied arm movement control in the primary motor cortex of monkeys (Rhesus Macaques). He will present some of his research work at the Society for Neuroscience and in a scientific journal. He entered the teaching profession through Teach for America, a national organization fighting for educational equality. He is very committed to Muchin College Prep and can’t wait to see his current students graduate and enter college!
Neil T. Reimer
Chemistry Teacher
Neil T. Reimer was born and raised in Woodstock, IL, about 60 miles northwest of Chicago. He attended college at the University of Illinois in Champaign where he obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry. Following college, Neil was accepted into the Teach For America program where he focused on serving students from low-income communities to ensure that they received the same education as more affluent students in the suburbs. It was during this time that Neil taught chemistry, biology, and physics at Farragut Career Academy in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Education in Chemistry Teaching at the Loyola University Chicago. Neil is looking forward to engaging the students at Muchin in inquiry-based chemistry and seeing them develop into life-long learners of science.
Kaitlyn Sullivan
Founding English Teacher
Ms. Sullivan was born and raised in Arlington Heights, IL. She graduated from Prospect High School and went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for college. While there, she pursued a major in English and a minor in secondary education. She also had the opportunity to study theater in London through a summer study abroad program. After college, she began her career teaching tenth-grade writing and eleventh-grade literature at a charter school in Chicago. In her free time, Ms. Sullivan enjoys reading, writing, and traveling. She is passionate about teaching writing and is a proud member of Muchin’s founding staff.
Caroline Thai
Geometry Teacher
Caroline Thai was born in France and raised in Mount Prospect, IL. She attended DePaul University Chicago where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education in Mathematics. She began her career at Latino Youth High School in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago. She is excited to continue teaching for years to come. Ms. Thai wants to make math fun and enjoyable. In addition, she is happy to be part of Muchin College Prep and looks forward to an amazing year.
Elizabeth Yarrington
English Teacher
Elizabeth Yarrington was born in Washington, DC and was raised in Lake Forest, Illinois. After graduating from Lake Forest High School, she moved to Oxford, Ohio to attend Miami University. While there, she volunteered with high school students in Middletown, Ohio, a neighboring community. Her role included community advocacy, tutoring and coaching the high school basketball team. After graduating from Miami with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a minor in French, she moved to Middletown to continue her work with the high school students in that community. Her work with those students solidified her desire to become an English teacher, and she moved back to Chicago in order to pursue that goal. While working for two years at a high school on Chicago’s south side, she also earned her Master of Arts in Teaching. Outside of school, she enjoys running, traveling, baking, and backpacking. She is thrilled to be a part of the Muchin family and looks forward to helping her students on the road to college!
Leah Ziegler
Algebra Teacher
Leah Ziegler was born and raised in Brighton, Michigan. She graduated from Brighton High School and received her bachelor’s in mathematics and French for secondary education from Eastern Michigan University. She spent some time teaching in Michigan before joining the Teach for America movement in Chicago. Last year, she worked at ACT Charter School in West Garfield Park teaching 9th grade algebra. In her spare time, Leah is an avid concert-goer and enjoys traveling. Leah feels incredibly honored to be working for such a great school and is excited to get to know and work with her students in their pursuit for college.