Our Community Impact team oversees work related to our education, financial stability and health efforts. We recently hired someone to help bring positive changes to our community’s high school students. Now, Misha Chakraborty fosters collaboration between Anchorage School District (ASD), local workplaces and us.
Misha says, “When this position was brought to my attention, I saw wonderful opportunities to implement theory into practice.”
When she refers to “theory into practice,” she’s demonstrating her academic background that concentrates on educational practices. Misha earned her PhD at Texas A&M University, College Station. She remained there to conduct her post-doctoral research. The focus of her work? How to apply educational policies in schools.
Before joining our team, Misha taught for the University of Alaska system and at Alaska Pacific University. She has also taught courses at Texas A&M and University of Alaska Fairbanks extension campuses. On top of her teaching experience, Misha loves volunteering. She has assisted initiatives to help underprivileged communities through federal and non-federal grants, such as supporting United Way Greater Houston on education projects to serve its in-need community.
“United Way’s mission relates so well to my life goal.” Misha says, “I found my niche.”
Fortunately for United Way of Anchorage, her and our goals align. We’re supporting Misha as she identifies local workplaces to get involved in ASD high schools. The early stages of her work involve gleaning insights from Academies Coaches and connecting with ASD teachers who have already invited workplaces into their classrooms. “My job is to recruit and finalize partnerships with local workplaces and connect them with ASD high school teachers,” Misha says. In the coming months and years, she’ll build on this work. Let Misha know you want to connect your workplace with ASD high schools by submitting this form.
She’s also procuring a customer relationship management (CRM) software platform alongside ASD’s IT team. Misha and Academies Coaches will use CRM to maximize workplace partnerships. Entries will include their contact information, areas of focus, availability and opportunities. They’ll be used to match high schools and classrooms with workplaces, thereby enhancing partnerships and improving workplaces’ experiences
“I recently attended a classroom’s engineering presentations at Dimond,” Misha recounts. “Their robotics projects were really awesome!” Students can do amazing work with teachers when workplaces provide donations of knowledge, time and equipment. “I’ve seen it over and over with my own eyes.”
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