The CELR Center is excited to welcome four new staff members to our team: Althia Muse, Interim Director of the Bonner Institute, Eun Lee, First-Year Community Engaged Learning Coordinator, and Destiny De La Rosa and Samuel Kanig, both Bonner Coordinators.
Althia Muse completed h
er undergraduate B.S. in Psychology, and M.A. and M. Ed. at Columbia University in Counseling. She joins us after twenty years as an educator and counselor in Trenton, NJ. Her passions include access to education, immigration, multicultural mental wellness, and social justice, all of which drew her to this new position with the Bonner Institute.
Eun Y. Lee comes to TCNJ with a background in feminist pedagogy and intergroup dialogue. She received her Ed.S. and M.Ed. in social justice education as well as a graduate certificate in advanced feminist studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She also has a post-baccalaureate certificate in college counseling from the University of California, Los Angeles Extension online program and a B.A. in linguistics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she also minored in German and Italian. As a First-Year Community Engaged Learning Coordinator, Eun is spearheading the restructuring and curriculum development of the service-learning requirement for TCNJ first-year students.
Destiny De La Rosa is a graduate of TCNJ with both a BA in Psychology and a MA in Counseling with a certificate in schools and substance abuse. During her time at TCNJ she has worked on several research projects, including a longitudinal study on understanding the challenges minority students face with graduating in STEM majors. She also co-wrote and submitted a research article on understanding and developing suggestions on how public schools can better support English as a second language learners outside of teaching them the language. Destiny also wrote a chapter of a book titled “Using photography and other arts-based methods with English Language Learners: Guidance, resources and activities for P-12 educators” in which she provides educators suggestions on ways they can use photography in their classrooms. She currently works at the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center in Mercer Country where she, with the assistance of the director, developed a Spanish-speaking inclusive section, which is currently the only one in New Jersey. Destiny briefly worked at a methadone clinic providing counseling services to individuals who have difficulty with substance abuse and is now a Bonner Coordinator who will manage Bonners at TCNJ Bonner education partner sites: Urban Promise, Bridge to Employment, and Boys and Girls Club.
Samuel J. Kanig is a community organizer and filmmaker. Originally from Utuado, Puerto Rico, he began his studies at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez prior to his move to Trenton, New Jersey in 2006. This is where he founded Galeria Casa Cultura, Trenton’s first Latino art gallery and music studio focused on the development of Latino artists and musicians. He also became the founding president of the Puerto Rican Civic Association of Trenton, New Jersey in 2014 where he led with a vision of celebrating culture while empowering the community. Sam continuously works in the Trenton community by partnering with local organizations and non-profits to continue developing, organizing and promoting programs and events with all communities in mind. In 2018, Sam became the first ever Community Fellow In-Residence at TCNJ and presently serves a Bonner Community Scholar Coordinator.