Raquel Figueroa, Managing Director of Program and Innovation

Raquel is a product of the New York City Teaching Fellows Program and taught in New York City Public schools before moving to Miami, Florida in 2004. Prior to working with PeerForward, she held several roles at Miami Dade College. As an Adjunct Professor for the School of Education Baccalaureate Program she taught pre-service teacher courses with a focus in urban education, and cultural diversity and sensitivity. In addition, she has managed the Florida State Teachers Certificate Program and coordinated and chaired college access programs that equip high school students and college students as well as new teachers with curriculum development, test preparation (SAT/ACT), and nonprofit organizing. In 2009, she joined College Summit and has been part of their dynamic program team delivering quality programming to coach and train young leaders and their educators in effective youth development and activation and campaign development and organizing. Today, as Managing Director of Program and Innovation for PeerForward, Raquel guides a team of coaches and curriculum design experts, to train and coach student led teams across country as they develop and execute campaigns that support college access, postsecondary planning and college persistence at our partner high schools and colleges. Raquel holds a Master’s Degree in Education from the College of Staten Island and an Educational Specialist Degree from Nova Southeastern University.