Meet the Team

STAFF

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STAFF //

Sabrina DuQuesnay, Student Programs Manager

Sabrina is a New York City public school alumnus with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and double minors in Philosophy and Creative Writing from Stony Brook University.

She has been involved with The Bell’s programs since her junior year of high school and was a co-host of the Miseducation podcast in its early seasons. She joined The Bell’s staff in 2022.

During her free time, Sabrina enjoys writing spoken word poetry, exploring the city with friends, singing off-key, escape rooms, naps, and trying foods from different cultures.

Mira Gordon, Operations + Partnerships Manager

Mira brings to her role a dual passion for youth development and educational equity. She has been part of The Bell’s team since 2020.

She previously worked as a High School Placement Assistant for Breakthrough New York. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Barnard College and is a proud graduate of Berkeley Public Schools.

In her free time she enjoys discovering new foods on long walks around the city.

Taylor McGraw, Executive Director + Cofounder

Taylor is a longtime advocate for student voice and leadership. Prior to launching The Bell in 2017, he spent five years teaching and coaching in New York City schools.

He has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from The New School, a Master of Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education, and a B.A. in Public Policy Leadership from the University of Mississippi. His writing has appeared in USA Today, The New York Daily News, The Hechinger Report, Mississippi Today and Narratively.

He is an avid chess player, podcast listener, baseball fan, and barbecue connoisseur.

The Bell directs the NYC Youth Journalism Coalition. Meet the members of that team here.

ADVISORY BOARD

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ADVISORY BOARD

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ADVISORY BOARD // ADVISORY BOARD //

Kat Aaron

photo by Kevin Abosch

Umbreen Bhatti

Tonie Chase

Yasmine Chokrane

David Hardy, Jr.

Renika Jack

Ash’aa Khan

Chandler Patton Miranda

Ayana Smith

Adrian Uribarri

  • Kat Aaron has been working in audio for more than 20 years, and serves as an advisory board member. She started her media career in low power FM, and is now is an executive producer at Pineapple Street Studios. She has developed, written, and produced daily, weekly, and long-form shows, for broadcast and podcasting. Kat loves thinking about voice, pacing, story structure and the puzzle of keeping people listening. In her spare time, she loves to rollerskate, read sci-fi, and think about disaster preparedness.

  • A champion for youth leadership and journalism equity, Umbreen serves as an advisory board member.

    She is the Constance Hess Williams ‘66 Director of the Athena Center for Leadership at her alma mater Barnard College, where she works with young people to build a better world. Previously, Umbreen led the innovation lab at KQED, the Bay Area’s NPR | PBS station, and earlier in her career, practiced law.

    Umbreen also serves on the boards of Global Press, a news organization dedicated to reinventing the craft and business of international journalism by recruiting diverse populations of local women and training them to become professional, ethical journalists and Catchlight, a hybrid nonprofit media organization combining the practices of art, journalism and social justice.

  • A graduate from Boston College with a passion for journalism and media, Tonie serves as advisory board co-chair.

    She became an arts reporter during undergrad and later participated in The Bell’s Summer Youth Podcasting Academy. Her passion for storytelling and understanding cultures around the world led her to pursue social impact communications. Tonie works on purpose program planning and research, as well as media strategy and execution, for a variety of clients spanning verticals such as healthcare, technology and consumer products. When she’s not listening to grime, R&B, or soca, Tonie enjoys traveling around NYC and beyond. Tonie hails from Brooklyn by way of Caribbean heritage.

  • Yasmine is an undergraduate at Yale College double majoring in Comparative Literature and Global Affairs.

    Originally from New York City, she joined The Bell as a Miseducation podcast intern in her freshman year of high school, and went on to advocate for reforming the specialized high school admissions process through The Bell’s youth advocacy program, Teens Take Charge. She's incredibly excited to continue her involvement with The Bell through the advisory board.

  • A visionary leader with years of management and executive experience, David serves as an advisory board member.

    David is an educator by trade, a writer and speaker by passion, a father and husband by love, and a believer that our way forward is transforming the way we exist for another by seeking the best interest of the collective over the individual.

  • Renika is a NYC public school graduate with a passion for writing and research.

    Originally from Guyana, Renika moved to New York City in 2019. She has worked with The Bell’s Miseducation Podcast since her junior year of high school. She enjoys writing stories of her life and conducting interviews. In her free time Renika listens to music or goes on mini adventures with her friends all around NYC. She is studying journalism and communications at York College and hopes to become a journalist for the New York Times or a news anchor for CBS or Good Morning America.

  • Ash’aa is an undergraduate at Barnard College majoring in Urban Education.

    She was born in India and raised in Manhattan. Ash'aa has been involved with The Bell through The Miseducation Podcast since her junior year of high school. Her episode was featured in The Hechinger Report, and she has also reported on COVID’s impact on college admissions for WNYC. Her time at The Bell has fostered her passion for education equity, which she plans to pursue post-grad.

  • An urban education scholar with a passion for student storytelling, Chandler serves as an advisory board member.

    She is an Assistant Professor of Education at Molloy University, where her research focuses on urban im/migrant education in the U.S. context as it relates to school leadership, institutional culture, and the politics of language learning. Her work appears in scholarly journals including Harvard Educational Review, Anthropology & Education Quarterly, Leadership and Policy in Schools, and Equity & Excellence in Education. She is a former high school science teacher.

  • A 2023 Cornell University graduate in urban and regional studies with a double minor in education and policy analysis and management, Ayana is a MAP Engagement Coordinator at the Center for Justice Innovation.

    She began organizing for equitable education in New York City schools in 2018 through Teens Take Charge, leading press communications and initiatives for the organization’s Enrollment Equity Campaign. She continues her advocacy at the local and federal levels as the Storytelling Programs Coordinator for Student Voice where she trains students in journalism, consults with firms on institutionalizing youth voice at their organization, and leads campaigns such as Next Up NYC. In her free time, she enjoys watching anime, playing video games, and video chatting with her younger sisters and lizards.

  • A former teacher and journalist, Adrian is a co-founder and advisory board member. He works at Google, where he supports the company’s cloud collaboration and productivity apps.

    Previously, he led the Esquire Mentoring Initiative, Hearst Magazines’ award-winning effort to rebrand the concept of male mentoring, and he developed wide-ranging communications for efforts related to social-emotional learning and character development in K-12 schools.

    Adrian earned a B.A. in political science and B.S. in journalism at the University of Florida. He attended Miami-Dade County Public Schools and graduated from New World School of the Arts.