Dr. Soribel Genao advises new faculty members to “surround yourself (with) people doing great work ― even if (they are) not in your field.”
“The school I attended on the Lower East Side was one of the worst-performing schools and was known as a dropout factory,” recalls the now assistant professor of Educational and Community Programs at the City University of New York’s Queens College. Genao notes that there was one particular teacher who helped her see her potential — Ms. Irene Moore.
“When I was in high school, Ms. Irene Moore cared so much about the students,” says Genao. “She walked around to classrooms asking if they wanted to do internships and was a very caring teacher.”
Genao’s life changed sophomore year of high school after Moore enlisted students for an internship at Oppenheimer Funds by the World Trade Center.
“This program did not just offer us knowledge on an economic base, but it showed us the importance of college and how important it is to not just get a job but have a career,” says Genao. “It was definitely an eye-opening experience for me. I don’t know what would have happened if that teacher or program hadn’t stepped in.”
“Growing up in the community that I did, I am not the norm,” adds Genao. “The majority of the students that I went to high school with did not go to college.”
For Genao, knowing that there were people who believed in her capabilities and wanted to make an investment in her made a difference. Though she went on to earn a degree in mass communications at the private college St. John’s University in New York City, Genao developed an interest in education policy during her undergraduate years. Two of her good friends were education majors, and Genao assisted with their schoolwork and did projects with them.
