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Who’s Next: Education: Meet 20 people shaping a future generation in Pittsburgh
We’ve all been impacted by an educator or two or three. Here, in our latest Who’s Next class, presented by S&T Bank, we honor 20 individuals who are making a mark on education in Pittsburgh.
Some work behind the scenes. Some lead schools or classrooms or cutting edge initiatives. Others coach or work with immigrant students or to prevent violence among youth or to make education more inclusive. All are shaping education here and, in the process, a future generation.
We’re throwing a happy hour in honor of these too-often unsung heroes on July 25, and you’re invited. Together we can celebrate the educators in a city prided on its educational institutions.
A parent, alumnus, and longtime educator in the city's public schools, Melissa Friez is under 40 and supervising the District's 11 secondary schools. She began her career in PPS as an English teacher at Carrick High School in August 2003. In 2006, she became an administrative intern and testing coordinator prior to participating in a yearlong residency as part of the District's Principal Emerging Leadership Academy (PELA). In July 2017, Friez transitioned from her dual role of principal and assistant superintendent to take on the latter role full time. Friez attended Duquesne, Carlow and the University of Pittsburgh. She lives in Squirrel Hill.
RENEE C. PATRICK MUTUNGA
Renee C. Patrick Mutunga has taught English in rural Pennsylvania and South Korea. She’s back in Pennsylvania now and teaching at the Pittsburgh Obama Academy. Patrick Mutunga used her free time outside of work to start-up a Mock Trial program at the school, providing a forum for her students to learn and practice skills essential for success inside and outside the classroom like public speaking, critical thinking, and the art of forming a persuasive, concise argument. Patrick Mutunga attended Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and National University in La Jolla, Calif. She lives in Friendship.
Read more about the other honorees at The Incline, Who’s Next: Education: Meet 20 people shaping a future generation in Pittsburgh