By Julienne Cancio '21 and Jessica Ferrer '21
We spoke with two of ICA Cristo Rey’s newest faculty members.
Mr. Jonathan Shezaf
Why did you apply to ICA Cristo Rey?
“So one thing I found interesting was the work-study program. Although it’s what kept this school afloat, it’s also something that’s really, really important for you all. It does something that’s really good for all of you, which is getting great work experience that high school students are dying to get… no matter how small those experiences are. Another thing is that it’s an all-girls school, and in the sciences, especially chemistry, it’s very male-dominated... That is something that I want to help change. My idea is if I come to this school and I’m able to excite some of you young women about chemistry then hopefully we’re able to fix that disparity.”
If you were deserted on an island which other staff member would you want with you and why?
“You know who I would take? I would take this person, not because of survival skills but because I feel like she’s usually very relaxed. So she’ll be relaxed then she’ll help me be relaxed if I’m stranded on an island, and I won’t lose my mind: I’d take Mrs. Mills with me because she’s really relaxed all the time and so she’ll be able to calm me down when I’m freaking out.”
Dr. Rebecca Addicks-Salerno
Why did you apply to ICA Cristo Rey?
“I applied to ICA primarily because I was looking for a way to keep teaching but feel good about what I was doing. At the university, I didn’t feel like I was having the impact that I wanted to have… I was looking for a way to feel excited about teaching again where I could actually stay with my students long enough to see them learn and grow… Also, Mr. D is an old friend of mine and we met in undergrad. When I was at Cal State Long Beach and he was at San Francisco State, we both studied in Italy for a year and we met in Italy. He told me what a great school this was and how great the girls are…”
What are some of your past job experiences?
“For the last seven years, I had been teaching at UC Riverside, primarily Freshman Composition and Developmental English. Before that, I worked at the County of Sonoma in Risk Management and did education classes for the workers of the county about things like vector-borne illness training; I did trainings for firefighters and people on the front lines. Before that, I did a lot of editing jobs. I did scholarly journals and books… I used to be a fashion photographer for two years in L.A. and a bookkeeper…”
Interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
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