Meet the Instructors
Jump To: Elementary School Instructors | Middle School Instructors | High School Instructors
UW Youth & Teen Programs instructors bring a wide range of UW connections, academic expertise and industry experiences that shape their approach to working with learners.
As a student, you’ll be inspired by the opportunity to learn alongside working professionals who can spark your imagination and share what it’s really like to be a part of the fields that interest you.
Learn more about UW Youth & Teen Programs instructors below.
Elementary School Instructors
Caitlin Chamberlin
Caitlin Chamberlin earned a master’s in education with a science concentration from the University of Washington. After teaching for many years at Bertschi School in Seattle, she now develops and teaches STEM courses for UW Youth & Teen Programs. Caitlin was awarded a National Science Foundation teacher researcher position at the UW's Molecular Engineering Materials Center (MEM-C), where she conducted research and collaborated with campus scientists to develop the NanoCamp! curriculum. She also received a 2023 Teaching Excellence Award from UW Continuum College. Caitlin loves learning from her students and inspiring them to be curious about their world.
Teaches: Innovation Lab: Robotics & Coding and Young Writers Workshop
Daisy Fernandez
Daisy Fernandez is a senior at the University of Washington, double majoring in English and international studies. Daisy fell in love with the art of public speaking when she joined her middle school’s mock trial team. She continued to compete in high school and college, eventually becoming an award-winning member of her college team. Daisy now works as coach for the Central Washington University Mock Trial program and for middle school debate programs across the Seattle area. As both a competitor and coach, Daisy has learned to value teamwork, dedication and a positive attitude, a lesson she hopes to pass onto her students.
Teaches: Inside the Courthouse
Julie Olsen
Julie Olsen is a Washington state certified K-12 drama and English language arts instructor and teaching artist. She currently teaches theater skills and directs the drama program at Assumption-St. Bridget School in Seattle. Julie has taught at the Veladare School, the Washington Academy of Performing Arts Conservatory High School and Roosevelt High School. An executive board member of Washington state’s Educational Theatre Association, Julie chairs the Washington State Junior Thespian Conference. She has a MFA from the UW School of Drama and a master’s in teaching from Seattle Pacific University.
Teaches: Young Writers Workshop
Mike Signal
Mike Signal was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and before entering the field of education, he spent four years in the military as an aircraft mechanic. He’s currently an elementary school teacher in the Auburn School District, where he’s been an educator for more than 20 years. He holds a master’s degree in integrating technology in education and is passionate about using technology tools to engage students and improve academic achievement. He excels at creating instructional environments where students feel safe, learn a lot and have fun.
Teaches: Innovation Lab: Robotics & Coding
Steve Howard
Steve Howard is a middle school STEM teacher in the Edmonds School District. His work focuses on engineering and design-build projects. Steve takes a hands-on approach to promote technical skills in youth, including CAD modeling; coding; robotics; 3D and laser printing; and using shop tools to build confidence, creativity and career-connected learning.
Teaches: 3D Design & CAD Modeling for Kids
Will Nelson
Will Nelson has taught fifth through eighth graders for more than 20 years. Primarily a science teacher, he currently teaches sixth and seventh graders at Denny International Middle School in West Seattle. In the summer, Will likes to kayak, travel and spend time floating the local rivers and lakes. In the winter, he can be found up at Snoqualmie Pass where he’s taught people how to snowboard for more than a decade. Will is excited to be teaching this summer at the UW and looks forward to engaging in exploration, engineering and hands-on learning.
Teaches: Engineering Challenges for Kids
Middle School Instructors
Andy Peterson
Andy Peterson combines his extensive background in engineering, electronics and art to create multidisciplinary workshops for middle school students that feature creativity and problem-solving. He’s received generous funding for his projects from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, 4Culture and Artist Trust. He’s the founder of Seattle Robotic Arts, an after-school program for adolescents in South Seattle. In addition to teaching students at private and public schools, Andy’s taught visual art at Washington State University and Seattle Pacific University. He’s currently pursuing a doctorate in information science at the UW.
Teaches: DIY Electronics
Caitlin Chamberlin
Caitlin Chamberlin earned a master’s in education with a science concentration from the University of Washington. After teaching for many years at Bertschi School in Seattle, she now develops and teaches STEM courses for UW Youth & Teen Programs. Caitlin was awarded a National Science Foundation teacher researcher position at the UW's Molecular Engineering Materials Center (MEM-C), where she conducted research and collaborated with campus scientists to develop the NanoCamp! curriculum. She also received a 2023 Teaching Excellence Award from UW Continuum College. Caitlin loves learning from her students and inspiring them to be curious about their world.
Teaches: Engineering Challenges and Hello, World: Computer Science Foundations, Robotics & AI Literacy
Daisy Fernandez
Daisy Fernandez is a senior at the University of Washington, double majoring in English and international studies. Daisy fell in love with the art of public speaking when she joined her middle school’s mock trial team. She continued to compete in high school and college, eventually becoming an award-winning member of her college team. Daisy now works as coach for the Central Washington University Mock Trial program and for middle school debate programs across the Seattle area. As both a competitor and coach, Daisy has learned to value teamwork, dedication and a positive attitude, a lesson she hopes to pass onto her students.
Teaches: Inside the Courthouse and Model UN: Voices, Votes & Global Affairs
Dora Lanier
Dora Lanier was named 2024 playwright in residence for Hypatia in the Woods to work on her new play Erasing Ophelia. Her plays include 7,433 Days of Silence, Portrait of Women at War, She Wants, Wife-Mother-Friend and Pioneer Women of the Northwest. For various utilities in the Puget Sound region, she’s written/co-written Detective SafetySmarts Explores Electrical Safety, Rhoda and the Grumpy Trash Can, Wanda Flipplefairy Finds Water, Protecting “R” Planet, Going Green Together, The 4R’s Challenge and Planet Protector Adventures! Since earning her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dora has appeared on stage and screen, most recently as Horvath in Enemy of the People on a Minnesota tour for Sod House Theater and the campus safety officer for the horror feature film 213 Bones. Her favorite roles include Mistress Quickly in Henry V, Rita in Educating Rita and Pam the Bingo Queen.
Graham Gordon
Graham Gordon is a math tutor, game developer and lifelong tinkerer who earned a PhD in mathematics at the UW. He previously taught both middle and high school math at Proof School, as well as developed high school math curriculum at the XQ Institute. Graham’s desk is often covered in disassembled electronics and crossword puzzles. He believes that trying things, making mistakes and asking questions are great ways to learn.
Teaches: DIY Electronics
Jennie Baker
Jennie Baker is a teacher, researcher and administrator at the University of Washington. A Ph.D. candidate in English Literature and Culture, Jennie focuses on the social and cultural dimensions of scientific and technological developments at the turn of the 21st century. As an educator of writing for high school and college instructors, they teach pedagogies informed by disability justice.
Teaches: Mechanics of Writing Workshop for Middle School and Writers Workshop for Middle School
Joy Muñoz
Joy Muñoz (formerly Christensen) has a B.A. in architectural design and a master’s in architecture from the University of Washington. She's worked with the City of Seattle's Department of Transportation to rehabilitate public beaches and is currently working with the architecture firm Perkins Eastman on an affordable housing program. Joy regularly shares her experience of going through UW's architecture programs and mentors students on the ins and outs of the application process.
Teaches: Introduction to Architecture
Julie Olsen
Julie Olsen is a Washington state certified K-12 drama and English language arts instructor and teaching artist. She currently teaches theater skills and directs the drama program at Assumption-St. Bridget School in Seattle. Julie has taught at the Veladare School, the Washington Academy of Performing Arts Conservatory High School and Roosevelt High School. An executive board member of Washington state’s Educational Theatre Association, Julie chairs the Washington State Junior Thespian Conference. She has a MFA from the UW School of Drama and a master’s in teaching from Seattle Pacific University.
Teaches: Writers Workshop for Middle School
Justin Gailey
Justin Gailey teaches physics and astronomy at Mount Si High School, where he also advises the astronomy club. He studied physics and astronomy at the University of Washington, where he conducted research in optical and radio astronomy. He also helped launch a mobile planetarium that’s been in operation for more than a decade!
Teaches: Introduction to Astronomy
Lisa Muschinski
Lisa Muschinski received their bachelor’s degree at the University of Colorado Boulder and teaches English at IvyGoal, a tutoring company accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Lisa is a winner of CU’s Thompson Writing Award and is published in SmokeLong Quarterly, HAD and elsewhere. They are excited to help students develop their voice and become more confident in their writing.
Teaches: Mechanics of Writing Workshop for Middle School and Writers Workshop for Middle School
Michela Miller O’Leary
Michela Miller O’Leary’s 20 years of experience in education includes work in the education department of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, teaching science classes and creating a summer nature camp in Alaska. A science teacher at Meadowdale Middle School since 2017, she received her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Wright State University and her master’s degree in teaching from Mount St. Joseph University. Michela is passionate about connecting students with nature and strives to make science fun and accessible for all learners.
Teaches: NanoCamp!
Mike Signal
Mike Signal was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and before entering the field of education, he spent four years in the military as an aircraft mechanic. He’s currently an elementary school teacher in the Auburn School District, where he’s been an educator for more than 20 years. He holds a master’s degree in integrating technology in education and is passionate about using technology tools to engage students and improve academic achievement. He excels at creating instructional environments where students feel safe, learn a lot and have fun.
Teaches: Hello, World: Computer Science Foundations, Robotics & AI Literacy
Orion Wenzinger
Orion Wenzinger got started in the tech industry as a game designer and Unreal Engine tooling developer, including designing both physical and digital escape rooms. Earlier in his career, he worked as a behavior specialist, supporting individuals with disabilities. Today, Orion is a career and technical education at Puget Sound Skills Center, where he teaches the fundamentals of game design and development through hands-on, project based learning. Outside the classroom, Orion enjoys playing video games.
Teaches: Introduction to Game Design
Ray Pfortner
Ray Pfortner loves photography and teaching, especially to teens. He's been doing both for over 20 years in New York City, California and Seattle. Ray is an instructor for the UW’s Certificate in Photography and Bellevue College’s Digital Photography Certificate Program. He’s worked in photography as an educator, stock agent, editor, consultant and photographer. Ray has a bachelor's in biology from Yale and a master's in environmental management from Duke. He’s been a fellow of the North American Nature Photography Association since 2003. His photography is represented by Getty Images.
Teaches: Wild About Photography
Sanjana Ramesh
Sanjana Ramesh is a teaching artist on Duwamish land. Their pedagogy is rooted in bell hooks’ belief that education is a practice of freedom. As such, their approach to both teaching and writing is to move body-first and to think about intuitive and accessible forms of learning across age ranges and learning styles. They hold an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from the University of Michigan. Sanjana received the Nelson Bentley Prose Prize in 2022 and the Eugene Van Buren Prize in 2023. Their stories and poems have found homes in literary magazines and journals including Strange Horizons, the Henry Art Gallery’s Speculative Fiction Between Stars and Clay, as well as the sorely-missed, but never gone, Coffin Bell.
Steve Howard
Steve Howard is a middle school STEM teacher in the Edmonds School District. His work focuses on engineering and design-build projects. Steve takes a hands-on approach to promote technical skills in youth, including CAD modeling, coding, robotics, 3D and laser printing, and using shop tools to build confidence, creativity and career-connected learning.
Teaches: 3D Design & CAD Modeling
High School Instructors
Adam Schmierer
Adam Schmierer is about helping students understand the basics of computer science by breaking complex ideas and concepts down into manageable and meaningful parts. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Washington and teaches AP Computer Science and AP Physics at Union High School in Camas, Washington. Over more than 20 years in the education field, he’s worked closely with students and other teachers to improve instruction in both subjects.
Right now, Adam is teaching a UW in the High School CSE 121 Introduction to Computer Science course, where he focuses on making complex ideas clear and easy to grasp. Ultimately, his goal is to boost students’ confidence and help them develop solid problem-solving skills that they'll carry with them even after the course ends.
Teaches: Algorithmic Thinking: Programming Logic Fundamentals
Caleb Burke
Caleb Burke is a programmer analyst at Boeing. He’s worked in Java for the past five years and has taught Java courses for UW Professional & Continuing Education. Before learning Java, he used other languages such as C programming for embedded systems and JavaScript. Caleb recently completed a master’s degree in electrical engineering through the University of Washington Bothell.
Teaches: Coding in Java I and Coding in Java II
Cassia Cai
Cassia Cai is pursing her doctorate in physical oceanography in the School of Oceanography at the UW, where she studies sea surface temperature variability in climate models. She received her master’s degree in applied mathematics from the UW and her bachelor’s degree in earth and planetary sciences from Northwestern University, where she had the opportunity to work with high schoolers to prepare them to compete in the Regional Science Bowl. She found that experience rewarding and is excited to work with high schoolers again.
Teaches: Introduction to Math Modeling
Christina Coleman
Christina Coleman has worked as a data analytics consultant for nearly 15 years. She was a principal data engineer at Kaiser Permanente for more than five years and is currently a senior consultant and manager at Unify Consulting. She loves mentoring aspiring data enthusiasts and has led several workshops on data analysis and storytelling for clients and youth. She's also developed and taught a SQL certificate course at Green River College. Christina has a bachelor's degree in information technology from Western Governors University and a master’s in business administration from the University of Washington.
Teaches: Introduction to Data Analysis
Fisher Ng
Fisher Ng is pursuing his doctoral degree in applied mathematics at the University of Washington. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics at Gonzaga University, and a master’s degree in applied mathematics at the University of Washington. Fisher is passionate about empowering students in their math education, and, in his free time, he enjoys reading, creating spaces for meaningful conversations among friends and young people, and practicing wushu, a traditional form of Chinese martial arts.
Teaches: Introduction to Math Modeling
Glen Tokola
Glen Tokola is an esports professional with more than a decade of industry experience specializing in editorial management and content strategy. He works as the University of Washington’s Esports Manager. Previously, he supported major productions and content-driven partnership campaigns between Tier 1 esports organizations, game studios and streaming platforms. Glen is passionate about Destiny 2, card games and developing the next generation of esports leaders.
Teaches: Esports, Gaming & Broadcasting
Jack Straub
Jack Straub spent more than 35 years as a software developer and engineer in the computer industry, where he focused on system-level implementations using a variety of languages and platforms. He also helped develop corporate coding standards in PL/I and C and authored textbooks on several programming languages, including C. Jack has been honored for teaching excellence by UW Professional & Continuing Education.
Teaches: Coding in Java I and Coding in Java II
Jennie Baker
Jennie Baker is a teacher, researcher and administrator at the University of Washington. A Ph.D. candidate in English Literature and Culture, Jennie focuses on the social and cultural dimensions of scientific and technological developments at the turn of the 21st century. As an educator of writing for high school and college instructors, they teach pedagogies informed by disability justice.
Teaches: Mechanics of Writing for High School and Writing Arguments That Matter and Writing for College Readiness
Joy Muñoz
Joy Muñoz (formerly Christensen) has a bachelor’s degree in architectural design and a master’s in architecture from the University of Washington. She’s worked with the City of Seattle’s Department of Transportation to rehabilitate public beaches and is currently working with the architecture firm Perkins Eastman on an affordable housing program. Joy regularly shares her experience of going through UW’s architecture programs and mentors students on the ins and outs of the application process.
Teaches: Architectural Studies I
Kathy Qi
Kathy Qi earned a master's degree in biological oceanography at the University of Washington and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. As part of her studies, Kathy has worked with a range of marine organisms, from tiny cyanobacteria in the open ocean to coastal mangrove forests. She also has experience teaching courses in the fields of biology, oceanography and data science. Outside of work, Kathy enjoys ski touring the local volcanoes and bike packing in the San Juan Islands.
Lisa Carlson
Lisa Carlson is a database administrator and a data visualization specialist for nonprofits. She’s worked with data for years and teaches data visualization courses with UW Professional & Continuing Education. Lisa fervently advocates for using data to shape informed decisions and narratives. Building on a solid educational foundation, including a bachelor’s degree in Biblical literature from Northwest University, certifications and a master's degree in information management from the UW, she empowers organizations with data-driven insights.
Teaches: Introduction to Data Visualization
Mansi Maheshwari
Mansi Maheshwari is pursuing her master’s in computer science at UMass, where she does research in reinforcement learning, a subset of AI. She earned a B.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Washington. Before this, she worked as a software engineer at Nordstrom. Mansi is passionate about teaching and excels at breaking down complex concepts into clear, jargon-free explanations. She currently serves as an AI consultant on a book about AI for high school students. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading and convincing herself that debugging code at midnight counts as a hobby.
Matt Fujimoto
Matt Fujimoto is a graduate of the University of Washington's Department of Architecture. Matt's work is influenced by their travel experiences and passion for music. Matt has a rich portfolio that includes urban design; the design of workplace and commercial spaces, affordable housing, performance spaces, multifamily and single-family residential structures and art installations; and the use of innovative construction methods.
Courses: Architectural Studies I
Meghan Thréinfhir
Meghan Thréinfhir is a programmer and strategist with more than 20 years of experience working with tech clients and nonprofits. She’s the founder of WitchTech, where she develops and teaches Python courses, and she’s also taught tech courses at Columbia University’s Justice Through Code program and at the Digital Media Academy. Meghan is passionate about equity in tech education and making coding accessible. She earned a master’s in interactive telecommunications at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Teaches: Coding in Python I and Coding in Python II
Ray Pfortner
Ray Pfortner loves photography and teaching, especially to teens. He's been doing both for over 20 years in New York City, California and Seattle. Ray is an instructor for the UW’s Certificate in Photography and Bellevue College’s Digital Photography Certificate Program. He’s worked in photography as an educator, stock agent, editor, consultant and photographer. Ray has a bachelor's in biology from Yale and a master's in environmental management from Duke. He’s been a fellow of the North American Nature Photography Association since 2003. His photography is represented by Getty Images.
Sanjana Ramesh
Sanjana Ramesh is a teaching artist on Duwamish land. Their pedagogy is rooted in bell hooks’ belief that education is a practice of freedom. As such, their approach to both teaching and writing is to move body-first and to think about intuitive and accessible forms of learning across age ranges and learning styles. They hold an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from the University of Michigan. Sanjana received the Nelson Bentley Prose Prize in 2022 and the Eugene Van Buren Prize in 2023. Their stories and poems have found homes in literary magazines and journals including Strange Horizons, the Henry Art Gallery’s Speculative Fiction Between Stars and Clay, as well as the sorely-missed, but never gone, Coffin Bell.
Teaches: Writers Workshop for High School
Wei-Chih Wang
Wei-Chih Wang is an affiliated associate professor in the UW Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. His principal research is in the area of optical MEMS, fiber-optic sensors, and advance materials and structure study. Wei-Chih is passionate about engaging youth in STEM-related learning. He encourages students to engage with the materials directly because he believes that students learn about technology far more effectively through hands-on experiences than from absorbing it only from textbooks and theory.
