2024 SDB Conference
The conference was held in San Francisco on Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2.
We were thrilled to have a keynote address by Michelle Muratori, PhD, and a discussion by a panel of CTY experts all on the topic of "Fostering Peer Community Across Educational Settings." Our fellows workshopped ideas about how to foster peer communities of students, educators, and families in the ever-evolving educational landscape.
In additions to the workshop, we inducted an outstanding new class of SDB fellows who joined new and veteran fellows in the dynamic and informative conference.
Keynote Speaker
Michelle Muratori, PhD, has a passion for supporting the academic, social, and emotional needs and talent development of high ability middle school and high school students. She is a lecturer in the Department of Counseling and Educational Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Education where she previously served as a faculty associate for 18 years. Prior to transitioning to a full-time faculty role, Michelle worked at CTY in a variety of roles including assistant director of student support, CTY Scholars educational advisor, and senior counselor for the Study of Exceptional Talent. Michelle earned her MA in counseling psychology from Northwestern University and her PhD in counselor education from the University of Iowa, where she developed her interests in serving high ability students. In 2014, she received the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award. Michelle has coauthored several books published by the American Counseling Association (ACA), including the first and second editions of Counselor Self-Care (2018, 2024), the second and third editions of Clinical Supervision in the Helping Professions: A Practical Guide (2010, 2021), and Coping Skills for a Stressful World: A Workbook for Counselors and Clients (2020). She is the author of Early Entrance to College: A Guide to Success, which was published by Prufrock Press in 2007.
Panelists
Venezia Garza is a proud Latina born and raised in Los Angeles, California and is a junior at Princeton University concentrating in medical anthropology on the pre-medical track. Her academic and career goals are rooted in her intersecting interests in medicine and health policy and center on the promotion of health equity, literacy, and empowerment for medically marginalized individuals and families through. Venezia’s involvement with CTY began when she was accepted into the CTY Scholars program in 2017. She attended two summer programs, participated in several family programming events and an online course, and is presently serving on the CTY Advisory Council. Venezia acknowledges with deep gratitude how CTY has profoundly impacted her life, providing invaluable opportunities and a supportive community that she cherishes.
A middle grades math educator, Karissa Hammond finds great fulfillment in teaching 5th to 8th-grade students. She focuses on establishing rapport and fostering a classroom centered around discourse. Karissa encourages an environment where students not only absorb information but also gain an appreciation for how to think critically, collaborate with their peers, engage in selfreflection, and make sense of complex problems. She strives to cultivate an atmosphere that nurtures a growth mindset. She believes that mistakes are not setbacks but are stepping stones in one's educational journey and often focuses on shifting the stigma from the shame of being wrong to embracing mistakes as invaluable learning opportunities. Karissa earned a MEd in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University and a BS in elementary education from Montana State University.
Keli Walls, director of online experiences at CTY, has 28 years of experience as an educator, including 15 years working in a variety of roles at CTY. Prior to CTY, Keli worked as a science teacher for three different school districts: Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Howard County Public Schools. Before becoming an educator, Keli worked as a research/lab technician for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She holds a MA in teaching and a graduate certificate in school administration and supervision from Johns Hopkins University. In 2019, Keli completed JHU’s Leadership Development Program. She holds a BS in biology from Bowie State University.
Amy Wogman is a program manager in In-Person Experiences at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, and previously worked as dean of residential life and academic dean for CTY’s in-person programs. Amy has over a decade of experience working as a classroom English teacher and high school counselor. At CTY, Amy works with student life and curriculum committees and is passionate about meeting the social and emotional needs of students and staff. She is currently pursuing a PhD in education at Johns Hopkins University and her research examines how to best meet the needs of diverse populations in summer programs for advanced learners. Amy holds a MS in school counseling from University of the Southwest and a BA in English and creative writing from Susquehanna University. Amy plans to use her research to help CTY better serve all students across the organization.