Staff and Faculty

Julia Carey Arendell

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Narrowly dodging a life as a restaurateur, Julia Carey Arendell (she/her) received her M.F.A. in Creative Writing with a minor in American Literature from Louisiana State University after completing a fellowship at Harvard. Pushcart Prize nominated for her fiction, she was also a winner of the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Prize in Poetry. Publications can be found at Heavy Feather Review, VIDA, Mason’s Road, and Psychopomp Magazine, among others, as well as the anthologies Louisiana in Words and New Orleans: What Can’t Be Lost. She has joined the editorial boards of the Early College Folio, The Dudley Review, The New Orleans Review, and New Delta Review and currently serves as the faculty advisor for the student run publication Global Commons, an international project sponsored by OSUN. Julia joined BECNO in 2014 and teaches creative writing coursework, First and Second Year Seminar, and manages the peer tutoring program on campus.

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Cynthia Brown

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Dr. Cynthia Brown (she/her) is super passionate about student success in and out of the classroom setting. She received her doctorate in Urban Forestry from Southern University A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA. where her Dissertation was: Utilization of Meta-Analysis Techniques: Cases of Urban Greening & Its Influence on Youth Behavior. She also received her Master of Science in Urban Forestry, Master of Science in Criminal Justice, and Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Southern University A&M College. She believes that we are all lifelong learners and enjoys research.

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Huiying Ciu

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Huiying Cui (she/her) received her B.A. degree in Hispanic Philology from Sun Yet-sen University, China. During the one-year exchange program in Mexico, she developed her passion for Latin America. After graduation, she moved to New Orleans, LA for further study. She completed her M.A. degree in Latin American Studies at Tulane University. Her research interest lies in rural out-migration in Central America with a focus on food and gender. She was awarded the Guillermo Náñez-Falcón Prize in 2020 for the best campus-wide Latin Americanist graduate student paper that substantially incorporates the primary sources and rare materials holdings of the Latin American Library at Tulane.

She is always passionate about culture sharing and communicating with people. For her coursework in Mexico, she discussed China’s political culture, foot binding in ancient China, and the unbalanced marriage market with a focus on the “leftover ladies” in China. She completed her Portuguese learning courses and was qualified for the highest level of Portuguese according to the AAPPL test. She values the exchange of ideas. She will be serving on the faculty for Humanities and Language Studies at Bard Early College New Orleans, teaching Spanish and Chinese.

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Candace Colbert

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Candace Colbert received her M.S in Urban Studies and Applied Anthropology from the University of New Orleans. As an anthropologist and educator, she is passionate about community-based spaces for youth empowerment. She has served BECNO in a variety of roles including Campus Coordinator, Student Supports Tutor, and Adjunct Faculty, and is now the Dean of Students.

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Brigid Conroy

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Brigid Conroy is an artist and researcher based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her work examines the relationship between place and social memory—through artists’ books, community projects, and audio compositions. She holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from the Harvard Divinity School, where her research focused on the history of religion and transnational migration in the American Gulf South, and she has received training from Penland School of Craft, the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, and the Center for Documentary Studies. She has seven years of experience in education, and has worked with the Contemporary Arts Center, the Ogden Museum of Art, and KIDsmART.

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Anna Derby

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Anna Derby (they/she) is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics at BECNO. She holds a Master of Arts in Mathematics from the University of California, San Diego; an MBA in Accounting and Global Markets from Bentley University; and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Loyola University. Prior to joining BECNO as math faculty, she has taught in public high schools, community college, and universities, as well as teaching three years at the Catholic University of Mozambique a Peace Corps Volunteer.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, practicing yoga, cooking/eating, barely keeping her plants alive, and reading.

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Andrea Fullington

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Andrea (she/her) is a life-long educator for liberation a proud community servant. Originally hailing from the sunny shores and deserts of California, she has been in New Orleans since 2015. For over 13 years, she taught Humanities to high school students with stops in Boston, Colorado, and Philly before venturing into the slower pace of Bulbancha. Her work outside of the classroom focuses on education organizing, supporting Black teachers, and leveraging our individual strengths in service to the larger community. She is adamant about working with organizations and individuals who want to do the work of dismantling oppressive systems while centering our joy and collective liberation.

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Waldon Joseph Hagan

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Waldon (he/they) is a native New Orleanian, and he loves all things New Orleans.  He has been in the field of education for some 30+ years, working primarily in higher education as both a senior/executive leader and professor. At this point, he has worked in seven of the 50 states–from sea to shining sea. He completed his undergraduate degree in English at the University of Louisiana–Lafayette– his master’s degree (counseling psychology) and doctoral degree (educational psychology and research) at the University of Memphis.

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Debra Keelen

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As an Engineer in corporate America for several years, my life was interrupted when the company I worked for moved to another state.  It was then that I decided to teach, therefore, I became certified to teach physics, mathematics, and computer science.  My greatest joy was becoming a National Trainer where I worked with educators via Professional Development in Orleans Parish and other states. My role was further enhanced when I taught at UNO in curriculum and instruction where my students were educators.  Teaching is a gift and I enjoy assisting with my students to become lifelong learners.

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tam lee

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tam lee (we, us, ours), Ph.D., completed her degree in Education, Special Education concentration, at Temple University where she also earned a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis. She previously taught at an alternative middle school in Louisiana as a sixth grade ELA and History. During her graduate studies, Tam served as the SAT Verbal instructor for Temple’s Upward Bound program. After two years of teaching, she was promoted to Upward Bound Coordinator. Her doctoral research focused on the use of student-authored multimedia instruction to increase SAT scores for culturally and linguistically at-risk students and students with disabilities. When she is not researching or teaching, tam enjoys time with her family, playing or listening to music, cooking, puzzling and traveling.

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Rachel Nelson

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Rachel E Nelson (she/her) is a Professor of Humanities for BECNO, and has been an adjunct professor at the University of Maine, Hollins University, and an artist in residence at the Pacific Northwest College of the Arts. Her academic interests dwell in the intersections of culture, identities, and the arts, with a special focus on issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality. As a playwright, her work has been shown at The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Sugar Space for the Arts, Performance Works Northwest, the Oregon Contemporary Shakespeare Festival, Baby Crow Productions, and The SOUND OFF Festival of New Works. In 2015, she recieved the Rosa Parks Playwrighting Award for Social Justice from the Kennedy Center, in 2018 she was a Featured Playwright at the Seven Devils Playwrighting Conference as well as at the Director’s Lab at Lincoln Center, and in 2019 she was a Featured Playwright at the Women’s Theater Festival. Her work has been published in BOMB Magazine and Damselfly Press. Locally, she has worked with Southern Rep Theater, as well as New Noise Theater and Mondo Bizarro. She is constantly inspired by the BECNO students, and is honored to be collaborating with them on a more equitable and joyful future for us all. Rachel lives in New Orleans with her partner and their two extremely badly behaved dogs.

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Kierra Price

Kierra is an Alumni of BECNO, class of 2020. She now attends Loyola University New Orleans.

Ben Saxton

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Originally from upstate New York, Ben Saxton (he/him) completed a Ph.D in English at Rice University and a postdoc in medical humanities at the McGovern Medical School. He moved to New Orleans in 2015 and is an adjunct professor at Bard Early College and Tulane Medical School, where he teaches courses on medical humanities, nonfiction narratives, and American literature.

Koda Sokol

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Koda Sokol (they/he) is an Adjunct Humanities Instructor at BECNO, as well as a Sociology PhD candidate at the University of California Santa Cruz writing a dissertation about gender attachments under contemporary US neoliberalism.  Koda is also a proud dog dad,  karaoke enthusiast, and amateur potter.

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Kaleena Stoddard

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Kaleena Stoddard (she/her) is a PhD candidate at Tulane University studying and teaching Philosophy with an emphasis on perception and Epistemology.  She received a master’s degree at the University of Liverpool – England in Philosophy in 2013, and a bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in 2008, both centring on such philosophical topics as personal identity, morality and ethics, and action.  Between degrees, Kaleena has worked with small businesses in San Francisco, California, developing ethical and sustainable consumerism through specialty coffee production that emphasizes equity and autonomy for coffee producers.  She takes great delight in finding the intersection of philosophical practice and real life by engaging in public philosophy, most recently as a teacher for Operation Restoration’s College in Prison program in New Orleans.  Kaleena likes to spend her free time riding bikes or lounging around with her giant cat named Feets.

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Alyssa Walker

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I am a PhD candidate in the department of philosophy at Tulane University. I use she/her pronouns.  In my dissertation, I argue that theoretical frameworks that divide the practical and creative powers of the imagination are ill-equipped to deal with the phenomenon, and we ought to move to a unified approach. I outline a dialectical approach that attempts to solve issues of division while looking toward unification of the imagination, both in our lives and in our sciences. I am devoted to informing and building imaginative approaches in daily life, and so I am also an advocate for engagement in public organizations. I am the current president of the Graduate Studies Student Association at Tulane, which I also have served in other capacities for several years.

In my free time, I like to take walks, hang out with my cats (I have three! Pluto, Mephisto, and Lillith), dig around in my garden, explore the city with my partner and friends, and learn new hobbies! Right now, I’m learning how to paint.

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Sarah Watson

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Sarah Watson (she/they) was born on the West Coast, grew up in the Midwest, and went to school on the East Coast.  She graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, CT with a degree in English Literature, and was recognized by the college for leadership, poetry, and academic writing.  Immediately after graduating, she moved to New Orleans to serve as a AmeriCorps member supporting ELA educators.

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Sydney Wessinger

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Sydney Wessinger (she/her) is a Louisiana native, a proud graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, and a lover of history. As a professor, storyteller, and experienced museum professional, she is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the African American narrative through a historical lens. Holding master’s degrees from both Southern University at New Orleans, and Jackson State University, she is adept in various areas of Humanities, including African American political philosophies, Transatlantic History, and syncretic cultures of the African Diaspora. In her experience at intuitions such as the Whitney Plantation Museum, the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Historic Clayborn Temple, and the New Orleans Historic Collection, Sydney has been dedicated to service, prioritizing the conservation of material culture as a necessary means of community revitalization and enrichment. Incorporating passion and professionalism, she exhibits a strong work ethic and a desire to connect with students.

Sydney currently lives in New Orleans, Louisiana with her fiancé Jayson and her two dogs Kingsley and Delphine Antionette Marie.

Sean Wilson

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