Marissa Castanon-Hernandez is a 2026-2027 Teach Plus Texas Alumni Network Fellow and middle school special education teacher at Covington Middle School in Austin, Texas. She is the case manager for Social Competence and Resource Education Services and Social Behavior Skills students and teaches social skills, self-management, and self-regulation. Marissa is a Teach Plus Texas Policy Fellowship alumna and Teach Plus Senior Writing Fellowship alumna. She was named a Change Maker by Austin Woman magazine (2025), won first place in the Miranda Family Voces Latinx National Playwriting Competition (2023), and received the Young Women’s Preparatory Network Educator of Excellence Award (2018). Marissa has had op-eds published in the Austin American-Statesman and Austin Chronicle. She earned a BA in theatre and communication from Southwestern University and MFA in theatre from The University of Texas at Austin.
