Marissa Castañón-Hernandez is a 2022-2023 Teach Plus National Senior Writing Fellow. Marissa teaches Theatre at Wayside Sci-Tech Middle School in Austin. She has taught students of all ages, focusing on 21st century skill development and methods for inspiring positive change through theater. She has been recognized as an Educator of Excellence by the Young Women’s Preparatory Network (YWPN) for leadership at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders (ARS). Marissa has led professional development for Austin ISD, including “Culturally Responsive Teaching through Storytelling,” and “Culturally Responsive Teaching for the Theatre Classroom.” Marissa has been featured at the Austin Latinx New Play Festival sponsored by Teatro Vivo and Scriptworks. She graduated from Southwestern University with a BA in Theatre and Communication and received her MFA in Theatre at UT Austin. Marissa is an alumna of Teach Plus Texas Policy Fellowship and has previously served as Senior Fellow with that program. Her op-eds have been published in the Austin American-Statesman and in The Austin Chronicle, among others.
