Ingrid Chung and Angel Diaz: I Am Because We Are

Ingrid Chung grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and moved to New York to pursue a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing at New York University where she became an accidental teacher through the New York City Teaching Fellows program, earning a master’s degree in adolescent English education at Hunter College. She began her first year of teaching at the Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science (AMS) 15 years ago as a 7th grade humanities teacher in Room 4 and immediately fell in love with teaching, AMS, & her students. Her passion for and commitment to equitable public education experiences for all young people led her to return to New York University for a master’s in educational leadership in 2011 and now, to pursue her doctorate in urban education leadership at Columbia University's Teachers College. Chung currently lives in East Harlem and loves to travel, wander the city, try new restaurants, read, write, eat everything she can find, hang out with “AMS babies,” and be near/on the water as often as possible.  

 

Angel Diaz was born and raised in Bronx, New York. While living in the neighborhood of Highbridge, he attended the Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science and is currently working for New York JTL as director of their after school and summer camp program, while also serving as a paraprofessional for high school students. Diaz is enrolled at Bronx Community College, seeking a degree in secondary education. Most meaningfully, he continues to be a part of his own high school brotherhood program, Umoja, where Diaz began as a student eight years ago, and continued first as an alumni and now staff member. 

 Powerful Moments 

Throughout this podcast there are powerful moments that provide deeper insight into the individuals and topics discussed:   

• 1:33 – Catching up with Ingrid and Angel. Hearing what they’ve achieved since filming “Defining US” 
• 3:27 – How Umoja started and grew to be what it is now
• 6:26 – The Umoja experience from a student perspective
• 8:40 – How Umoja gives Angel “purpose in life” even as an adult
• 10:13 – The Umoja retreat
• 15:30 – Darion relates the Umoja experience to his own experiences
• 18:55 – Angel tells the amusing story of having his cell phone taken away at the retreat
• 20:13 – “I Am, Because We Are”