1. Vinny Abbate // Extended Programs Manager
Vinny is excited to be the new Extended Programs Manager at Friends Seminary. He is a native New Yorker and earned a Master's degree in Physical Education from Teachers College and a second Master's degree in Learning Design and Technology from Purdue University. He taught physical education and health at Dwight Preschool, the International School of Brooklyn, and most recently, the Red Oaks School in Morristown, NJ. In addition to leading classes for preschool and middle school students, Vinny has successfully managed after school programs, summer camps, student intramurals, interscholastic athletics, and service learning initiatives.

2. Julia Adler // Grade 1 Associate Teacher
Julia is eager to join the Friends Seminary community as a first grade Associate Teacher. Over the past 12 months, she earned a Master’s of Education in Literacy Studies with a Reading Specialist Certification at the University of Pennsylvania and holds a Bachelor’s from Wesleyan University. Previously, Julia taught lower elementary English and Social Studies at a Montessori school in Brooklyn after returning from a year of teaching English in France. She is passionate about children’s literature art and looks forward to sharing and growing her interests in the classroom. 

3. Mariella Bonilla // Upper School World Languages Teacher
Mariella is looking forward to teaching Spanish and collaborating at Friends. She holds a BA and MA from St. John’s University and a Ph.D. in Hispanic Languages and Literature from Stony Brook University. Prior to joining Friends, she worked as a Spanish Instructor and as a Dean of Curriculum and Instruction at different colleges and charter schools in the NYC area.

4. Brooke Boyd // College Counseling Office Assistant (Leave Replacement)
Brooke is looking forward to her time at Friends assisting in the College Counseling office. It was at University Missouri - St. Louis that her love for theatre and dance was developed eventually leading her to Los Angeles to become a performing artist and business owner prior to joining Friends.

5. Bevin Daly // Lower School Learning Specialist and Learning Support Department Chair
Bevin joins us as the new K-4 Lower School Learning Specialist and K-12 Department Chair of Learning Support. With 20 years of experience as a language and learning specialist, Bevin has worked extensively with students across all grades. She holds a BA in Speech-Language Pathology from Loyola University Maryland and an MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Hunter College. Bevin comes to us from Mary McDowell Friends School, a fellow Quaker institution, where she developed individualized learning plans and led groups in reading, math, executive functioning, and social skills for a wide range of learning profiles. She is excited to become part of this Friends community!

6. Steven Fong // Lower School Science Teacher
Steven holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Eckerd College and completed his Master of Arts in Teaching at Sacred Heart University. He comes to Friends from Ranney School where he was the Lower School Science Teacher and Community Garden Coordinator. 

7. Valerie Garcia // Lower School Visual Arts Teacher
Valerie studied creative writing and music at Hunter College before earning an MA in Art Education from Teachers College. Prior to joining Friends Valerie was a Second Grade Head Teacher and Equity and Inclusion Coordinator at The Berkeley Carroll School.

8. Calliope George // Lower School Office Assistant
Calliope joins the Lower School Office team as Assistant to the Head of Lower School. Calliope is earning her MSEd at Bank Street School of Education and holds a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she studied film and theatre. As a Quaker, Calliope keeps community with Brooklyn & 15th Street Meetings in NYC, New Garden Friends Meeting & School where she was raised, Pendle Hill Quaker Center as an artist in residence, and the historical Penington Friends House next door to Friends Seminary.

9. Krystyna Poray Goddu // Lower School Librarian
Krystyna is delighted to return as LS Librarian, a position she held as a Maternity Leave Replacement in Spring 2022. Krystyna’s relationship with Friends dates back to 2013, when she served as After School Librarian; she has also worked in the Lower and Middle Schools at The Hewitt School and Nightingale-Bamford. A graduate of Brown University with a degree in comparative literature, Krystyna is author of numerous children’s books, a reviewer of children’s books for Publishers Weekly and co-chair of PEN America’s Children’s and Young Adult Books Committee.

10. Sabrina Hernandez // Upper School History Teacher
Sabrina is looking forward to teaching History to Grades 9 and 10. She earned a BS in International Politics from Georgetown University. She comes to Friends from Northfield Mount Hermon where she taught English Literature and World History.

11. Marjorie Jean-Paul // Director of Institutional Advancement
Marjorie joins Friends Seminary from Ethical Culture Fieldston School (ECFS) where she served as the Chief Advancement Officer. She has accumulated over twenty years of professional experience in nonprofit management, planning, and development. Marjorie served in senior positions as a management and fundraising consultant focused on major gift fundraising for a range of nonprofit organizations, as well as working with corporations to shape their philanthropic programs. Marjorie began her independent school development career in 2007 at the Waldorf School of Garden City as the Director of Development and Alumni Relations, continuing that work at her next school, Buckley Country Day School, where she ultimately became Chief Community Engagement Officer. At Buckley she also served as Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Marjorie earned a B.S. from Cornell University, followed by an M.S. in Nonprofit Management and Organization Development from the New School and a Certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from Cornell. She also completed the yearlong program through NYSAIS Justice Equity Diversity Institute. She currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Organization from the University of Pennsylvania.

Marjorie was introduced to Quakerism through her volunteer work with the American Friends Service Committee. In her role at Friends she looks forward to deepening her knowledge about the School and getting to know more about the community of students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni.

12. Sarah Kim // Middle School Strings Teacher
Sarah is looking forward to teaching Middle School Strings. She holds a BM in Violin Performance & Music Education and an MM in Orchestral Conducting, both from Northwestern University. She worked in artist management and at a tech startup prior to friends, and is currently a freelance musician outside of Friends.

13. Chupzi Lema // Middle School Computer Science, Engineering and Design Teacher
Chupzi holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech. Before joining Friends, Chupzi taught Grades 4 and 5 at the Paideia School in Atlanta, Georgia.

14. Eric Osorio // Head of Upper School
Eric comes to Friends from the Calhoun School, where he has served as Associate Head of School for Teaching and Learning since 2018. A graduate of Horace Mann, Eric earned his B.A. in Sociology and International Relations from Tufts University and his M.A. in Private School Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University, where he was a Klingenstein Fellow. Prior to undertaking his graduate studies, Eric began his career in education at the Noble and Greenough School in Massachusetts teaching civics and history, and serving in administrative roles as Associate Director of Admissions and Dean of Diversity Initiatives. He then served as Assistant Head of Upper School at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, Dean of Students at Worcester Academy in Worcester, MA, and Associate Head of School at Swift School in Roswell, GA before landing in his most recent post at Calhoun, here in NYC.

In these capacities, he has touched on almost all aspects of running an independent school. He brings twenty-eight years of seasoned educational leadership and a unique exuberance to put to work for Friends Seminary.

15. Alexander Quintero // Physical Education Teacher
Alexander is a graduate of CUNY-Queens College where he obtained his initial certification in Physical Education and holds a BS from St. John's University. Prior to joining friends, he worked as a Physical Education teacher at a charter school and coached AAU and CYO basketball. During the summers he is the Sports Director for Asphalt Green and teaches martial arts. 

16. Julian Robles // Middle School English Teacher
Julian joins the English Department, where he looks forward to teaching Grade 6 and Grade 8. Julian holds a BA from Columbia University and an MFA from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Prior to joining Friends, Julian was a Fulbright Research Fellow at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

17. Kim Tran // Grade 4 Teacher
Kim is looking forward to teaching fourth grade! She earned a BA in Psychology with minors in Education and French from the University of California, Irvine and an MA in Elementary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. In her free time, Kim loves to cook, spend time at the beach, and dance salsa. She comes to Friends Seminary from the Chapin School, where she taught kindergarten, second grade, and third grade.

18. Kimberly Vargas // Lower School Spanish Teacher
Kimberly holds a BA in Music from Hunter College and Associated in Arts from Borough of Manhattan Community College. She also holds a bachelors degree from the most prestigious school of arts in Mexico (INBA) National Institute of Fine Arts. Prior to joining Friends she worked at Avenues and East Harlem Scholars Academy where in addition from being a teacher, she also served as a member of the DEI committee. 

19. Ashley Warmack // Director of Annual Giving
Ashley joined the Advancement Team last school year as the new Director of Annual Giving, also known as the Fund for Friends. Coming from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Ashley served on the Advancement and Innovation Team as Senior Manager of Events and Fundraising for the Corporate Fund. Prior to Lincoln Center, she held a Development position at Marymount School of New York for seven years. Ashley holds a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Pace University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs from Southern Methodist University.

20. Nikara Warren // Middle and Upper School Jazz Teacher
Nikara holds a BM in Music from Berklee College of Music, and directs the middle school ensemble at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Nikara comes to Friends Seminary after spending 8 years teaching jazz with The Brooklyn Friends School and a year in the music department at Friends Academy.  

21. Jonathan Weisbrot // Lower School Music Teacher
Jonathan recently completed his Master’s in Jazz Studies at New York University, where he worked as an Adjunct Instructor. Prior to graduate school, Jonathan received his BME from The Ohio State University, and worked as the Lower School Music teacher at Woodcrest Elementary in Columbus City Schools. Outside of Friends, Jonathan performs music regularly, both as a freelancer, and with his group at various restaurants, venues, and private events. He also teaches private lessons for saxophone, piano, voice, clarinet, jazz improvisation, and songwriting.  

Students: Chase ‘27, Alexander ‘27, Eli ‘27, Lucy ‘27, Ines ’27, Anna ’27

Faculty and Staff: Bo Lauder

A boat tour of Barcelona’s historic and bustling port, a guided visit of Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia Basilica, an excursion to the Picasso Museum — coupled with leisurely breakfasts at local cafes before class — were an incredible opportunity to soak in the rich culture of Spain alongside a daily classes in Spanish and life with their host families. 

Last fall Friends Seminary welcomed six students from the prestigious Sant Ignasi (Saint Ignatius) in Barcelona, Spain as part of a new Exchange Program spearheaded by Kara Kutner, Director of the Center for Peace, Equity and Justice. Read more about their time at Friends here. You may also read about their experience in this month’s issue of The Insight, written by Theo ‘24.

In March, the tables turned and Friends students (Ayla ’26, Bode ’26, Clara ’26, Jeff ’26, Jane ’25, and Safira ’26) who served as hosts and guides were packing up to trade classroom seats in Barcelona. After a seamless travel experience, they were introduced to the beauty of Barcelona through group scavenger hunts, helping identify the important places in the life of Sant Ignasi, as they arrived the week the School celebrated the saint’s history. 

Friends students delved into the School’s rigorous academic programming—exclusively in Spanish—and adjusted well to the more formal classroom environment. “I have been incredibly impressed with the students’ linguistic risk-taking and positive attitudes here! They did a great job of making good use of their time and their enthusiasm was consistently strong,” explained Spanish Teacher, Kevin Donnelly.

The first year of the Exchange Program has been a great success, and plans are underway to replicate it for next year. “I am thrilled by the way the Friends community has responded to this important new global education initiative, putting language acquisition and the building of global citizenship at the forefront—particularly our intrepid Friends students,” explains Kara.