ABOUT
The Creators
Barbara Morrow
Barbara Morrow is a middle and high school educator of twenty four years, with an MEd in Science in Inquiry-Based Education. She has encouraged students (especially young women) to participate in extracurricular STEM activities throughout her teaching career. Having twice received the prestigious Lemelson MIT Excite (Teaching) Award, the Pam Wilson Endowment Grant, Middle School Teacher of the Year Award, and two Arts and Science Council Grants, Barbara brings her passion for learning into the lives of the young women with whom she works. Recognizing the need for expanding an extracurricular environment for middle school girls to express and grow their interest in computer science, introduced girls' coding and STEM programs at Charlotte Latin School, which she has advised for the past six years. In this program, Barbara encouraged and recruited the help of high school students and provided them leadership opportunities of mentorship with the younger students. Additionally, for the past twenty years, Barbara has been heavily involved in the writing of high-stakes End of Grade/Course assessments for over twenty-five states in the United States. This also included writing the assessment for the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) for numerous years, as well as the online Science ERB Assessment. In 2010, Mrs. Morrow’s curriculum-writing experience was utilized to write lessons for the U.S. Department of Defense Army Educational Outreach Program (eCYBERMISSION) that are utilized by teachers across the United States and military bases abroad. Finally, Mrs. Morrow is noted for the consistent refinement of the curricula utilized in both her Science and Girls' Innovation and Design courses.
Shira Bordoloi
As a wellness vendor for the New York City Department of Education, Shira has implemented programs at more than 150 public and private schools and has worked with thousands of students, faculty and administrators. She has a degree in Business Administration from Baruch College and is also an AFAA-Certified Group Fitness Instructor. Her first foray into teaching a computing class was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time because she had no prior experience teaching Scratch. However, she coached an award-winning team and discovered how empowered young girls felt by learning foundational software development skills. Shira partnered with Barbara to launch The Angelica Institute in 2020 with the goal of providing young girls the inspiration and confidence to achieve highly paid and impactful careers in software development and technology entrepreneurship.
DEI
The Angelica Institute, Inc. (“TAI”) services a diverse population of students, parents, families and schools. TAI also contracts staff with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. In recognition of that multi-faceted diversity, TAI shares a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.
​
Further, it is important for TAI to establish and communicate to all contractors, schools and families its beliefs and expectations for all schools and students, especially in these pivotal moments in history that we are currently experiencing. A growing body of research finds that all students benefit when their schools implement strong Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies and practices – including academic, cognitive, civic, social-emotional, and economic benefits. Strong DEI policies, in partnership with parents and families, empower students from all backgrounds to visualize successful futures for themselves and provide them with a sense of belonging and self-worth. These benefits can lead to improved student achievement, which in turn can lead to better outcomes in other areas of their lives, including work and civic engagement. This is true regardless of a school’s geographic location or the demographic composition of its students and faculty.
​
We recognize that the decision to adopt a DEI policy, as well as the contents of such a policy, are ultimately matters of individual discretion. However, we at TAI believe strongly that there is a moral and economic imperative to remove the inequities that stand in the way of success for whole segments of our nation’s student population. Accordingly, TAI expects that all school districts and institutions of higher education will develop and implement policies and practices that advance diversity, equity and inclusion – and that they will implement such policies and practices with fidelity and urgency. It shall therefore be the policy of TAI to encourage and support efforts to create within our organization an ecosystem of success that is built upon a foundation of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, opportunity, innovation, confidence, trust, respect, caring, and relationship-building.
​
Diversity is about all of us. Inclusion is about all of us. At TAI, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment that values the experience, perspective, and contributions of all contractors, schools, students and families. At TAI, respect for diverse backgrounds and ideas is crucial to academic excellence. As a result, TAI seeks to foster an inclusive environment where the individual differences among us are understood, respected and recognized as a source of strength that enriches the organization. In order to further the goals of diversity and inclusion, TAI will engage in a series of diversity initiatives to attract, retain, and develop the best talent for our organization. Attracting, retaining, and developing this talent are all crucial to TAI’s mission: putting children first and striving for excellence in education. In consideration of the diverse population served by TAI, we promote the recruitment and retention of a workforce from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to complement the backgrounds, experiences and perspectives of TAI students, parents and families at the city district, community district and school level. By fostering the goals of diversity and inclusion, TAI will be better equipped to serve all students, families and parents.
​
TAI also recognizes the importance of diversity in procurement and partnering with our surrounding communities with a shared mission for student success and equitable outcomes. As a result, TAI engages in outreach initiatives to enhance the abilities of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises to compete and meaningfully participate in the TAI procurement process. TAI also supports families and seeks to foster empowerment and collaboration within our communities.
​
TAI employees must also not engage in discriminatory behavior and/or harassment on the basis of any of the above-protected classifications towards other individuals who do business with TAI, use TAI facilities or otherwise enact with TAI. It is also the policy of TAI to provide equal educational opportunities, including ensuring that all students are provided access to TAI programs, services, activities, and facilities, without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender or weight, and to maintain an environment free of harassment on any of the above-noted grounds, including sexual harassment or retaliation. TAI is committed to establishing both a workplace and education environment free of discrimination. As such, it is TAI policy to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws pertaining to discrimination and equal employment opportunity.