Professional Staff

Khadija Bonhomme-Kennedy
Early Intervention Initiative Counselor - Talent Search

Khadija joined DDC in January 2006. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University. Her family is from Haiti, and she currently resides in Queens. Khadija has experience working with youth in her personal life and in volunteering her time on trips run by A Child's Place in Queens. In her spare time, she plays basketball, performs African dance, and sings. She also enjoys learning and speaking different languages

Ellen Bronstein
9th and 10th Grade Counselor - Talent Search

Ellen is a Long Island native, who graduated from Binghamton University in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and earned a Master of Science in Education with a specialization in counseling in May 2006. She also holds NYS provisional certification in School Counseling. Her previous youth experiences include working as a guidance counselor intern at a middle and high school on Long Island. She also worked at Hofstra University coordinating freshman and transfer orientations. In her free time she enjoys reading, exploring Manhattan, and spending time with friends and family.

Marvin Cabrera
Outreach Coordinator

Marvin, a DDC alumnus, graduated from Wesleyan University with degrees in Spanish and Latin American Literature. He joined DDC in 1992 and has been with the Center since as a Counselor and Assistant Director for the Talent Search Program before moving into his current role as Outreach Coordinator. While at Wesleyan, Marvin worked with the school's Upward Bound Program. In his free time, Marvin enjoys running and reading about history.

Luisa Cruz-Medina
Admissions Coordinator

Rachel Ford
Assistant Director - Upward Bound

Rachel, a native of Kingsport, TN and Hamden, CT, joined DDC in September of 2000 after graduating from Columbia University in 1998 with a degree in Environmental Biology. While completing her undergraduate degree at Columbia, Rachel worked as a tutor, RTA, and teacher for DDC. Prior to joining DDC, Rachel worked for the Mercy College Science and Technology Entry Program. Rachel's other interests include travel, soccer, and coffee.

Linda Gilbert
Business Manager

Muriel A. S. Grimmett
Executive Director

A specialist in multicultural education and African-American studies, Dr. Grimmett has worked at the national, regional and state levels on issues related to enhancing access and outcomes for low-income, college-bound students. She has held administrative and teaching posts at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Rutgers University, Carleton College and Southern Illinois University.

Anthony N. Jones
12th Grade Counselor - Upward Bound

Anthony grew up in Queens, New York and attended Rutgers The State University of New Jersey where he earned a B.A. in English and Humanities. Anthony joined the DDC family in March of 2007 and his past experience working with youth include working as a Resident Assistant, Writing Coach and High School Basketball Coach. Anthony looks forward to continuing his work with youth in the community as well as earning his M.A. in Higher and Post Secondary Education from Columbia University.

Stephanie Louis
9th and 10th Grade Counselor - Upward Bound

Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Miami, Florida, Stephanie graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in Psychology and is completing her M.A. in Psychology from New York University. She joined the DDC family in October of 2005, her major career aspirations include working as a school psychologist in an urban setting. During her free time, Stephanie enjoys writing, watching foreign movies and real sports, learning, new languages, and listening to good music.

Karl Roesler
Assistant Director - Talent Search

Karl, a native of Joliet, Illinois, graduated from the University of Illinois in 1999 with a B.S. in Kinesiology and earned his M.A. in Social and Cultural Anthropology from Columbia University. Karl joined the DDC staff in August of 2004, and his past experiences working with youth include coaching wrestling and BBBS. Karl enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling.

Shawn Sadjatumwadee
11th Grade Counselor - Upward Bound

Shawn joined the DDC staff in October of 2002 after graduating from Morehouse College with a B.A. in History. The Cerritos, California native is currently working on his M.A. in Comparative and International Education at Teachers College. His previous experiences with youth include tutoring at Dean Rusk Elementary in Atlanta, Georgia and coaching basketball. Some of Shawn's other interests include sports, world travel, and Asian/Asian-American history.

Christina Saraceno
Development Officer

Christina grew up in Yonkers, New York and received her B.A. in English and psychology from Sarah Lawrence College and her M.F.A. in fiction writing from Columbia University. Before joining the Double Discovery Center in November 2005, Ms. Saraceno was the College Bound Coordinator for Legal Outreach, a Harlem non-profit. She has also been a private tutor in language arts, an after-school tutor for the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services and spent several years as a journalist and editor for RollingStone.com, W, Time Out New York and other publications.

Tijan White
Early Intervention Initiative Coordinator - Talent Search

Tijan, a New York City native, was primarily raised and educated in St. Thomas US Virgin Islands. He received a B.A. in Psychology from Tufts University in 2000 and taught in the Washington DC public high school system. Tijan has previously worked with TRIO programs as a counselor for nearly three years before joining DDC in September of 2006. As a constant advocate for young people, Tijan looks forward to positively impacting our community's youth. In his free time, Tijan likes to read about revolutionary thinkers, stay active with sports and travel as much a possible.