Jesús Tirado
Rauner College Prep’s Dean of Discipline, Jesús grew up in the West Town neighborhood and graduated from Wells High School. He went on to receive his BS in Education from Northern Illinois University and taught in Chicago for 5 years before joining RCP. This year, Mr. Tirado completed a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Roosevelt University and joined the RCP staff as Dean of Discipline. He chose to work at Rauner because he believes deeply in the mission of the Noble Network. As a product of the neighborhood, he is excited to be a role model for first-generation high school and college graduates.
Zataya Shackelford
Rauner College Prep’s Dean of Students, Zataya Shackelford moved to Chicago from her native California to study education and has worked in Chicago schools for the past five years. Ms. Shackelford earned a BA in Psychology from St. Mary’s College of California and went on to work as a founding English teacher at ACE Tech Charter School on Chicago’s south side. In 2006, Ms. Shackelford joined the Rauner College Prep team and put her expertise to use, helping found the school as the Dean of Students. At Rauner, Ms. Shackelford hopes to see every student not only graduate, but to earn a college degree in four years.
Jacob Lessem
Lessem is a founding Math teacher at Rauner College Prep. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 2003 with a degree in Math and History, and went on to teach high school science and math at Zuni High School in Zuni, New Mexico through the Teach for America program. After three years in Zuni, Lessem moved to Chicago to help found Rauner College Prep in 2006. Lessem believes that “everything we do at RCP is 100% focused on student learning. It is incredible what can be accomplished when everyone is focused on the goal of college success.” Through his Math Concepts course, his Robotics Team, and the many ways Lessem contributes to the RCP community, he expects to not only prepare students for college mathematics, but to prepare them to thrive in the field.
Andew York
York is the Chemistry teacher at Rauner College Prep. He joined the RCP team in 2007 after six years of teaching both abroad and in Chicago. York earned a Bachelors degree in Environmental Science from the University of the West of England in 2000, and did post-graduate work in education at the University of Bath in 2001. Mr. York was excited to join the Rauner staff after teaching science in the UK and at the British School of Chicago here in the US. He guides students to develop skills in Chemistry and science that will serve them well in the future. His goal in teaching a relevant and challenging Chemistry course is to prepare students for college success and give them an international edge in their future studies.