Ms. Meimban has been in education for over 12 years, happily wearing many hats along the journey. She holds a master’s in education (curriculum and instruction) from Arizona State University. From 2011 to 2020, she was a Senior Lecturer at Northern Arizona University, where she taught English as a Second/Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) to international students and served as a teacher-trainer. She relocated to New York City to pursue the world of K-12 education and most recently was the ESL Specialist for Harlem Children’s Zone Academic Services Unit. She is thrilled to join BASIS Independent Manhattan to collaborate with and learn from fellow educators. She is drawn to the strong merging of academic rigor, data-driven approach, socioemotional lens, and humanity championed by BASIS Independent Manhattan. For fun, she moonlights as an English Tagalog translator, curriculum developer, and voice actor. She is an adventurous hiker having gone to places including the Grand Canyon, the tallest mountain in Arizona (Humphrey’s Peak), all five National Parks in Utah, and the Juyongguan Pass (Great Wall of China). Ms. Meimban enjoys undoing all that hiking by cooking and eating. She is also an avid reader of both fiction and nonfiction.

Ms. Neville is a native New Yorker and has worked in education for over 15 years. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts from New York University and received certification in teaching English as a foreign language. Ms. Neville began her career as an after-school teacher and then was promoted to the director of after-school programming. She also continued her work in the classroom as a substitute before becoming a teaching assistant. Most recently, Ms. Neville utilized her experience to successfully transition to the administrative side of education, specifically in operations. Ms. Neville’s joyful purpose is to ensure that our school is running smoothly and safely so that we can provide a world-class education to our amazing students. She continues to be excited about bringing engaging programs, clubs, and experiences to our Wildcat students. Ms. Neville loves traveling around NYC to enjoy all the great sights and activities. As a lifelong learner, she loves to acquire new knowledge and skills whenever possible. Since she was young, Ms. Neville has been a comic book fan, reading books and watching movies.

Ms. Rodriguez received a B.A. from St. Lawrence University. Shortly after graduation, she found her calling in Early Childhood Education. She has worked in both public and private schools in New York City as a lead teacher as well as in program development. Ms. Rodriguez maintains the goal of helping her students discover their inner passion and love for learning. She is looking forward to building lasting relationships with the students, parents, and staff at BASIS Independent Manhattan. In her free time, Ms. Rodriguez loves being outdoors, reading health books, and spending time exploring with her toddler.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Ms. Sancho ventured north to Canada in pursuit of a degree in accounting. Ms. Sancho’s time at business school was cut short because of the pandemic which fast-tracked her professional pursuits. She has always had a lifelong passion for events, art, and introducing creativity to children, so she began working directly in her field of directing and managing creative-based events from fashion shows to concerts to art galleries Most recently, Ms. Sancho worked at NYU’s Graduate Admissions department as an Assistant Program Director, before finding her place at BASIS Independent Manhattan as the Auxiliary Programs Coordinator. Ms. Sancho pours everything she knows into our students and our programming. Her goal is to provide both enriching and artistic levels of encouragement and engagement to our activities and events. In her free time, nothing brings her more joy than gardening, songwriting, and curating community and art-based events.

Mr. Shayan has diverse work experience which includes working in IT & Education. He has spent the last eight years in private schools both in the U.S. and Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electronic & Telecommunication Engineering. He has recently studied Project Management at Stony Brook University, which led him to earn his Certified Associate in Project Management certification. Mr. Shayan is passionate about technology and loves to learn new skills. In his role at BASIS Independent Manhattan, Mr. Shayan strives to serve the technology needs of all the school staff including students and faculty. In his downtime, he loves to read and travel, and also enjoys watching movies and TV shows.

Coming Soon!

Ms. Stanberry has always been passionate about merging technology and education. She has developed project-based curricula that empower students to implement their learning and foster their creativity. As an engineer, she constantly challenges herself to learn more and stay updated on industry standards. She specializes in Java, JavaScript, AJAX, HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, React, MongoDB, MySQL, Express, and JQuery. Her interests include Front End Web Development, Human-Computer Interactions, Graphic Design, edTech, and Curriculum Development.

Mr. Tejada, a first-generation high school and college graduate from Brooklyn, brings over a decade of distinguished experience in college counseling to BASIS Independent Manhattan. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College and holds a certificate in College Advising from Teachers College, Columbia University. Mr. Tejada’s career spans diverse educational landscapes, including public, private, charter schools, and non-profit roles, and as the founder of his consulting firm, We Go To College, LLC. He is also an application reader for the University of California, San Diego, contributing his expertise directly to university admissions processes.

Recognized for his educational contributions, Mr. Tejada co-authored the book Different Families, Still Brothers in 2012 and was honored as a Professional Fellow by the College Board in 2016. He serves on the boards of Stony Brook University’s Counselor Advisory, Uprooted Academy, and Puerto Rican Family Institute, Inc., reflecting his commitment to community engagement and advocacy. Previously, Mr. Tejada was on Common App’s Counselor Advisory Committee and College Access Consortium of New York’s board. He has presented at major conferences and been featured on NewsNation, The New York Times, NPR, and Forbes.

Mr. Tejada is eager to bring his wealth of experience and academic credentials to BASIS Independent Manhattan, where he will apply his personalized approach and extensive network to support students in achieving their higher education goals. His decision to join our community was inspired by our school’s small class sizes and rigorous academic standards. Outside of work, Mr. Tejada enjoys gaming on his PS5 and following wrestling events.

Now in her tenth year of working in Operations at New York City private and charter schools, Ms. Waryniak brings her experience and expertise to our growing school. She is a native Upper Westsider, and is most excited to connect with the vibrant and diverse BASIS Independent Manhattan community! In her free time, Ms. Waryniak enjoys exploring all the different donut shops in the city, traveling to new places, and spending time with her family.

Ms. Williams holds a Master in Advanced Secondary Education of English and Latin from Leipzig University, Germany, which is equivalent to the U.S. Bachelor’s Degree in Education. While at Leipzig University, Ms. Williams worked as a German language assistant for the British Council in Northern Ireland. Ms. Williams continued her educational career as a teacher trainee in Germany, and as a freelance language teacher in New York. Ms. Williams joined the BASIS Independent Manhattan team for its founding year as a Teaching Fellow before returning to her calling as a Latin Subject Expert Teacher. Ms. Williams’ goal is to equip students with a joy of learning Latin language skills including vocabulary, grammar, etymology, and syntax, as well as analytical thinking. These skills establish a foundation for the study of English grammar and vocabulary and advanced learning in Latin and modern languages. Through learning the Latin language, students will explore Roman culture and history and its impact on modern languages and societies. Outside of work, Ms. Williams enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking, exercising, dancing, playing games, and spending time with her husband, two children, and their dog. In rare moments of “me-time,” you can find Ms. Williams playing the accordion.