Year of Graduation: 2010
Degree: MAT with English as a Second Language Endorsement (Monmouth, 2010); Ed.D. with a Concentration in Education, Culture, and Society (Rutgers, 2019)
Job Title: Reading Interventionist
Employer: Red Bank Borough School District, Red Bank, NJ
Alyssa May (O’Keefe) attended Monmouth University for both her undergraduate (2009) and graduate (2010) studies. Alyssa earned a B.A. in Anthropology with minors in Sociology and Psychology. She was a member of the Lambda Alpha National Anthropology Honor Society. During her time as an undergraduate, Alyssa was fortunate enough to have an experiential education placement at Long Branch Public Library teaching ESL to adult learners. It was then that she decided to enroll in the MAT program with ESL endorsement to make the most out of her interests in language, culture, and learning. For student teaching, Alyssa was placed in a Red Bank Primary School kindergarten classroom. She went on to teach at Red Bank Primary School in third grade, ESL K-3, and kindergarten for 10 years! She continues to be an integral part of this school community in her newer role as Literacy Interventionist.
During her career, May has served many different roles as a teacher leader for her school district including: curriculum developer, grade level leader, mentor, presenter, and PD facilitator. She has presented at NJTESOL, NJFEA, NJAET and numerous other University conferences. Alyssa was named teacher of the year for Red Bank Primary School in 2013, a Teacher Who Rocks in 2018, and Exemplary Elementary Educator in 2018 from the NJDOE. She holds Elementary Education, Teacher of English as a Second Language, and Supervisor certifications. Alyssa and a colleague began an educational consulting business, Together is Better, to support other school districts seeking support in curriculum development, collaboration, and effective practices for English Language Learners.
May feels deeply connected to the MU community. She spent much of her childhood visiting the campus as her mother, Susan O’Keefe, was an administrator for over 30 years for the University. May became an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the Fall of 2018. She primarily teaches ED-320/550: Teaching English Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom for both undergraduate and graduate students. In this writing intensive course, students address issues and research-based pedagogical strategies of teaching English language learners in today’s mainstream classrooms. She is looking forward to Teaching ED-327/583: ESL Methods I this coming year!
May is a highly dedicated member of the Monmouth & Red Bank communities of students, families, leadership, and staff.