Hi and welcome to this blog.

I’m Nitasha Mathayas and I am a research scientist in education. In the last decade, I have worked within K-12 education space in various capacities: as a science curriculum developer, a 4th grade teacher, in ed-tech and educational game development, and most recently as a researcher investigating novel ways to improve science and computer science teaching and learning. I have several research publications that you can find on my ORCID account. I find learning to be a transformative experience and I want every child to have access to a joyful and empowering formal education.

I started this blog after my personal experience with corporate downsizing. Having just experienced the loss of my mother, my inspiration for coming into education, and then my job, the career that I had envisioned for myself , I’ve been confronting with what meaning and worth my work has been for me. But in coping with the loss of my muse, I found strength in sharing stories about her and was reminded of why education is so important to me. So I am bringing that experience over to these mass layoffs. I am collecting stories of federal workers and those affiliated with federal work to showcase who they are, what they did, and why they are so important.

Through this, I hope to reveal to the world our shared identity and our unique, irreplaceable community that—though severely wounded—will find a way to continue serving people. I hope these stories help you find you strength and purpose in your work.