People Category: Instructors

Shea C. Megale joins Compass as the advisor of the Compass Collaborative student newspaper and facilitator of the teen Filmmaking Club. Shea is a published author of works in fantasy, science fiction, non-fiction, biography, and children’s literature. She was a gold medalist in the 2020 Reader Views and IPPY Awards and served as a judge … Read more

Karl Peterson has been playing chess for fifty years and teaching chess for fifteen years. He is a member of the US Chess Federation (USCF) where he is also a certified tournament director. Karl is a regular at the DC Chess League and the Arlington Chess Club, where he has earned a rating of 1700. … Read more

Lina Rodriguez earned a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology from the University of Maryland. She worked at both AstraZeneca and MacroGenics, Inc where she oversaw drug development and formulation and developed expertise in spectroscopic and physicochemical techniques. Lina has served as a lead science teacher for a STEM education program where she taught physics, chemistry, … Read more

Kathryn Beirne earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Education, Counseling and Development from George Mason University. She is certified in the Orton-Gillingham educational method and as an educational therapist through the National Institute for Learning Development. Kathryn works as both a professional and school counselor. She is the co-founder of … Read more

Ruth Jeantet earned a Bachelor of Arts in French and Spanish from Dickinson College. She studies English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese. In college, Ruth completed language immersion programs in France, Spain, and Argentina. She has more than 20 years of experience teaching Spanish and French to students from preschool to 12th grade. She has … Read more

Mercedes “Mercy” Wolverton is a Cybersecurity Engineering major at George MasonUniversity. She attended the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering inHuntsville, AL, and completed college coursework at Calhoun Community College asdual enrolled student. Mercy was homeschooled for the majority of her education whichafforded her the time to hone her expertise in coding, computer science, … Read more

Ryan Hughes is an Adjunct Professor of Kinesiology at both George Mason Universityand Northern Virginia Community College. He is also the Head Athletic Trainer for allstudent athletes at Annandale High School and works as a Certified Athletic Trainer forOrtho Virginia. Ryan also previously taught at California State University Northridge. Heearned a Master of Science in … Read more

Jessica Eastridge is an experienced instrumental music teacher, band director, and musician. She brings band experience from a variety of school settings including Riverbend Middle School in Sterling, VA; Hutto Middle School in Bainbridge, GA; and Pinckney Elementary School in Columbia, SC. Jessica has lead school concert bands along with specialty groups such as steel … Read more