Bria Chavis:

Bria Chavis is Wilson’s newest social studies teacher. Born in Orlando, Florida, Chavis spent most of her life so far in North Carolina. She moved there at eight years old, and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at North Carolina State University. Though she has only just started her full-time teaching career, Chavis has always loved school. “I actually really enjoyed going to school and I really enjoyed doing homework. I was that kid that actually enjoyed school,” she said. Chavis decided to become a full-time teacher when she was working at a daycare in college. Not much later, she and her husband arbitrarily pointed to DC on a map and decided to move here. Having run track through her first two years of college, Chavis noted that, in the future, she might be interested in getting involved with the Wilson track team.

Christian Czaniecki:

Wilson’s new English teacher, Christian Czaniecki, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Czaniecki earned his bachelor’s degree at West Virginia University and his master’s degree at Queens University of Charlotte. Before Wilson, Czaniecki taught at Roosevelt High School for seven years. Outside of teaching, he enjoys carpentry, tattoos, poetry, travel, and running. Despite this being his first year at Wilson, Czaniecki has hopes to engage with many activities at the school. “I have already been drafted to being part of the video game club,” he said. He is also interested in any Wilson organization involving social justice or the arts. For the past five months, Czaniecki participated in a Fulbright fellowship in which he researched how the art and culture of New Zealand’s indigenous population is incorporated into into their school system.

Poonam Sharma:

Physics teacher Dr. Poonam Sharma was born and raised by a single mother in Northern India, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and PhD. Sharma first came to the U.S. after she was approached by an American professor who was impressed with her work, leading her to become a visiting research fellow at the University of Maryland for two years. She then moved back to India temporarily, where she taught at an engineering college and got married, before coming back to the States and getting her full teaching license in Delaware. She taught at a school in Delaware for three years and then moved down to DC to teach physics at Wilson. When she’s not grading papers or experimenting with the laws of motion, Sharma loves to cook, hike, and travel.