Collaborative Opportunities for Raising Empowerment

2009 Speaker Series Panelists

RIO M. GUERRERO, ESQ.
Immigration Attorney and Adjunct Professor, CUNY-SPS
Managing Member, THE GUERRERO LAW FIRM

Attorney Rio M. Guerrero earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Brooklyn Law School. While attending law school, he was awarded the prestigious Edward V. Sparer Fellowship. In 1997, as a Sparer Fellow, he worked as a legal observer within the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, and with several non-governmental organizations in Manila, The Philippines. In 1994, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, and another Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations, from The American University of Washington D.C.

Attorney Guerrero is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He is also the founding and current Chair of the Asian American Bar Association of New York - Immigration and Nationality Law Committee. He frequently authors articles published in newspapers and other periodicals concerning legal issues including, but not limited to, family and employment-based immigration, immigration-related federal litigation, and naturalization.

He is an adjunct professor at The City University of New York - School for Professional Studies (CUNY-SPS), where he designed and teaches the CUNY-SPS Introduction to Immigration Law online course. He has also taught the CUNY-SPS Business Immigration Law in-classroom course. Moreover, Attorney Guerrero has served as an expert witness regarding U.S. immigration laws before the New Jersey State Superior Court System.

During his professional career, Attorney Guerrero has successfully counseled countless individuals, families, and businesses concerning their U.S. immigration matters. He is the founding member of The Guerrero Law Firm, which focuses its practice on U.S. employment-based and family-based visa petitions; citizenship and naturalization; removal and other immigration-related litigation. Attorney Guerrero has served as a guest speaker and lecturer at many events, upon the invitation of organizations and charities, concerning changing U.S. immigration laws, including continuing legal education courses and legal symposia.

Attorney Rio M. Guerrero is admitted to practice law in the State Courts of New York and New Jersey; the U.S. District Court of New Jersey; and the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

SHARON LABAO
Assistant Vice-Principal, I.S. 318

Born in the Philippines and raised in California, Sharon Labao is now a ten-year resident of New York. She currently serves as an Assistant Principal at I.S. 318, the School for Mathematics, Science, and Technology through the Arts, a middle school in the Bronx. In her 16 years as an educator, she has served as an administrator, a staff developer, a teacher trainer/supervisor, an educational consultant, a director of new teacher programs, and most importantly a mathematics and science teacher.

Although she has worked with all grade levels and all ages, her passion is working with those students in the "middle" by creating an environment of success for these young adults. In 2004, she served on the FAHSI board assisting with their educational programs. Currently she serves on the Middle School Task Force for the GO Project in New York which is designing a middle school program to complement their elementary school intervention program.

Sharon is an avid grant writer and has won several grants as a teacher that allowed her classrooms to be technology rich. She currently seeks grant opportunities that provide resources for her students and teachers.

She is a graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University where she received a Master's Degree in Elementary Education and an Advanced Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She received her undergraduate degree in Sociology at the University of California at Berkeley.

LARA MANJARES-CIAMICIAN
Deputy Director, Columbia University

Lara has been working in higher education for 16 years. She has held several positions in the higher education arena, ranging from student services to consulting to research. She has been a financial aid counselor, a consultant for higher education institutions and currently works in research administration. Lara has worked at Penn State University, Long Island University, New York University, KPMG Consulting, and Columbia University.

She is the Deputy Director of Columbia University's School of Social Work Office of Sponsored Programs. In this job, Lara is responsible for the School's externally funded research projects. To name a few, she administers grants from the Ford Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Open Society Institute.

Lara graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and has a Master's degree in Political Science from Long Island University. She is now pursuing her EdM degree in Higher Education at Teacher's College/Columbia University. Lara volunteers her time at Filipino American Human Services, Inc. where she is a Board member. Lara was also one of the founding members of CORE and has held several leadership positions in the organization.

Lara was born in the Philippines and was raised in Hollis, Queens and Dix Hills, Long Island. She currently resides in Manhasset, New York. She is married to Aram Ciamician and is the proud mother of Lucine Elisa, who is 1 1/2 years old.

ANNE MATEMATICO
Dance Instructor and Entrepreneur

Anne graduated from the University of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance. For the past 16 years, she has enjoyed both performing and teaching the art of dance to almost every age range. Anne has performed regionally and nationally in shows such as "The King and I", "42nd Street" and for numerous industrials, commercials and concerts. The list includes Amena cellphone (Spain), Total Payments, Prudential Insurance, Johnson and Johnson, Bette Midler, Kool and the Gang and many Polynesian dance troupes. She has appeared on almost every major television network and performs and teaches regularly in the tri-state area with organizations such as the Leadership Program and the Educational Alliance. She is also a co-founder of "Aloha Hula NYC" and part-restaurateur. Anne is the co-owner of Staten Island-based Dance Central New York, Inc., a multi-generational and multi-cultural dance school for children and adults that promotes creativity and gives quality instruction in the arts. She serves as one of its distinguished dance instructors.

HARRY RAMOS
Early Childhood Educator

Harry Ramos currently resides in New York City and teaches at the Baruch College Early Learning Center. His career in education started in 1990. Over the past 19 years, he has gained increasing responsibilities in roles that included Aide, Assistant Teacher, Group Leader and currently Lead Teacher. He has worked with children ages 2 1/2 through 18. In 1998, he received his Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Hawaii. In 2007, Harry graduated from Hunter College in New York City with a Master of Science in Education in Early Childhood. He is a proud member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and Kappa Delta Pi (an international honor society in education).

Born in the Philippines, Harry and his family moved to Hawaii when he was two years old. There, he found his mentors and discovered a talent for reaching children. He has worked in pre-schools and public schools at all grade levels (elementary, intermediate and secondary) in Hawaii, Seattle and New York. He sits on the board of directors of the Safe Zone Foundation whose mission is to change peer culture in order to prevent increasing violence against women and girls through education, entertainment and positive representation of women.

Currently, he is also a keiki (children's) hula instructor for Hula Keiki New York and independently teaches ukulele to adults and kids. His focus in education is in seeing children as individuals and to guide them to reach their full potential. In the coming year he plans to teach in the Philippines and continue his research on the influence of non-stereotypical books and picture books on young children's gender attitudes.