Matt Warshauer returns to the podcast. He's been working as a history professor at Central Connecticut State University, as the host to the Connecticut History Day, and a member of the Connecticut Council for the Social Studies Board of Directors. On this episode, Matt discusses his new book, “Creating and Failing the 9/11 Generation: The Real Story of September 11”.

Melissa Zablonski has taught social studies at Putnam High School for nine years, including U.S. History, AP U.S. History, Psychology, Anthropology, and the Black, African-American, Puerto Rican and Latino studies class. In 2022, she earned her doctorate degree in education after completing research on building capacity of teachers to serve English learners in their mainstream classrooms.

Steve Thornton has spent his adult life as an activist and organizer, working with various groups for social, economic, racial, and environmental justice. He is the author of A Shoeleather History of the Wobblies: Stories of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in Connecticut (Red Sun Press, 2013), Wicked Hartford (The History Press, 2017), and Good Trouble: A Shoeleather History of Nonviolent Direct Action (Hard Ball Press, 2019).

Snigtha Mohanraj is a rising senior and volunteers with local climate groups, conducts independent research regarding water contaminant removal and works on addressing educational disparities in New Haven. She enjoys the intersection of civics with other fields such as environmental science. Yasmeen Galal, who graduated high school in May of 2024, took on various advocacy roles, including serving as the president of Connecticut Student Council and as a student representative on Connecticut's Board of Education. She's interested in the intersection between technology and policy, to ensure that society can advance technology while keeping humanity at the forefront.

Having taught many secondary social studies courses, Wesley Hedgepeth currently teaches AP U.S. Government, AP Comparative Politics and World History at Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia. In 2023, he was elected to be the National Council for the Social Studies President.

Returning to the podcast, Larissa Babij, was born in the United States to Ukrainia-American parents, and attended school in Manchester, CT where she was taught by co-host Steve Armstong. Living in Kyiv, Ukraine since 2005, Larissa chronicled the first year of Russia's unilateral, full scale invasion of Ukraine through vivid dispatches that she posted on her website, now collected and published as "A Kind of Refugee: The Story of an American Who Refused to Leave Ukraine".

Daniel Martinez HoSang is a professor of American studies at Yale and a member of the Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning Collective Steering Committee. Before graduate school, Dan worked as a community and labor organizer for many years, focused in part on student and parent organizing. And nowadays, Dan works with educators in a variety of roles, from leading professional development workshops to connecting college students with teachers in New Haven public schools.

Irene Parisi is the chief academic officer of the Connecticut State Department of Education. As a chief academic officer, Irene has been working with the team to co-create a renewed ecosystem of support for Connecticut school districts to rewrite the rules for educational design and delivery. She's recognized statewide for her work in designing digital and remote learning environments, developing open education resources, and for her commitment to advancing equity through any time, anywhere, access to model curricula and open education resources.