Alissa Cherry

Alissa Cherry, Director of Education, is a youth media educator, sound engineer/designer, and photographer. She has her B.A. in American Studies and Journalism with a focus on popular youth culture and war time media from Brandeis University. She has her M.A. in Media Studies from The New School, where she researched and wrote on media education pedagogy for youth in urban war zones. Prior to joining the Reel Works family, she was a lead educator for the Coney Island Generation Gap film production program for two years, working with youth from underserved communities on film and photo projects exploring ideas of race, sexuality, gender, and religion. She previously lived in Washington D.C., where she was the Director of Communications and Partnership Development for the Phelps Stokes Fund, as well as assisting in policy and advocacy work with the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict. She is the author of educational policy in 13 states, protecting the privacy rights of minors and has been an active voice in American youth rights for over a decade. Alissa is an active leader of the MediaMKRS digital badging project in New York City, developing pathways to success for young people using connected credentials across the media and entertainment industry.

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