Alumni Profiles

Mustard Seed School graduates successfully gain entry into a variety of excellent high schools and colleges. 

They become leaders and world changers on a large and small scale.  Read more about the high schools and colleges attended by Mustard Seed alumni.

Oscar Velez '89

Oscar Velez has a passion for improving Jersey City schools and serving those in need.  A few years into his teaching career, he was chosen from 120 teachers at PS 24 and named “Teacher of the Year”, an honor usually reserved for veteran teachers.  Here he tells us a little bit about what he is doing now and how he got there. Read more.

Maggie Redden '99

When Maggie Redden was admitted to Kindergarten at Mustard Seed School, she faced a huge challenge:  the mountain of stairs between the first floor where her classroom was located and the second floor, where the school came together for community worship.  In September 2008, Maggie competed in Beijing at the Paralympics. Read about Maggie’s journey from Mustard Seed School to the Paralympics.

See Maggie’s Paralympics profile.  

Josh Gonzalez '00

Josh Gonzalez doesn’t care for the spotlight, but thinks that helping others get there is just as good.  He is a facilitator who likes helping others achieve their goals. A recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business, Josh is a part of a new business venture that helps homeowners avoid foreclosure. Read more.

Willow Latham '05

Willow Latham still has her Mustard Seed Seventh Grade science project in which she tested water in the Jersey City Reservoir:  it is a project she really enjoyed and sparked her interest in Biology.   At Hudson County High Tech High School, she majored in Biology her junior year and in Environmental Science her senior year.  Now she’s heading off to Harvard where she hopes to study Environmental Science and International Relations.  Read more.