Hathaway Miranda
TESTIMONIALS
We...had many people make verbal comments to us that you were excellent [as the Keynote Speaker] and that your energy was perfect for the conference.
Lydia Weiss, Director,
Women's Resource Center, Michigan State University
Heather has been instrumental in building and increasing the skills of our community of practice as a racial healing practitioner and also providing access to young and Spanish speaking participants to the healing circles. Her dedication to racial justice and capacity to build with others has been invaluable.
José Rico, Director
Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Greater Chicago, December, 2021
One has only to peruse Heather’s resume to know she is exceptionally qualified and exceptionally great at what she does, but what one might not glean is her deep emotional intelligence, her honesty, her kindness- and her impeccable character.
Mitchell Ross, Senior Vice President
Consumer Care, AARP, July 2022
Heather’s capacity to listen to her clients is something I admire a lot. She leads the room with an open heart, making sure everyone can share their voices creating a safe space for productivity and excellent work.
Denisse Ambert, Executive Managing & Financial Director
R.Evolución Latina
November, 2021
Heather Ana Hathaway Miranda was hired as a Consultant with Windy City Rollers for our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee's Anti-Racism Initiative. Heather was extremely flexible and cooperative with us despite timeline delays, shifts in goals, and changing needs. She went above and beyond in reaching out to league members, listening to our concerns, answering any questions leadership and members had, and attending various level meetings.
She hosted a racial healing circle, a league-wide anti-racism training, and focus groups with league members of color/BIPOC members. Heather was invested in our success as a league and really connected with many of us along the way. She maintained professionalism and confidentiality and built rapport and trust with the leadership and league members. She provided recommendations for future opportunities and growth for our league in regard to DEI goals. For organizations considering DEI work, I highly recommend Heather as an excellent resource and consultant.
Alice Amell (she/her/hers)
Executive Board, Windy City Rollers, August 2022
I have had the privilege of working with Heather for nearly six years. Heather was a member of Family Service Service's Speaker Bureau. As a member, Heather bravely shared her story and her journey to success with various audiences. Many times that audience was full of donors considering financial support for domestic violence survivors. Heather's unique storytelling abilities moved listeners to compassion and ultimately action. Not only did Heather make it possible to grow fundraising revenue, she also inspired domestic violence survivors to reach out for help. She is a constant advocate for those searching for a life free of fear and abuse. Her impact on Family Shelter Service cannot be measured. I will be forever grateful that she gave of herself and her time to help this important cause. Thank you Heather!
Lauren DeSimone, Family Shelter Service
October 2021
"You're an amazing and inspiring person and I am lucky to have you as my [instructor].
UIC Graduate Student, Summer 2017
"You are such an amazing and genuine person, and you really made my day. Your happiness, positivity, and passion is so refreshing and put smiles on so many faces today [as the Emcee of the Dia de la Mujer Conference]. I am beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from you. I don't have a mentor here at MSU but you inspire me and I now look to you as a role model. Thank you so much again!"
MSU Undergraduate Student, Spring 2017
"I just wanted to tell you how thankful I am to have you as a professor, thank you for believing in [me] when I no longer saw any hope myself."
UIC Undergraduate Student, Spring 2017
Heather did an awesome workshop for a California Library Association program that allowed all of us as participants the space and time to delve into deep conversation and storytelling in a way that felt safe. Personally, it did provide a moment of using my voice to provide insight in a group setting and allowed for open conversation between us all. I would highly recommend Heather to lead a workshop for your organization!
Veronica Boswell
California Library Association Fellow
March 2022
Heather organized an incredible panel discussion for our Lean In Latinas group on the topic of "Celebrating Afro Latinas and Addressing Anti-Blackness in Latino Culture."
Everyone who attended was moved in such a profound way, having a safe space to share about experiences as Afro-Latinas and allies. As a facilitator, she kept it fun and engaging. The energy was high and at the same time, the sacredness of the moment was always felt.
Heather has a gift for helping people bring topics to the table that need to be addressed but so often aren't. I highly recommend her as a proponent and guide in the journey of racial healing.
Nancy Marmolejo, Lean In Latinas, March 2022
"I highly appreciate your encouraging words. They've really hit...home. Thank you for being willing to guide me along the way."
UIC Undergraduate Student, May 2017
It is with great pleasure that I write a recommendation for Ms. Hathaway. I was fortunate enough to collaborate with Heather as co-chairs of the Illinois Latino/Latina Alumni association. As one of the founders and leaders of the organization, her steady leadership played an intricate role in the success of the organization. Ms. Hathaways' ability to successfully navigate the organization through complex start-up issues ensured that Illinois LLAA would have a solid foundation for its future success. I highly recommend Heather as a professional with a high degree of emotional intelligence that can successfully lead any program or team.
Luis Cruz, LLAA Former Board Member, October 2020
"I wanted to take this moment to thank you for the immense impact your course had on me this past spring semester. Taking Education 222 with you was a delight because you made us all feel very comfortable from the very first day of class. Your class provided safe space, allowing everyone to share their life experiences or simply state their opinions. When touching base on topics like gender or sexuality, many often fear the idea of speaking about their past experiences because they are afraid of being judged, but your classroom provided the complete opposite. We were all able to get out of our comfort zone through the group projects, article presentations, and even through guest speakers. The way in which you included a variety of work helped everyone stay [intact] and focused at all times. You included a lot of reading articles and assignments, but the way in which you broke them out throughout the semester helped us all stay organized. I personally believe that this course should be required for all UIC students because it is able to test your beliefs and you become more aware of the different [identities] within our society. It is a class that helps you stay or become open-minded. Thank you for motivating me to participate in the UIC Student Research Forum & Impact Day. I was a bit scared to put something together but you constantly helped me and my other classmate that participated. [Y]ou set time aside for us to do a great job with our projects which I will forever be thankful for...You have really helped me stay focused and ambitious, thank you very much! I will try updating you on everything I accomplish. Thank you for your impact!
UIC Undergraduate Student, May 2017
"I am a junior at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I just finished my first full year here after transferring from a community college. My time here has been amazing thus far and a big part of that is because Professor Hathaway. I was in her Education 222 class. School never came easy to me. I graduated high school with a 2.1 GPA. After my first year at UIC I finished with GPA of 3.45. Professor Hathaway was a big component to my success this year. In our time in class, she set a great environment for her students to succeed. It was a smaller class so, gave us the opportunity to share with one another on a personal level. Through my years of education I have never had a class experience like this. I got to know all my classmates and they learned a lot about me this semester. I got comfortable with who I am really am and was able to share that with class and eventually alumni. Through class decisions, worksheets, different out of the class assignments, Professor Hathaway really made us come out of your comfort zone. At first this can be a very scary thing, but when you do these things, it really opens your eyes and is such a positive learning experience. In all my years, Professor Hathaway was the one professor who really challenged me, and because of it I can honestly say I am better student, and a better person today. From her class, I have learn so much about different people as in race, gender, and ethnicity. The way she teaches and in discussions you can see her passion for others and equality. The passion and love she showed to her students was like I never seen, she truly cared about our individual success and our future careers. I have probably gotten to know Professor Hathaway more than most of my classmates over the semester. It was about halfway through the semester from she asked me if I would submit an assignment I did for her class for the 2017 UIC Impact Day. I was honored she asked me to be a part of such an event. I have never had an opportunity like this before. Professor Hathaway believed in me and honestly I can’t thank her enough for that. Believing in someone sounds like a simple thing, but isn’t something I have felt by my teachers in the past. For the first time in my life, a teacher was proud enough of my work and wanted me to speak at this UIC Impact Day. After many hours of working together on my speech, I felt overly prepared. With all of the help and suggestions of Professor Hathaway I was grateful enough to win this year’s award. I spoke on how my research of children’s books and how race, gender, and sexuality plays a role in these kinds of books and how that will impact my future career with working with kids that are different than me. Like I said before school was never easy for me but on top of that my whole life I have struggled with a stutter. I have been made fun as a kid and because of that I am naturally a shyer person. Teachers have really just ignored it and let me get away with not talking as much. Not Professor Hathaway. Throughout the semester we had to give many oral presentations in front of the class. At first I was very nervous about it and something I hated doing. After my time working one on one with my speech, and getting to know professor Hathaway she really showed me it’s okay to be who I am, and how I can use my stutter as an asset for my career and to relate with kids as I hope to be a counselor. As the semester went along, I got so comfortable that I even talked about my stutter in front of the class and even in presentation for Impact Day. Today I can honestly say I am more comfortable with who I am, and the reason for that is Professor Hathaway challenging me and for that I will always be thankful that I took her class and got to know her. A quote that I use to reflect on my time in the class is by Alrik Koedenburg; “To be outstanding- get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” It’s a message that Professor Hathaway uses through the way she teaches.
UIC Undergraduate Student, May 2017