Celebrating 10 Years With OnRamps
For 2025-2026, we are proud to recognize seven dedicated OnRamps Instructors celebrating their 10th anniversaries.
Nicole Banacka
Precalculus | Del Valle High School | Del Valle ISD
Nicole Banacka has built a classroom defined by support and curiosity, where students don’t just recognize patterns — they understand the “why” behind them. She values the inquiry-based learning pedagogy of OnRamps Precalculus, which engages students through collaboration and shared discovery. One of Nicole’s favorite moments came when students gathered at the whiteboard to solve a problem together, passing the marker so each could complete a step and ensure full understanding. When one student struggled, the others cheered him on until everyone grasped the concept. “The most rewarding part of my OnRamps experience is seeing the students shift their mindset throughout the school year.” While many students start the year focused on their grade, most gradually shift their focus to learning the material, as they build skills and confidence. “They start believing in themselves.”
Eli Briseno-Leggett
Precalculus | Akins Early College High School | Austin ISD
Eli Briseno-Leggett is the kind of educator everyone can rely on — providing steady support for students and thoughtful collaboration and guidance for colleagues. As a result of the deep expertise gained through 10 years of OnRamps professional development, Eli’s classroom serves as a model for inquiry-based learning, which fosters open-ended questions that inspire students to explore the “why” behind learning, while strengthening their communication skills. Eli’s greatest reward comes when students graduate and enter higher education prepared with the experience and skills they need to succeed: “It’s rewarding when former students return and tell me their first year at college was not scary or difficult due to the rigor and structure of our OnRamps Precalculus.”
Joe Dunlap
Rhetoric | Northeast Early College High School | Austin ISD
Joe Dunlap empowers his students to grow with confidence, encouraging them to take risks while knowing he’s there for support when they stumble. As an OnRamps Instructor, he also takes pride in watching students lift one another through collaboration and perseverance — something he saw firsthand with two refugee students from Eritrea and Afghanistan. “They wanted to try OnRamps because they heard it was the best preparation for college,” he recalls, and OnRamps Rhetoric provided the structure and challenge that allowed these two best friends to succeed and inspire their classmates. Experiences such as this have shaped Dunlap’s philosophy: “I’ve learned to trust students, believe in them, and get out of their way. I’m the cheerleader who carries a safety net — just in case.”
Angelica Garcia
Precalculus | Harmony School of Innovation - Fort Worth | Harmony Public Schools
Angelica Garcia doesn’t just teach OnRamps Precalculus — she teaches students to love and appreciate mathematics. Her passion for the subject is contagious, turning what may first seem daunting into a source of excitement for her students. “We teach a challenging course, but we’re able to do it successfully because of the support and training OnRamps provides. The professional learning helps us not only understand the content deeply but also build the confidence and strategies to guide our students effectively through a rigorous college-level experience.” That foundation empowers her students to see their own potential, leading one to share, “This is the first class where I actually feel intelligent.” Through OnRamps and Garcia’s steady guidance, her students gain the confidence and tools to succeed as they chart their own paths.
Emily Meisel
Rhetoric | Hudson High School | Hudson ISD
Emily Meisel says the most rewarding part of being an OnRamps Rhetoric Instructor is “guiding students through the college learning experience and helping them realize that all tasks are possible with patience and diligence.” She is grateful for the opportunities she’s had during the last decade to work with UT Austin faculty and build relationships with educators across the state of Texas. Reflecting on her career, Emily also appreciates how OnRamps has transformed her approach to teaching and prepared her for classroom implementation with “some of the best training I have experienced in my 25 years of teaching. The materials and demonstrations are so well thought out. Teaching OnRamps has helped me be a much better educator when it comes to scaffolding instruction. I have also gotten much better at helping students manage time and resources efficiently and effectively.”
Kellen Morgan
Statistics | Advanced Learning Academy | San Antonio ISD
Kellen Morgan teaches with warmth, clarity and a deep respect for what data reveals. He believes students gain real-world power when they learn how to interpret evidence and share insights clearly. “I have seen how introducing high-level statistics to students [changes] the way they see the world.” Kellen appreciates how the OnRamps course design supports high school students so they learn how to succeed in a college course. “It is easily the best Canvas course build-out I have ever seen.” The most rewarding part of the work is springboarding students on to future success, like the time one of his students discovered a passion for data science because of the course, then went on to major in it and launch a successful career with USAA — a proud, full-circle moment. Through the years, Kellen also has valued and enjoyed the support and collaboration with course staff, fellow educators, and UT faculty through OnRamps professional learning — and those experiences flow into every aspect of his work.
Claire Skierski
Rhetoric | Dubiski Career High School | Grand Prairie ISD
Claire Skierski has built a reputation for honesty, patience and the ability to bring out the best in every learner. Known for helping students push through struggle, Skierski believes mistakes are essential to growth and takes pride in seeing students “get it” and gain confidence. Colleagues admire her willingness to let students take ownership of their learning and a calm, reassuring approach that makes even the hardest lessons feel possible. Many former students reach out to tell her about their college successes, often crediting the writing and research habits learned in Skierski’s OnRamps Rhetoric course. Reflecting on this growth, Skierski shares, “Of all the training I participated in over the last three decades, I categorize my OnRamps training as having the single largest impact on my teaching. It revitalized my desire to teach.”