Meet Our Team

DANNY RAFAJKO

Regional Center Director

Danny oversees the educational integrity of our programs, managing and training our team of tutors. He joined the Sylvan family three years ago after 18 years as an elementary school teacher, principal, and district special education director. Danny draws from his vast knowledge and experience in K-12 education when making recommendations to new Sylvan families and creating their child’s personalized learning plans to ensure academic success. He holds a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas State University and a M. Ed. in Educational Leadership from UTSA. When not at Sylvan, Danny enjoys spending time with his family, watching sports, and traveling.

Michaela is an alumnus of Fusion Academy and August Escoffier. She has 10 years of experience in childcare, and began working in education 4 years ago. She started in this field at 17 as a camp counselor and has held numerous positions in childcare before starting her career here at Sylvan. Her time at Fusion Academy made her passionate about alternative education opportunities and giving back to future students in need of support. Michaela holds a SUN certification for Director of Education and is CPR certified. She loves building students’ confidence in themselves, helping them develop a genuine love for learning, and considers herself a life-long student. When not working at Sylvan, Michaela enjoys playing with her dogs, Calliope and Persephone, watching documentaries, baking pastries, singing musical theater, going to museums, and reading a good book.

Sally White

CERTIFIED TUTOR

Sally is a tutor at Sylvan. She is a retired teacher with over 44 years of teaching experience. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary and a Bachelor of Science in Special Education MR from McNeese State University. Her certifications are in Elementary, LLD, MR, and History. At Sylvan, Sally enjoys teaching Elementary Reading, Language Arts, and Math. When not at Sylvan, Sally enjoys sightseeing and shopping. Sally is also an avid handbag collector.

Melinda Garrett

CERTIFIED TUTOR

Melinda is a tutor at Sylvan of Cedar Hill with 21 years of teaching experience. She holds a BS in Psychology from SMU and a Master’s in Special Education from Grand Canyon University. She holds certifications in SPED, EC-4, and ESL. At Sylvan, Melinda enjoys teaching Elementary Reading and Elementary Math. When Melinda is not at Sylvan, you will find her hanging out with her grandson, reading novels, binge-watching Netflix, and traveling.

Austin (Brad) Forehand

CERTIFIED TUTOR

Brad is a tutor at Sylvan of Cedar Hill. He brings a rich teaching experience of over 17 years. He holds a Bachelor’s in Music Education from Tarleton, and Educational Leadership from Tarleton and currently pursuing a degree in Special Education from the University of North Texas. He holds certifications in Music Generalist, Math, FSL Supplemental, Principal, and Special Education. At Sylvan, Brad enjoys teaching Math, Reading, and Science. When not at Sylvan, he enjoys playing music, watching star wars, spending time with his family, and watching movies.

Juna is a tutor at Sylvan of Cedar Hill. She has a very rich background of 34 years of teaching at the Dallas ISD. She holds a BS and an M.Ed. from East Texas State University. She also holds her certifications in Elementary Self-Contained Generic and Special Education. She enjoys teaching all subjects at Sylvan. When not at Sylvan, Juna enjoys reading, watching TV, watching movies, and singing.

Tayla Frizell

CERTIFIED TUTOR

Tayla is a tutor at Sylvan of Cedar Hill. She holds a B.S. in Mathematics from MS Valley State University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from MS Valley State University. She holds her certifications in Special Education EC-12, Special Education K-12, and Mathematics 7-12. At Sylvan, she enjoys teaching Mathematics. When not at Sylvan, you will find Tayla making Tik Tok videos.

Shantel Wright

Tutor

Shantel is a tutor at Sylvan of Cedar Hill. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science from Bowie State University. At Sylvan, Shantel enjoys teaching Reading and Science. When not at Sylvan, Shantel enjoys spending time with her family.

Glory is a tutor at Sylvan of Cedar Hill. She graduated from Bennett College with a major in Chemistry and a minor in Mathematics. At Sylvan, Glory enjoys teaching Math. While not at Sylvan, Glory enjoys journaling, shopping, eating, drawing, and reading.

Rayna Ross

Tutor

Ms. Rayna is a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana with a degree in Biology and Chemistry. She has 4 years of experience in running volunteer tutoring programs, time spent as a summer camp guidance counselor, and newly hired substitute teacher. What she loves about working at Sylvan is getting to those “aha” moments with students and watching them get excited about their progress. She enjoys building meaningful connections with students and inspiring them to be their best selves. When not working with the students at Sylvan, Ms. Rayna enjoys playing basketball and going to the gym, roller skating, and braiding hair.

Shevonne Turner

Tutor

Shevonne is a graduate of The University of South Alabama with a degree in biology, and has 12 years teaching experience. She holds a certification in 4-8 science. She enjoys building relationships with students outside of her school, and witnessing their growth and development at Sylvan. When not working with students at Sylvan, Shevonne enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with family.

Claudia attended Pasadena City College, where she studied as an art major. She moved to Texas in 2006 and has been serving children and their families through ministry. She later decided to change her path and joined the education system. She found her love and passion in the public school system, teacing K-3 and K-4 children. She continued on to teach K – 6th, as well as special education. Claudia has also acted as administrative support to school principals in both the private and charter school systems. Claudia loves and enjoys seeing her students excel in their learning through reading. It makes her feel proud seeing their accomplishments in developing the necessary skills they need.