Lauren Nechamkin is MOCA’s  Director of Education. She started her museum career at the New York Hall of Science, as an Explainer in their Science Career Ladder program, which cemented her fondness for unconventional education. She is a graduate of New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Social Studies Education, grades 7-12 and her initial certification for teaching social studies, with a 5th-6th grade extension. She student taught at CASTLE middle school on the Lower East Side and the High School of Arts & Technology. She is a Queens native, Jackson Heights born and bred, and harbors an immense pride for both the borough and the neighborhood.