About – Trinity Advancement Academy

Trinity Advancement Academy’s Statement of Faith

We embrace the historic tenets of Christianity as presented in the following Statement of Faith. Beyond these primary doctrines, we respect and acknowledge that many secondary doctrinal questions exist among the true Body of Christ. We defer to parents and their local churches to clarify these issues.

We believe in One God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in a loving unity of three, equally divine persons:
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Our Holy Trinity.

Our mission is to collaborate with parents to help develop well educated, spiritually mature persons that are dedicated to Christ; equipped to contribute to his church, to society and to the well-being of their own persons.

We are dedicated to educating our scholars mind, body and spirit. We intend to feed their minds with a wealth of knowledge, bring their bodies to life in nature, and nurture and feed their spirit with God’s spoken scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments.

Meet the Faces Behind TAA!

Mrs. Daphne Fernández-Hawkins
Founding Director, Educational Mentor,
Curriculum & Events Manager

It is with great honor that I write this brief summary about myself, in hopes that it will paint a clearer picture of who I am as a person as well as an educator.

I am Latina, born and raised in Queens, NY to parents of Colombian descent. I have 2 sisters, and 1 brother. My father worked tirelessly 7 days a week to be able to provide us with the best life possible, so that my mother could stay home raising us. My mother dedicated 100% of her life to motherhood. She provided us with the right amount of love, discipline, family and moral values. One thing she stressed the most was getting an education and following our dreams, and what kind of daughter would I be to disappoint the most loving and selfless mother God had so graciously blessed me with.

I went on to pursue a Masters in both Special and General Education, and became licensed and certified in grades birth-8th grade. I worked for the New York City Department of Education in the Bronx for 17 years and provided early intervention services to babies and toddlers. I then moved to Rockland where I worked for East Ramapo Central School District, Clarkstown Central School District as well as other local, private early intervention agencies. I have worked with students as young as 6 months to 12th grade in both the general and special education settings. Teaching and educating young minds has been my calling, but it wasn’t until I was pregnant with my first child that I began to view things differently and question everything.

Once my daughter was born, my husband and I agreed that we would not allow society to dictate how we raise her. From that moment I knew I wanted to open up my own homeschooling co-op to help other families with similar views. Many times I started the process and drew up plans, contracts, etc. but it never went past that, mostly because of fear: fear of leaving my job, a secure income that helped to provide for my family, and the fear of not finding the right team to bring my dream alive. I sat on this dream for 5 years. Fast forward to 2023 when I was pregnant with my second child and it then became crystal clear that it was now or never. I am not only ready to make my mother proud, but I am ready to bring my dream alive and to do it with the best team. I have carefully handpicked each member on this team for their particular set of skills and strengths that I know will make for a successful co-op.

Let us help you homeschool your beautiful children in a caring, safe, like-minded environment where your voice is always heard and where Jesus Christ sits at the center of it all.

All are welcome! All minds matter here at
Trinity Advancement Academy!

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Mrs. Kimberly Moody
Founding Assistant Director, Educational Mentor,
Technical Support Manager

Hey everyone!

My name is Kimberly Moody and I am so excited to be serving as one of the educators in this co-op! Since we’ll be spending a good amount of time together, I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself. I was born and raised in Mt. Vernon, NY to Jamaican immigrant parents. My mom was a teacher back-home in Jamaica and started a very successful daycare when she came to America, with her students growing up to become engineers, entrepreneurs, fellow educators… I became an educator, following in mom’s footsteps.

I received a Masters in Special Education, grades 7-12, and have served as a high school special education teacher, specializing in math since 2015. I also have experience working as an IEP coordinator, helping educators best support our special needs students.

My first full-time teaching job was in an inner-city school in the Bronx, a melting pot of cultures, and a diverse set of economic backgrounds and learning needs. That experience has shaped my entire life. I’ve since left that school but continue to work alongside some of our most vulnerable learners which I’ve done in a virtual setting, working with students age 6 upwards in reading, writing and math. I went on to teach special education math at Ramapo High School in 2021, and upon giving birth to my daughter in May 2022, have since resigned and have been out of the classroom, doing my best to provide the most loving and nurturing environment for her.

I’ve always dreamed of homeschooling my children in order to provide more individualized instruction that caters to their interests, have more of a say in what academic, spiritual and social topics/ideas are being prioritized in my child’s learning, as well as to circumvent mandated state policies regarding my child’s health, a decision I believe should be made by each family based on personal convictions. Trinity Advancement Academy will allow me the opportunity to fulfill that dream of my daughter being homeschooled, whilst being in a setting with other children of like-minded families. Whatever your reasons for wanting to homeschool your children, at this co-op we welcome them all! I look forward to entering this exciting homeschooling journey with each of you!

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Mrs. Zullay Yepes
Founding Assistant Director, Educational Mentor,
Financial Manager

Hello families! My name is Zullay and I’m so excited to embark on this learning journey with you all. I am a math educator by trade and a lifelong learner at heart. Since my youth, God has always been a priority in my life, but as an adult, accepting Jesus Christ in my heart and pursuing a relationship with the almighty God is what has made me into the person I am today.

The world around us is filled with many diverse languages, cultures, formulas, natural habitats and so much more, and I’m excited to jump in and begin investigating with our curious scholars.

Pastor Jason Hamlet
Educational Mentor: Bible

Pastor Jason has years of experience homeschooling his own children as well as working in a traditional school setting. He received a B.S. degree in Biblical Studies from Trinity Evangelical Seminary, two Master’s degrees from Luther Rice Seminary and has been called to full-time ministry for the last 26 years. Pastor Jason is excited to be a part of the TAA team, teaching Bible in an exciting and interactive way to our young scholars.

TAA’s Board Members

Darcy K. Gomez
Vice President of the Board

Project Manager
Ms. Gomez currently works as a project manager, with a background in architecture, engineering and construction for over the past 20 years. She is so excited to be a part of the support group for TAA.

Christina Masso-Gonzalez
Board Member

Homeschooling Mother, Former Production & Project Manager
Mrs. Masso-Gonzalez is a stay at home mom. She currently homeschools 2 of her children along with supplemental education at a Christian co-op in Suffolk, Long Island. Her journey as a homeschooling parent began in 2019 with the repeal of the religious exemption and her need to seek education for her children outside of the confines of a traditional classroom setting. She has a good amount of personal experience with different types of co-ops and homeschooling styles. Christina believes the benefit of having her on the board would be her experience as a current homeschooling parent providing first-hand knowledge of a community that is growing exponentially and providing insight of what like-minded parents are looking for in a co-op like TAA. She is part of homeschooling groups that keep abreast of legislation that support and challenge homeschooling, and is very familiar with the requirements of the NY State Homeschooling laws as set forth in the NY 100.10 regulations. Prior to to Christina’s homeschooling journey, she was in the media industry as a project and production manager, and producer for well respected companies in the business such as Viacom, Vogue, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal. Her responsibilities included organizing shoots and handling million dollar budgets for events such as the Met Gala for Vogue, The New Yorker Festival, hiring and organizing travel shoots for The Wall Street Journal, and producing on-air video promos for MTV and the VMA’s.

Raúl Haynes
President of the Board

Head of Innovation at New York Life Insurance Company | Generative AI & CRM Product Owner
Mr. Haynes would like to help TAA push the envelope for transforming the learning experience into a modern era.

Jessica Jackson BSN, RN
Fundraiser of the Board

NYS Registered Professional Nurse
Ms. Jackson desires to help TAA maintain records of medical needs and files for existing students and staff. She plans to assist in providing medical updates and hands-on nursing to students and staff.

Christopher Liu, CFA
Treasurer of the Board

Independent Business Owner
Mr. Liu has over 20 years of experience in financial services, including financial education. He has served on numerous boards as both Treasurer and Chair of Braata Productions, his condo board as well as the Asian Employee Resource groups at Thomson Reuters and S&P Global. Mr. Liu is looking forward to serve on TAA’s board and assist with a successful financial journey.

Melissa Perez
Secretary of the Board

Certified General & Special Education Teacher, Birth – Grade 6
Ms. Perez is excited to share her knowledge in instructional methods, curriculum implementation and in helping to create a loving and positive environment while ensuring a high-quality education for all diverse learners.

Trinity Advancement Academy’s Statement of Faith

Meet the Faces Behind TAA!

Mrs. Daphne Fernández-HawkinsFounding Director, Educational Mentor, Curriculum & Events Manager

Mrs. Kimberly MoodyFounding Assistant Director, Educational Mentor,Technical Support Manager

Mrs. Zullay YepesFounding Assistant Director, Educational Mentor,Financial Manager

Pastor Jason HamletEducational Mentor: Bible

TAA’s Board Members

Mrs. Daphne Fernández-Hawkins
Founding Director, Educational Mentor,
Curriculum & Events Manager

Mrs. Kimberly Moody
Founding Assistant Director, Educational Mentor,
Technical Support Manager

Mrs. Zullay Yepes
Founding Assistant Director, Educational Mentor,
Financial Manager

Pastor Jason Hamlet
Educational Mentor: Bible