Cristina O’Brien
Partner at The Institute for Self Directed Learning
Cristina’s passion for education developed in her undergraduate years at
Stanford University, during which she tutored, volunteered in
classrooms, and took education and childhood development courses. She
returned to Stanford for her Master’s Degree in education and afterwards
taught in a Title1 bilingual elementary school in San Francisco for
several years.
Hoping to create a personalized education experience for more students,
Cristina co-designed The Croft School, an independent elementary
school in Providence, RI. She taught the founding kindergarten class in
Providence and went on to co-found its sister school in Boston, MA,
where she continues to serve as a senior advisor. Throughout her
experiences in education, the importance of self-directed learning and
strong relationships have been guiding principles for Cristina, and she
brings those experiences and beliefs to her work through The Institute of
Self-Directed Learning.