RTC Second Act
Trading lesson plans for shopping lists
Retiree Lorraine Castro has traded in lesson plans for shopping lists since joining forces with her daughter, an in-service teacher at DeWitt Clinton HS in the Bronx, to launch Flavor Bandits, a food truck business that serves up empanadas and other food at events north of New York City.
Crafting a theatrical return in retirement
Retired Queens teacher Rebecca Owens-Goldhammer staged a theatrical return to her first love in crafting her Second Act in retirement -- as a designer of theatrical headpieces.
Retired teacher becomes a Dragon Sister
Retiree Rita Kelly is setting the world ablaze in her second act as a Dragon Sister, one of an all-woman crew of dragon boat racers in Florida, where she and her teammates brave the waters in a thousand-year-old sport of endurance and speed.
Making beautiful music after retirement
Music has long been the soundtrack to Nancy Dunetz's life, and now the retired English as a second language educator has found a new calling as a violist for two ensembles in New York City.
Many happy (tax) returns and other helpful acts by former counselor
While many people were in the midst of holiday preparations or celebrations on Dec. 23, UFT retiree Theresa Hambel was taking a course on changes to federal tax law. It was part one of her annual training as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program tax preparer.
Dancing to his own drummer again
When Roy Fialkow retired in 2019 after a 29-year career as an adaptive physical education teacher, his life came full circle: He returned to Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, where he had been a dancer in his 20s, as the nonprofit’s education manager.