Our new Mentoring Services Program Coordinator

Even though I was born in Mexico and migrated to the USA when I was eight years old, I still consider myself a product of the Bay Area. As an immigrant child, I grew up in a place that is not considered to be safe and was repeatedly told that I was not going to make anything of myself. From this personal experience, I can truly say that if it wasn’t for great role models in my life I would not be the person that I am today. For this reason, I am super excited to be joining an organization that dedicates its efforts to providing great role models for children that have all the odds stack against them, just like I did when I was growing up.

Prior to joining Friends for Youth, I was the program coordinator for the Peninsula Clergy Network. As the program coordinator, it was my duty to connect civic/community leaders and clergy, as well as to manage ongoing projects that benefitted the community. I have also served as an AmeriCorps member in the Education Department of Our City Forest, a San Jose environmental organization. This position gave me the chance to visit different schools in Santa Clara County and teach K-12 children about the benefits and importance of an Urban Forest.