Former TFs ('10) Lisa and Elijah shake their groove thang at Lisa's wedding.
The class of 2010 seems to be following the same mission they were here at Citizen Schools; educating youth and strengthening communities post fellowship. Find out who went into classroom teaching, who’s still working for the CS mission, and who’s celebrating their nuptials and upcoming weddings.
Lisa and her new hubby.
Lisa Gentes Hunt (‘10) “I’m currently living in Milton, MA working as an editor for AOL/Patch.com. I just got married on October 8, 2011 in Milton/Boston. Three former students attended my wedding from 8GA Boston, along with several former TLs and TFs. I keep in touch with Margaret Irving, Elijah Heckstall, Aaron Altman, Adrienne Keller, Stephanie Chery and many others from 8GA Boston along with my former students via Facebook. (: I’m keeping that community spirit going by working as a local editor and focusing on community journalism in Canton, MA.”
Sarah Brown (‘10) “I’m currently living in New York City, in West Harlem. I’m working with Citizen Schools as the Deputy Director for Campus Recruitment. In this role, I serve as the Campus Recruitment Manager for NY, I supervise the CRMs in North Carolina and New Jersey, and I work with the national Campus Recruitment Team to develop systems, improve processes, and promote the Fellowship through new venues. I keep in touch with CS because I still work here! I’m still passionate about our mission and am especially interested in how we can leverage high potential/low experience talent in the National Teaching Fellowship. I get to reflect on my experience in the NTF all the time, because candidates ask about my experience on an almost daily basis. Even though I came to CS with 5 years professional experience, I still count the Fellowship as the most significant part of my own development, as a nonprofit professional and as a member of a team. The most important things I learned as a Fellow: how to put the needs of the team ahead of the needs of myself; how to take a student-centric approach; how to set expectations and relentlessly hold people to them; and how perseverance + a problem-solving approach really is the key to success in everything. I’m impacting the community in a couple of ways. First, I volunteer with NY Cares in a number of ways, most significantly with the Young Authors club at the Jackie Robinson Community Center in Harlem. I also work with Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries in as many ways as I can, from working on their rooftop garden (to supplement their Hells Kitchen food pantry) to participating in fundraisers and other events.”
Krysten Ella Lobisch (‘10) “I’m currently living in Amherst, MA where I’m finishing up my Master’s in Social Justice Education and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. I’m the graduate assistant for the Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success on campus, where I help with retention and organizing peer mentoring and career and graduate school preparation programs. In March, I attended the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute conference in Chicago with two students, and recently led a group of 16 ALANA students to the Circle of Change conference in Long Beach, California! In the summer, I tutor and teach summer school for middle schoolers at Holyoke Community Charter School, and run workshops at a variety of conferences addressing gender and sexuality (including one on safe sex for LGBTQ teens). Without her invaluable experience at Citizen Schools, I doubt I’d have been able to land a wonderful job with CMASS, where my students are still the light of my life every day. I hope to continue on after this to work for social justice and equality for students of all backgrounds by pursuing a Ph.D.”
Casey Robertson Howe (‘10) “After Citizen Schools, I began working for KIPP Bay Area Schools as the KIPP Through College Program Associate. KIPP Through College supports all of the alumni from KIPP Bay Area Schools in both high school and college. In my role, I act as an advisor to 30 first-generation college students, as well as coordinate programming – workshops, grant writing, social media. I get the best of both worlds – direct service work with students, and higher leverage projects. I should be better about keeping in touch with my fellow CS alumni, but I still talk to Holly Pryzybla, Tamara Osivwemu and Mariama Lockington. In non-work related news, I got married on October 9th! My husband Adam and I live in Oakland with our two cats.”
Anna Drapkin (‘10) “I’m back in Boston and teaching elementary Spanish at an independent school. My time as a TF served as a foundation for teaching, and I am so thankful for everything I learned there! I keep in touch with Ann H., and just had a lovely brunch with Justin B and Stephen Y. Sending greetings out to all of my fellow TFs – I hope you’re doing well!!”
Elijah Heckstall (‘10) “I am currently living in Dorchester, MA. I am a teacher at the Dearborn Middle School. I teach 6th grade science. I keep in touch with many MA campus directors such as Megan Webb, Megan Bird, Hannah Smith, Hai Son, Ali Reeder and Nadia Selby as well as some alumni. Citizen Schools was an amazing foundation for the skills I am still continuing to develop while I teach. It really has helped me learn to work well with my schools’ partners and think more broadly about how I can move student achievement. I live right around the corner from many of my students and I love seeing them outside of the school building when I’m home or near the grocery store. I hope that I am serving as a role model for those students as a neighbor who has gone on to college and shows they are capable of doing anything they want. In this sense, I’d like to think that my work will help transform the community socially and academically.” Elijah recently gave a speech to MA TFs, check out the video!
Nora Germano (‘10) “I live in San Carlos, CA, and work at the Citizen Schools state office in Redwood City. I’m the Program Coordinator & College Readiness Specialist. I work to support staff training and program quality region-wide as the Program Coordinator. As the College Readiness Specialist, I work with the Regional College Readiness Fellow to support implementation of C3, 8GA, and alumni services. I keep in touch with Ann Helfman (MA), Olga Sverdlov (CA), and Amelia Alexander (CA) from my year. I also keep in touch with Cynthia Kozak who was a CA TF 09-11. My time as a TF was great! I loved wearing the many hats of a TF, including TL, DL, CTL, and RDS – there was always a challenge and a problem to solve. Nowadays, I love thinking about how to support our students to and through high school.”
Tamyra and her students.
Tamyra Hunt (‘10) “I’m currently living in Camden, NJ working at Rutgers University as the Program Coordinator for a pre-college program called Rutgers Future Scholars. I keep in touch with many TFs and TLs, staff from NJ, Mark Shober, Justene Miller, Nichole Gooding, Elijah Hexstall, Aaron Altman, Amelia Alexander, Kimo Richardson, Bing Howell, Max Margolius, Amy Pozmantier, Amanda Eyes, Amy Molina, and Sheldon Johnson. Citizen Schools was life changing and every single day I am using skills, resources, and tactics that I learned during my time with CS. In launching Future Scholars at Rutgers, I strive daily to create the culture that came so natural to CS. One of my TFs told me that “we have the best job in the world, we get to educate kids the way we want to” and that lives with me every day. I am constantly trying to do better and get better for the students I serve. CS’s impact transcends the 7 states they work in. CS has impacted and developed professionals who continue to do the work they started in their fellowship. I have chosen to move and live in the community I am serving. The mission of the Future scholars program is to increase the numbers of academically ambitious high school graduates who come from low-income backgrounds, help them meet the standards to be admitted to colleges and universities, and then provide tuition funding to those who are admitted and choose to attend Rutgers University. Along with this mission coupled with guidance and passion from my Director, we have extended the vision to be one of civic engagement for the Rutgers Camden community. We want students who attend and live at Rutgers to engage positively with the community and the high school students we serve. An extension of my role is to help create and promote positive experiences with the undergraduate students that work for me. I want them to leave Rutgers with a part of Camden in their hearts. I am invested in this community and plan to pursue a Ph.D. in urban relations and the work that people do to support students in communities like Camden.”
Kate Silbert (‘10) “I’m in Ann Arbor, MI for grad school year two and am back to teaching! I’ve been amazed with how much of my CS training has come in handy in facilitating discussion, setting goals with students, and lesson planning. My undergrads frequently get to do think-pair-shares, 3-2-1′s which they seem to actually enjoy. I was both happy and sadddened to be back in Malden with the Salemwood School family last May to witness the students and alumni concluding the program there in WOW!-worthy style. Hope TF classmates and UPCS/Salemwood/8GA colleagues alike are doing well!”
Sheldon Johnson (‘10) “I’m currently living in Durham, NC attending graduate school at Duke Divinity School. I keep in touch with Elvia Villalobos, Stephanie Adams, Nichole Montgomery-Boone, Philip Parham, and of course Blake Rowley. CS helped me get an interview with Education Pioneers. Hopefully in a few months, I can reflect that being a TF helped me get a position with Education Pioneers! I spend most of my time getting acclimated to being in grad school. One lesson I’ve learned from youth work is that “serving the community”, “giving back”, “doing good work”, or whatever phrase you choose must begin with quality relationships. I’m in the relationship building phase right now. The time to make my mark will soon come.”
Jamie Hillenberg (‘10) “I am currently living in Asheville, NC loving life in the mountains. I have spent the last year working as a teaching assistant at a small charter school with a community driven mission. I thank Citizen Schools both for my ability to manage a classroom of 6 year olds without blinking an eye (most of the time) and for my continued devotion to impacting education. I am currently applying to Masters in Teaching programs and hope to have my own elementary classroom sometime soon. I miss the Bay Area and all of the California Fellows. I’ve got Ben Franklin in my mind all the time and am thankful to have been part of the Citizen Schools movement!”
Aaron Altman (‘10) “I am currently living in Washington, D.C. That’s right, I finally left Boston. I am the director of an after-school enrichment program for middle school kids in Rockville, MD. I still talk to Jon “bomb” Downing, Elijah Heckstall, went to Lisa Gentes wedding, and see Katherine Plapinger every so often. I still feel like Citizen Schools was the best job I have ever had and sometimes wish I could do it all again. Thinking back, Citizen Schools prepared me for life post-fellowship in so many different ways and gave me the chance to work and get to know some amazing students and people. Hope everybody is doing well. Let me know if you’re in the area.”
Jessica McCoy (‘10) “I’m currently living in Sacramento, CA getting my teaching credentials! I’m a Multiple Subjects teacher candidate in the Bilingual Multicultural Education Department at Sacramento State University. I keep in touch with ShaKuana, Olga Sverdlov, Amelia Alexander, Ashely Barnes, and Lia Shepherd. Ashley and I have a bilingual education class together at Sac State! My experience in Citizen Schools prepared me so well for my credential program and student teaching. Transitioning into classroom teaching feels very natural after my time as a TF. I’m following my passion for working with low-income, Spanish-speaking students as a bilingual educator.”
Patrick Waters (‘10) “I’m currently in Houston, TX teaching technology & wood-shop courses at The Monarch School. Since I’ve left Citizen Schools, Lil (my wife) and I have welcomed our second son into our family. I keep in touch with a number of former CS TFs through baseball and football seasons. Many of my teaching adventures can be found online at www.woodshopcowboy.com.”
Liza Littenberg-Brown (‘10) “I am still working for Citizen Schools, as the Deputy Campus Director at the Edwards Middle School in Charelstown, MA! I love being back on campus after a year working for the National Program Department. It is great to be around students again and everyday brings new joys and adventures in middle school. It is fun to work closely with Jonathan Downing (’10), who is the Campus Director. Outside of work, I am enjoying living in Somerville. I have a garden plot in my backyard and a big kitchen to cook in. I am looking forward to my upcoming wedding in June!”
Monica Balbo (‘10) “After the fellowship, I packed up my car and headed west to San Francisco for a job opportunity with Reading Partners. My time with this organization has been incredibly rewarding and educational, as I joined at a time of incredible organizational growth. I have been managing reading centers based at elementary school sites where volunteers are recruited and trained to tutor school-aged youth one-on-one in reading and writing. The most exciting part of my job has been building a full fledged literacy-based after school program to serve schools in the Bay Area. I am drawing from my CS experience everyday in my work, from program operations to leadership, to creating an effective AmeriCorps model and beyond. In the third year of this after school program, I am happy to say we are successfully implementing a full-scale program for 100 students in East Oakland, with more programs coming in San Francisco next year. I miss the middle school students every day, but the little ones are so cute! It’s hard not to smile from the things they say. I hope you are all doing well and keep in touch! 
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Carolina de Jesus (‘10) “I’m living in Methuen, MA. I’m working at Middlesex Community College in Lowell, MA as the College Access Program Coordinator through ‘The College Access Challenge Grant’ offered by the Dept. of Higher Education. I was also in charge of a cohort of 23 students who participated in a 3-week College Access Summer Bridge Program I ran at MCC right after they graduated from high school this past summer. Students took an English and Math class refresher and learned about all the different resources at the college including learning the ropes on what college life will be like once they start in the fall. Under this grant, I’m also in charge of overseeing and evaluating and reporting activities for UMASS Lowell, Merrimack College, Salem State, Northern Essex Community College and North Shore Community College. I keep in touch with some former colleagues through facebook including my former Campus Director. It was definitely a great learning experience and I learned a lot about myself as youth leader, mentor and friend. Overall, a very rewarding job! Through the College Access Challenge Grant, we are helping low-income students and families and first generation college students transition from high school to college. We are helping them persist in college and providing them with the tools, resources and services needed to orient them in the processes of college admission, financial literacy/debt management and financial aid.”
Julius DeFour (‘10) “I’m living in Spokane, WA working at one of the high schools in town. I get the privilege of working one on one with students who need extra support to graduate on time. It’s fun because I get to be creative in how I go about this…dragon breathing included (TFs in my class know what’s up. 
) I also coach track and teach yoga at the school. Let’s just say living back in my home town has made me be ready to act on my ideas! I keep in contact with some TF’s including Tammy, Amy, Mariama, Olga, Sohail, C. Guggenheim, Beth Hannon, and Chris Williams. I often wonder what others are up to like Logan, Dennis, Ibrahim, Amaya, Elijah, Mark, Kendra and Jason. We built some great bonds at CS. What a unique experience and network of individuals! Peace ya’ll. Hope all is well. P.S. Not on facebook, but if you’d like to contact me: jujdefour@hotmail.com or (509) 270-5108.”
Justin Byrd (‘10) “I’m living Boston, MA working in the Boston Public Schools at the McKinley Preparatory High School. I teach English literature to students who struggle with behavioral and emotional challenges. I keep in touch with Ann Helfman and Stephen Yang. CS gave me the chance to get my feet wet working in a middle school, and is an experience that can provided me with many opportunities for personal and professional growth. Through teaching English literature to my students, I hope they will learn to think critically, write coherently and find ways to express themselves positively.”
Logan Blackmon (‘10) “I’m living in Austin working at the Austin ISD at Reagan High School as the 21st Century Grant Director. I keep in touch with Amaya Greenwood, Ashley Barnes, and others that I can through Facebook. I can say so much about Citizen Schools, but something I can say is that I was prepared for being a leader in Out of School Time and Education. As a grant director I work with community organizations, city and district officials to bring free family and students support services to students and families in the community such as ESL classes, GED classes, Fitness Activites and Career Prep classes. Our goal is that through combined efforts, we are able to equip our familes and students with skills and resources to be successful in the 21st Century.”
Renee Hemminger (‘10) “I’m living in Rosharon, TX working as a substitute Teacher for Alvin ISD. I keep in touch mostly with Alleen Weathers (’09), Aurora Martinez (’11) and Beka Perry (’10). Citizen Schools has really taught me the importance of the core values when working with people of different backgrounds. The memories I have from Citizen Schools will forever hold a place in my heart. I have been volunteering for various events within the community such as the Tour De Cure and National Senior Games.”
In other alumni news…
Check out this video featuring staff alumni Kate Carpenter-Bernier that takes a look at the newest MATCH school, MATCH Community Day. Go Kate!
Tulaine Marshall has recently been named a Partner at New Profit Inc. She’ll be leading their Pathways Fund, supported in part by a Social Innovation Fund grant, among other roles.
Stephanie Harden, the Executive Director of North Central Charter Essential School recently shared some awesome updates about the NCCES.
Cheers to Jug Chokshi who will be launching the Bridge Charter in Boston.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL ON YOUR FANTASTIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS!!!
