With a degree in film studies and seven years of experience working with kids in diverse settings, he brings a unique set of experiences and skills to our program. For Alejandro, the most rewarding part of working Friends of the Children is having the opportunity to support each child through the obstacles of every day life.
Kita knows what it's like to have a mentor. "When I was 12, my life was skidding out of control. My older brothers were either gang involved or heavily into drugs. One of them was sentenced to life in prison." Luckily, Kita was assigned a mentor through a community organization. Kita's mentor helped her get through high school and go on to Lesley University, where she finished her Human Services degree. Kita has worked for four years with adjudicated youth in the Department of Youth Services (DYS) system. She came to Friends of the Children "to work with kids before they ended up in the system...to help stop them from ending up with DYS."
Thuy
San Francisco, CA
Thuy’s concern for social justice and children’s rights compelled her to work for Friends of the Children. She had been teaching at a San Francisco inner city school and had recently completed her Masters in Education when she realized the opportunity to make a difference in children’s lives by working as a long-term professional mentor. Thuy believes that children are the most honest, open-minded, and creative people in the world and feels that it is a great privilege to have close and meaningful friendships with her eight wonderful girls.
Wynn
New York, NY
Wynn comes to Friends New York with a B.A. in Government from the University of Virginia. Wynn has been working with children since high school, when for two years he volunteered at a local elementary school to be a teacher’s aide in a kindergarten class. His interest in directly impacting children continued through college, where he was head coach for two YMCA basketball teams. What solidified his interest in working one-on-one with youth was his experience as a substitute teacher in a predominantly low-income school district. Wynn is an accomplished musician and is proficient in Spanish.
Kyrra
New York, NY
Kyrra graduated
from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Creative Writing and Sociology.
After earning her degree, Kyrra joined Teach for America, and was placed
at CIS 166 in the Bronx where she established the first program for gifted
middle school students in one of the lowest-performing public school districts
in the nation. She also taught 6th and 7th grade English, creative writing,
U.S. History, world civilizations and geography. By the end of her tenure,
standardized test scores had increased by 30% and the gifted program had
doubled in size. Kyrra has coached children in diving, gymnastics, rock climbing
and drama.