I’m the Executive Director for Reaching Higher, a faith based after school program for at-risk youth in Tulare, CA. In this role I lead the strategic efforts for youth enrichment, educational services, character building, and spiritual health. I oversee a team of three youth professionals providing coaching and mentoring for best practices to serve our youth. Our most exciting work to date was doubling in size in the number of sites we have to provide our free services to our youth. Currently we have five sites, 300 students enrolled in the program, and 55 volunteers. Not only do we serve students in the after school setting, but we place trained volunteers in school classrooms in collaboration with the City School District to help provide mentoring to students in need in order for them to be the best student they can be. It has been extremely rewarding to see the results of this team effort!Before joining Reaching Higher, I worked for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias where I was lucky enough to be mentored by amazing leaders who provided me with the skills and ability to be successful.I’m truly passionate about my work and always eager to connect with other youth service members. While I enjoy all aspects of my job, I think my favorite stage of a project is working with partnering churches who facilitate Reaching Higher Sites and make a difference in their neighborhoods creating life change in our students. As we go through that collaborative process, it's extremely encouraging to know that the work we are doing together is enabling for a successful future of the generations to come in our community! I graduate from Arizona State in the Spring of 2016 with a Bachelors of Communications. I’m always interested in hearing from former colleagues, managers, or just youth service members, so feel free to contact me if you’d like to connect.