Year
Up Boston opened its doors in January of 2001 to a class of
22 students. Now serving more than 200 students each year
at sites in downtown Boston, Year Up Boston continues to demonstrate
the successful impact the program has on the lives of our
urban young adults. With more then 40 corporate internship
partners, 100 community partners and 300 volunteers, the commitment
of the communities in which we serve has been inspiring and
motivating. We look forward to continuing to work together
and to expanding our Boston site in 2011.
Year Up Boston holds Open Houses every Wednesday from
2:30-4:00pm at 93 Summer Street. To speak with an admissions representative about coming to an open house please call
(617)542-1533.
WHAT'S
NEW
to view Boston's news archive, click here
Year Up Boston interns highlighted in the Harvard Gazette. Read more.
Year Up Boston highlighted in Partners HealthCare newsletter. Read more.
Year Up Boston's Executive Director, Casey Recupero, featured as "Gutsy Leader" by Grand Circle Foundation.Read more
Year Up Boston is accepting applications for our September class For more information, come to our Open House every Wednesday from 2:30-4:00pm or click here for more information
YEAR UP BOSTON CELEBRATES THE CLASS
OF JANUARY 2011!!
On Tuesday, February 1st, over 600 guests – undeterred by yet another snowstorm – celebrated Year Up’s 17th graduation at the Westin Copley Place Hotel. Governor Deval Patrick joined to personally visit with and congratulate our students in the Class of January 2011. Boston City Councillor Ayanna Pressley and Sandi Fenwick, Children’s Hospital Boston President and Chief Operating Officer, spoke at the event.
Graduation is more than just an event – it’s the culmination of our students’ year of hard work and determination. It’s 18 college credits earned through partnerships with Cambridge College and the Highland Street Foundation. It’s the name of a leading employer – State Street, Partners HealthCare, Bank of America – on a resume. And it’s the support and encouragement of our volunteers, mentors, and friends.
Year Up’s graduation would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. We would like to thank the following champions for their support of graduation:
Year Up featured on shining city Shining City, a video production series which features cutting edge social programs that originate in Boston and around New England, interviews Year Up's Founder, Gerald Chertavian.
Governor Deval Patrick Hosts Cabinet Meeting at Year Up and Signs Social Innovation Compact
On Friday, April 16th Year Up hosted the Governor and the most senior members of our state government for a conversation about Social Innovation in the Commonwealth. This is a testament to all of our hard work together and the tremendous success of our young people, as well as our efforts to highlight the potential of social innovation to address our society's most pressing challenges. Just as importantly - we're not doing it alone. Dozens of social innovators around the state gathered at Year Up to express their support for the signing of the Social Innovation Compact (click here to learn more) This is an exciting next step in deepening and broadening the relationship between local government and the social innovation community, which will allow us to better utilize the resources in our state to help close the Opportunity Divide. Thank you for believing in our young people and for being part of this journey.
Now accepting applications for our march class
We are now accepting applications for our for our March class. Come to one of our Open Houses every Wednesday from 2:30-4:00pm. To speak with an admissions representative about coming to an open house please call (617) 542-1533.
WHO WE SERVE
Year Up serves high school graduates and GED recipients ages
18 to 24 years old from the Greater Boston area including
Dorchester, East Boston, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Cambridge,
Revere, Chelsea, Everett, Quincy, and Brockton.
Year Up cordially invites you to join our graduation ceremony. Commencement Speaker:
Dr. Gary L. Gottlieb President and CEO, Partners HealthCare Urban Empowerment Award: Martin J. Walsh Massachusetts State Representative
Date:
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Time:
6:00PM-7:15PM
Location:
Back Bay Events Center
180 Berkeley Street,
Boston MA 02116
OPEN HOUSE Year Up Boston holds Open Houses every Wednesday from 2:30-4:00pm at 93 Summer Street. To speak with an admissions representative about coming to an open house please call (617) 542-1533.
Casey
Recupero Executive Director
Casey Recupero is Executive Director of Year Up Boston and a member of Year Up’s national leadership team. Under Casey’s leadership, Year Up Boston has expanded by 30% and deepened its impact on the Opportunity Divide facing young people in Boston. Year Up Boston currently serves over 300 young adults annually, introducing each one to an internship at one of Year Up Boston’s 50 corporate partners such as State Street, Bank of America, Partners HealthCare, Children’s Hospital, Microsoft, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. As of July 2010, there are 1,000 Year Up Alumni in the Boston area. Casey joined Year Up in 2004 with a wide range of experience strengthening nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and in Africa. Casey spent more than 4 years as a Program Officer at World Education, Inc., where he designed and supported capacity building programs for grassroots organizations overseas. With a portfolio that included programs focusing on HIV/AIDS peer education for Ghanaian youth, small business development in South Africa, and education reform in Malawi, Casey has a unique perspective on the myriad challenges facing under-served populations. Prior to his career in international development, Casey directed a mentoring program for first-year students at Harvard, served on the College's Board of Freshman Advisors, and collaborated on research at the Kennedy School's Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations. Casey has a B.A. in Anthropology and African Studies from Harvard University and is a 2007 graduate of the LeadBoston program. Casey serves on the Selection Advisory Council for the GreenLight Fund, the Boston Rising Advisory Committee, and Mayor Menino’s Success Boston Task Force.
Tyra Anderson Site Leader
Tyra hails from the great state of Oklahoma! Oklahoma City to be exact. Before coming to Year Up she graduated with a B.A. in Arts Management from the University of Tulsa and worked with the Children’s Community Arts Program for the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, FL. After holding various positions within Year Up she has discovered her passion is educating and building confidence in young people, which spurred her to earn her Master's in Education degree from Lesley University. After having more than 6 years of experience empowering the young adults in Year Up's network, she still remains excited to work with a team that is so diverse in thought, yet united in spirit.
Kevin Barry Director of Corporate Partnerships Kevin joined the staff of Year Up after a thirty year career in sales and marketing, principally in the publishing industry. Kevin started his career at The New Yorker Magazine and then went on to found his own venture-backed publishing company, Madison Publishing which served the managed healthcare market. Madison Publishing was eventually sold to the Times-Mirror Corporation. Kevin's responsibilities at Year Up include developing new business to support the internship program and managing relationships with a number of Year Up's strategic accounts.
Emily Burke Teaching Fellow Born and raised in Newton, MA Emily attended the University of New Hampshire and graduated in 2006 with a degree in Family Studies. As a result of her university experiences, Emily’s focus has been on involvement in the education of urban youth. After college, Emily moved to California where she worked in a variety of educational settings, including a public San Diego high school and two non-public schools for special needs students. While in California, Emily got her masters in Special Education from National University and sought ways to combine educational values with the needs of today’s youth.
Emily is currently teaching customer service and co-teaching business essentials and feels fortunate to be a part of the very dedicated staff at Year Up and proud to serve young adults in hopes to change the future.
Michael
Boyle Business Communications Instructor Michael comes to Year Up with over fifteen years of experience working as a professional writer. Prior to Year Up, he published both business and general interest articles in a variety of magazines and designed and taught corporate training seminars in forty-four states. He has tutored students in writing at the middle school, high school, and college level, including a two-year stint as the Writing Coach at an inner-city high school in Detroit, Michigan. Michael earned his B.A. in English Literature from the University of Michigan. He is currently enrolled in a Master of Education program at Northeastern University.
Peter Bos Information Technology Instructor Peter Bos comes to Year Up with a passion for both the technology and education fields. Peter has a background in media production and enjoys working with digital video, music and audio applications and tools. Peter has held several roles working with and supporting media technology products and users, most notably he spent over 6 years working for Avid Technology, a Fortune 500 digital media tools developer where he was a Senior Technical Support Rep and eventually a Senior Technical Instructor teaching international support certification courses. Peter also has programming and IT experience, developing web applications and e-learning tools for Click2learn, an e-learning developer started by Microsoft founder Paul Allen. Wanting to give back to his community, Peter recently became a teaching fellow in the Boston Teacher Residency program and spent two years teaching elementary students in the Boston Public Schools. Peter respects all people, young and old, as individuals and honors the inherent challenges and rewards that go with making difficult and life changing transitions. Peter has a BA in Human Services with a concentration in Adult Training & Development and a Master’s Degree in Education from UMass Boston.
Kailey Cartwright Strategic Projects Specialist Kailey was raised in Buffalo, New York. Prior to Year Up, she worked at a state-wide environmental non-profit in Buffalo where she helped develop and organize community coalitions throughout Western New York. In addition to her work with community groups, Kailey also served as a gymnastics and rugby coach in YMCA’s throughout the city and really enjoyed the opportunity to work with young people. She came to Year Up through the AmeriCorps*VISTA program in 2008 and now serves as Strategic Projects Specialist. She graduated from SUNY Fredonia in 2006 with a double major in English and Women’s Studies. In her spare time, Kailey enjoys running, photography, and watching Buffalo Bills football.
Smajl Cengic Diretor of Career Services, Higher Education and Alumni Relations Smajl was born and raised in Banovici, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He holds a degree in Economics and has years of sales and marketing experience. Smajl immigrated to the U.S. in September 1996 as a refugee after having lived through four years of war in his homeland. During his first year in the U.S., Smajl held a variety of jobs, including carpentry, construction, assembly, and stockroom before he started working as an Employment Specialist/Counselor. It was at the International Institute of Boston that he began to help refugees and immigrants secure employment. Smajl has extensive experience working with diverse, low income populations such as refugees, asylees, unemployed and underemployed individuals. Smajl now holds an Associate's Degree in Business from Bunker Hill Community College, a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, a Master of Management degree from Cambridge College, and has recently finished his Graduate Certificate Program in Workforce Development at Northeastern University.
SAM CHEN Teaching Fellow A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Sam went to school at Emory University in Atlanta, where she graduated with a degree in Anthropology and Human Biology. Before starting at Year Up, she taught English as a foreign language to university students in Macau through the Fulbright program and creative writing to low-income, immigrant fourth and fifth graders in her hometown. She came to Boston to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Quincy Asian Resources, where she organized large-scale fundraising and cultural events, managed the agency’s two hundred plus volunteers, and developed mentoring programs for Quincy’s immigrant middle and high-school students. She is passionate about social justice and frozen yogurt.
Elaine Chow Director of Operations & Strategic Planning Elaine is comes to Year Up with more than nine years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector. She began her career in development roles and eventually made the switch into operational roles. Most recently, she helped create key infrastructures as Associate Director of the Trinity Boston Foundation in Copley Square, and has served as a consultant for Commongood Ventures in Portland, Maine. Elaine holds a Masters in Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in French and Music from Bates College.
Karen Crane Academic Director
Karen comes to Year Up with a wide range of instructional experience with adult learners. Prior to her work at Year Up, Karen worked as a Technical Instructor at The Chubb Institute, an adult technical career school. Not only did she instruct the technical program, but she also taught courses in Web Design and Web Development. In addition to The Chubb Institute Karen was employed as a computer software instructor for military and civilian personnel at Fort Monmouth. Karen graduated from York College of Pennsylvania, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education and Business.
CRYSTAL DAUGHERTY Director of Development Crystal has been a career development professional in large and small non-profit organizations since 1996. Prior to Year Up, Crystal held fundraising positions at Tufts Medical Center, MIT, MassVOTE, MassEquality and Neighbor to Neighbor-Massachusetts. In addition to her full-time positions, Crystal has also run a boutique fundraising consulting business and served as an adjunct instructor at Northeastern teaching fundraising to graduate students. Crystal has a BA from Smith College and an MBA from Simmons School of Management, where she earned the “Principled Leadership” award. Seeing the need for a progressive scouting organization, Crystal recently co-founded a local chapter of Navigators, where she builds outdoor skills and confidence among her troupe of 7 and 8 year olds. When she’s not at Year Up, Crystal is probably skiing, hiking, biking, kayaking and/or parenting.
Bill
Davidge Director of Corporate Partnerships An experienced instructor, he has taught sales and marketing, internet marketing, investment operations, personal finance, advertising management, and information systems at Year Up, Northeastern University, Cambridge College and Bunker Hill Community College. Bill has over twenty years in senior-level sales and marketing management positions in the office automation, electronic media and e-commerce industries. He has developed customized trainings for companies and organizations and specializes in sales and marketing consulting to small and medium sized companies primarily in the area of business development.
Donna Dellota Development Associate Donna first joined Year Up in November 2007 as a temp and has been with us ever since. Donna was born in the Philippines and graduated from college there with a Bachelor of Arts degree is Business Administration. Prior to Year Up, Donna worked in New York City where she held a position as Office Manager with Echoing Green Foundation for 8 years. Donna is very passionate about working for organizations that have a social change mission and has spent her time at Year Up as a vital member of the Development Team.
Jody Denoncour Operations Coordinator
Jody came to Year Up on the long road from her childhood home in Tell City, Indiana. After graduating from Oberlin College with her B.A. in East Asian Studies, she spent 2 years teaching English in the city of Onomichi and surrounding rural communities in Japan. From there she moved to Boston, and began working at Year Up in 2009. She has been deeply moved by both the differences and the similarities she has seen in small-town and urban life both here and abroad, and is dedicated to promoting opportunity and change in the world—no matter where in it she may be.
Lovie
Elam Business Communications Instructor Lovie brings with her to Year Up an extensive array of pedagogical and corporate skills and experience. She is a licensed educator with years of teaching experience both as a secondary school English teacher and as a corporate training facilitator in the Financial Services arena. Lovie delights in the fact that teaching at Year Up allows her to combine her teaching interests and experience and employ the entire toolbox of teaching skills that she has honed over the years. Prior to her career in education, Lovie was a recruiting Coordinator at Bain & Company. She also founded and continues to operate her own small business as a marketing and graphic design consultant. Lovie holds a B.A. in Classical Studies from Yale University and a Master’s Degree in Education.
Kelly Exley-Smith, LCSW Site Leader
Kelly was born and raised in upstate New York. She came to Boston in 1999 in search of her undergraduate degree and never left. Since coming to Boston, Kelly has received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Boston University, a Master of Urban Affairs from Boston University, and most recently, her Master of Social Work from Simmons College. Kelly came to Year Up in 2006 as a Student Services Intern. Upon graduating, Kelly joined the Year Up team fulltime in 2008 as the Student Services Manager. In 2010, Kelly took on a new role of Site Leader within the Boston team. Outside of Year Up, Kelly is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and an Alumni Brother of Theta Beta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi. She currently is pursuing the second level of social work licensure. In her free time, she enjoys reading, geocaching, running, and feels that you can never go wrong with karaoke. Kelly currently lives in Jamaica Plain with her wife and two cats.
Rob Fladger Student Services Director
Rob has more than 18 years of experience as a Licensed School Social Worker in Massachusetts. He is presently a practicing clinician with several mental health agencies in Massachusetts. Rob's experience in behavioral health has led him to teach in the Psychology and Human Services concentrations for the past 10 years at Cambridge College. Rob holds a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology. He has been with Year Up since our first class and brings many years of experience supporting young people.
Patricia Gaudette Financial Operations Instructor Pat Gaudette comes to Year Up after a career spanning 20 + years as an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Pine Manor College. She taught classes in marketing and investments to first-generation urban college students. Recently, she was involved in instituting an outcomes-based portfolio process for graduating students and creating an interdisciplinary major in Sports Management. Prior to becoming an academic, Pat worked at Interactive Data/Chase Econometrics as an econometric consultant. She was responsible for providing financial and marketing consulting services to Fortune 50 corporations. Pat received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the College of the Holy Cross and Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. She is a Girl Scout volunteer and a host family for the METCO program in Boston.
Clifton Glezil Information Technology Instructor Clifton Glezil is a July 2006 Alumni of the Year Up program. Following graduation, he continued to grow in the field of Information Technology by working at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and then Vantage Partners, LLC. After three years of gaining industry experience in these Help Desk roles, Cliff re-joined the Year Up community in 2009 as a Commonwealth Corps Teaching Fellow. Once completing his service year, Cliff accepted a full time position as an IT Instructor Fellow. He has been deeply involved with the Year Up Boston Alumni Association, serving as Vice President since it recreation in early 2007. Cliff is passionate about his work and dedicated to extending professional and technical opportunities to alumni, current, and future students.
Michael Goldstein Senior Director of Development Michael is an entrepreneur with a passion for urban education. He began his career as Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Providence Summerbridge, where high school and college students run a summer school for urban middle school students. A few years later, Michael founded and grew Youth Tech Entrepreneurs, a program where high school students run their schools’ websites and help desks, to an organization serving 35 Massachusetts school districts. He also served as Executive Director of City Year Rhode Island and Development Director of MetroWest Jewish Day School, where he increased revenue an average of over 15% a year each year for six years. Michael has a BA from Brown University and an MPP from Harvard University. Michael was recognized in 2002 by the Boston Business Journal and in 2007 by the Providence Business News in their respective “40 Under 40” awards for promising young business leaders.
Brendan Halpin Business Communications Instructor Brendan, a lifelong city-dweller, spent ten years as a high school English Teacher with a passion for urban education. In addition to regular high school English classes, he created Writing Workshop classes and co-created an intensive English curriculum for at-risk ninth graders at an urban high school. Brendan worked as an advisor to fifteen urban high school students for three years and considered that position the most challenging and rewarding of his high school teaching career. Brendan is also a published writer with two memoirs, four novels for adults, five novels for young adults, and one pseudonymous horror novel to his name. His short pieces have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and other publications. He holds a B.A. in English (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Tufts University. He lives in Boston with his wife, their three children, and their dog.
Nicole Hart Higher Education Specialist Nicole grew up in a small town in coastal Maine. She first learned about the opportunity divide in college, where classes for her Education minor helped her reflect on her own education at a rural primary school, where her classmates' college aspirations were limited by a lack of resources and support. This reflection sparked a passion for making college accessible to all youth who have the desire and drive to go. Nicole has served as an AmeriCorps *VISTA twice: first in 2006 at the Bowdoin College Community Service office, and then at Year Up in 2009. Before joining Year Up, she spent a year in South India, working for a college study abroad program. Nicole loves to travel, explore new cities, and try new foods. She also enjoys cooking, reading, and visiting her beautiful home state. She earned her BA in Anthropology and Education from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.
Stacy Hightower Information Technology Instructor Stacy is excited to be embarking on her desired career path with Year Up Boston. With much experience in IT, she decided to begin pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher through combining her knowledge of IT with her passion for educating young people. She has been in law enforcement for over 22 years, including working for the US Air Force, the Veterans Administration, and the Boston Police Department. During this time, she was honing her IT skills, also doing IT work for the Boston Police Department and opening and operating her own business in the technology field. She holds an A.S. in Criminal Justice, a B.S. in Communications for Computer Science and Technical Writing, and a Graduate Certificate in Network Security Management--all from Northeastern University. With her sights on a full career change to teaching, she obtained her Massachusetts Educators License in Instructional Technology, with certification to teach all levels.
Davo Jefferson Career Development Manager A native of Boston, Davo Jefferson has over 15 years of experience in the field of youth development, education, violence prevention, and community outreach. He has served in various roles at the Holden School, Whittier Street Health Center, and Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts before joining Year Up in August of 2008, where he currently serves as the organization’s Career Development Manager. Davo’s experience also includes working with high-risk youth populations connecting them with much needed resources. He has coached sports teams, conducted train the trainer programs for peer leaders, and developed the Young M.E.N. (Men’s Ethnic Network) life skills program, both for young adults ages 17-21. Davo has also co-authored proposals for AIDS awareness programs, Neighborhood Beautification programs, launched violence prevention programs, and mentored youth and young adults in various neighborhoods of Boston. Davo is a successful entrepreneur and he is currently pursuing his degree in Business Management and will graduate from Cambridge College this summer.
CHRISTINA JONES Admissions Specialist CJ joined the admissions team at Year Up after serving in similar roles in both the non-profit sector and the world of higher education. She was born in Boston and has spent most of her life in the city, though she claims to be a bit of a country girl at heart, with ties to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. CJ completed her bachelors degree in history at Amherst College, where she participated in mock trial and the AC gospel choir. She is an action movie junkie, who enjoys listening to music and moonlights as an interior decorator and painter (more "extreme home makeover" type projects than Picasso, however). She is excited to be part of Year Up's passionate and dedicated team and proud to serve young adults in and around the Boston area in homage to those who nurtured and supported her aspirations as a young adult.
John
P. Killeen Financial Operations Lead Instructor
John comes to Year Up after a number of years in Finance with publishing firms and as an Adjunct Professor at Newbury College where he taught Finance and Business courses. John graduated from Hartwick College in Oneonta N.Y. where he earned a B.A. in Economics. He then achieved a certificate in Financial Planning from the New England Banking Institute in 1992 (now The New England College of Finance) and in 1999 received a M.S. in Finance from Northeastern. John also earned a graduate certificate in Publishing from Pace University. John coaches boys and girls soccer and has both a National NSCAA license as well as State "D" LIcense.
Chris
Knight Director of Admissions
Chris was raised in Malden, Massachusetts. In his senior year at Malden High School he earned a full-tuition leadership scholarship through the Posse Foundation to attend Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. The education and opportunity he received there truly changed his life so when the opportunity to serve his community at Year Up arose he knew it was the right next step. Chris first came to Year Up in 2007 and served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA and now serves as the Director of Admissions. In addition to Year Up, Chris stays heavily involved with the Posse Foundation and can never turn down an invitation to the bowling alley.
Chanelle
Mack Internship Coordinator
Chanelle joined Year Up after graduating from Class 3, the first class to receive college credits. Chanelle focused on Networking Support I and II and gained an internship with Children's Hospital Boston where she worked in both help desk and desktop support. Chanelle currently resides in Dorchester, MA and is attending Cambridge College pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with a minor in Business Management.
Emily MacMillan Business Communications Instructor
Emily is originally from Rochester, New York. After receiving her B.A. in Political Science from Syracuse University, she became a Teach for America corps member and taught Spanish at Roosevelt High School in St. Louis for two years. Emily then moved to Boston to study for her Masters in Sociology at Boston College. While at BC, she worked at New Mission High School in Roxbury. At New Mission, Emily coordinated a community service learning project for two years and assisted with the development of an elective course that addressed the drop-out crisis through participatory action research. Through her work in St. Louis and Roxbury, Emily determined that her career goal would always be to work in urban education and to help create more opportunity and justice for urban youth. She began working at Year Up in 2009 as a Teaching Fellow and transitioned to a Business Communications instructor shortly thereafter. In her free time, she enjoys cheering for the Buffalo Bills and reading.
Teresa Martinez Rivera Admission Specialist
Teresa Martinez- Rivera was born and raised in El Salvador and moved to the United States at the age of 15. She graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in 2003, where she learned English as a second language. After completing high school, Teresa joined Year Up as a student, where she developed her professional, technical and communication skills. Upon graduating from Year Up in 2005, she became part of the Year Up team, working as an Admissions Coordinator. Teresa is continuing her education at Bunker Hill Community College, where she is working towards a degree in Sociology. She is also the proud parent of a two-year-old daughter and on her spare time enjoys boxing classes, cooking, and spending time with family.
Matthew McCann Director of Learning Community Management Matt works closely with each of the Site Leaders and Learning Communities to ensure that the students and staff have the support they need to succeed. He has been at Year Up since 2001, initially as a volunteer tutor and grant writer, then as its first Director of Development. For the last several years Matt has worked as a Site Leader, working directly with students. Matt has 20 years of experience managing large teams in high-tech environments with annual revenue responsibility in excess of $100 million. As a Client Partner at Razorfish and i-Cube, he managed consulting teams and was responsible for the success of major clients. As Partner and General Manager for Conduit Communications in Boston, he set the strategic direction and managed project delivery, Finance, HR and Operations. Matt has held senior positions in software development, marketing, sales, product management, direct marketing and purchasing at Sun Microsystems, PC Connection, Data General and Wang Laboratories. He has a B.A. in Philosophy from Dartmouth College, studied Economics and Philosophy at Edinburgh University in Scotland and has done graduate work in Multinational Commerce at Boston University.
Robin
Nadeau Senior Director of Programs With over 15 years of experience in the fields of youth development, education reform, workforce development and community collaboration, Robin brings to Year Up her perspective and practice of helping educators and front-line youth workers develop individual skill sets, as well as assisting managers and leaders to partner across agencies, organizations and communities to effectively build systems to support youth. Prior to joining Year Up in February 2008, Robin worked for eight years as a staff national consultant, facilitator and trainer for School & Main Institute (SMI). At SMI, she facilitated strategic planning processes and collaboration efforts of local, state, and national teams to positively affect policy and service delivery efforts to enable our young people to achieve and succeed. She has also worked locally on student proficiency initiatives in Springfield and Boston, MA. She began her entry into the field as a front-line youth worker and partnership development specialist. Robin has a B.A. in Communications from Rhode Island College, a post-graduate certificate in Refugee Studies from York University, Toronto, and is currently finishing her Master’s degree in Adult Education this year.
Lindsay O'Hara Graduate Success Coordinator Lindsay was born and raised in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. After obtaining a BA in Political Science and International Affairs at Northeastern University, she began working at Year Up through the AmeriCorps*VISTA Program. Beginning as a member of the Operations Team she worked on strategic planning with a focus on public funding projects and developing a cultural shift in the importance of self-care. She now serves as the Graduate Success Coordinator and is looking forward to coordinating the tutoring program and supporting Year Up alumni. In her past, she has also interned for at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the United Nations in New York. In her spare time, Lindsay enjoys traveling, yoga and fantasy football.
Kelly Parrish
Site Leader
Kelly comes to Year Up with a wide range of skills including teaching technology classes in both the corporate world and the non-profit sector. Before joining the Year Up team, Kelly completed her Masters degree in Educational Media and Technology at Boston University. Prior to completing her degree, Kelly worked as an Educational Consultant at 170 Systems, a consulting company which focused on electronic workflow solutions. Some of her responsibilities included training end users, creating training materials, managing client relationships and traveling to the client sites. During her free time, she was a teacher at the Prep Computer Center in Dorchester, MA where she taught a Microsoft Word Certification class. Kelly graduated from Indiana University of PA, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. She has had several roles at Year Up in the 6.5 years that she has been here. From Web instructor, IT instructor, and now Site Leader. Kelly brings and an incredible passion for teaching and reaching students to her job.
Francis Pina Teaching Fellow
A true Bostonian born, raised and educated as a graduate of Boston University, Francis majored in Economics. He has a passion for spoken word poetry and educating the youth via spoken word, tutoring and teaching. His role at Year Up is to serve as an instructor, co-teacher, advisor, Mentoring Assistant, service leader, and right-hand support to Site Leader.
Serghino Rene Alumni Relations Coordinator
Serghino René graduated from Emmanuel College in 2005 with a B.A. in English Communications. Out of college, he ventured into journalism, serving as a general assignment reporter for the Bay State Banner, Boston's African American newspaper. Some highlights include covering the 2007 Deval Patrick campaign and meeting influential figures like Barack Obama at the start of his presidential campaign and Earl Graves, founder and publisher of Black Enterprise Magazine. Seeking a change, he discovered event planning with Road Scholar (formerly Elderhostel) where he developed and managed one-day educational travel tours at various cultural institutions all over the country. He'd also occasionally copy write for their upcoming marketing campaigns. Following Road Scholar, he did event planning at Tufts University's Institute for Global Leadership. In addition to Year Up, Serghino is a freelance writer, serves as an executive member of his alma mater's alumni association board and is a big brother for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.
Jabes Rojas Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships
Jabes brings to Year Up extensive experience producing and growing strategic funding partnerships between non-profits, major companies, philanthropic institutions and individual donors in Boston and nationally. Jabes has a track-record of mobilizing teams and building coalitions that enable a range of stakeholders to successfully invest millions of dollars annually in non-profits via social enterprise or philanthropic revenue streams. Previously, Jabes has worked at ALPFA as Vice President of Corporate Development; John Hancock Financial Services as Senior Manager of Contributions; and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care as Senior Grants Associate. Jabes has a MBA degree from Boston College, a Masters in Policy Planning and Finance from the London School of Economics and a BA degree from Brandeis University. Jabes is a Fellow of The Partnership as well as the Emerging Leaders Program in Boston and serves on the Board of Directors of Ecologic and ELP.
KOBY A. ROTSTEIN Director of Corporate Partnerships
Koby Rotstein joins Year Up with an extensive background in telecom, voice over IP, hardware and software engineering. Mr. Rotstein has held a wide range of positions in the technology industry over the past 25 years with senior management positions in program design, business development, software development, account management, marketing and sales. He has particular expertise and experience in the areas of International programs, including adaptation and localization of products and services, speech Recognition and Voice Over IP. Mr. Rotstein has been invited to speak at numerous conferences on these and other areas of the industry. Prior to joining Year Up, Koby was in the development office of Cambridge College and a mentor to a number of Year Up students.
Damien
Rudzinski Information Technology Instructor
Damien Rudzinski is the Lead Information Technology Instructor at Year Up Boston. He has a true passion for technology, an ability to convey and teach complex technical concepts to all audiences, continually updates course content and assessments to align with industry, facilitates bi-weekly meetings with the IT Instructor team, and leads a variety of projects and trips to corporate partners each year. Over the past five years he has helped prepare more than 300 urban young adults for positions at 50 corporate partners in Massachusetts. These partners cover a wide range of industries and include many well known organizations, such as: Microsoft, Google, Boston Consulting Group, State Street Bank, Advent International, MGH, Harvard University, and MIT. Damien is a member of IEEE, CompTIA, and TechNet. He enjoys staying up to date with the latest technologies and networking with others in the computer industry. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Keene State College, and has received training in negotiation, facilitation, and accelerated learning methods. Prior to Year Up Damien worked for startup companies as well as large corporations. The most successful of which was Arrowpoint Communications purchased by Cisco Systems for 5.6 billion dollars. With this he remains a humble technologist that would rather be known for the Respect and Value Others awards he has earned while at Year Up.
Kayvan Sabery Master Instructor, Information Technology
Kayvan Sabery comes to Year Up from Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology where he had been the Director of Computing Services for 5 years and an instructor for the past fifteen years. He has taught at the veteran’s Upper Bound program at UMass Boston. Kayvan has also worked as an independent network field engineer for Integrated IT Solutions, and Navic Computers. Kayvan holds a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University and is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.
Linda Swardlick
Smith Director of Student Services Linda comes to Year Up with over 20 years of experience in the workforce-training arena. Before joining Year Up, Linda was V.P. of Business Development at WorkSource Staffing Partnership, an innovative workforce development company focusing on job retention and career development. Prior to WorkSource she was the Executive Director for Training, Inc., a Boston-based, not-for-profit job training organization in seven U.S. cities. Linda is also one of the founding members of the Job Training Alliance, a not-for-profit organization focused on workforce development and community partnerships. Linda earned a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan and a B.A. from the University of Vermont. Linda is one of the founding members of the Year Up team and brings her passion for young people to her job each and every day.
Jordan Tavares Admissions Coordinator
Jordan was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts and graduated from Weston High School through the METCO program. Jordan maintained his academic focus by attending and completing the Year Up Program. After graduating from Year Up, he was able to sustain his academic concentration and personal development by working at JPMorgan Chase as a Business Management Administrator. With a deep passion for human services, Jordan decided that he wanted to become an integral part of the underserved community of which he lived so many of his influential years. By serving Year Up as an AmeriCorps VISTA and pursuing his undergraduate degree, he has assured himself that he will be in the best position to give back to his community. Jordan now serves as the Admissions Coordinator.
Mae Tobin-Hochstadt Corporate Relations Specialist
Mae comes to Year Up with a variety of non-profit experience. She has helped homeless families apply for affordable housing, assisted a domestic violence organization with everything from IT to development and even ran a learn-to-snowboard program for underserved Boston youth. She graduated from Swarthmore College in 2006 with a major in Sociology and a minor in Russian. In her spare time, she plays ultimate frisbee.
Priscilla
Weinstein Site Leader Born and raised in Boston, Priscilla began working with Year Up as an intern during her senior year at Fenway High School. Once her internship was completed she decided to stay a little longer before she headed off to UMASS Dartmouth. She continued to work at Year Up during her summer and winter college breaks. Priscilla received her B.A degree in Human Resource Management. Once she joined the Year Up team full-time she worked with the admissions department. She now serves on the 4th floor as a site leader. Priscilla enjoys watching movies and traveling.
Daniel Wernig Teaching Fellow Daniel graduated from Keene State College with a degree in English and a certification in Secondary Education. Upon graduation he spent some time teaching English to recently displaced Bhutanese refugees. Daniel is a member of the program WorldTeach through which he taught English at DuocUC, a post-secondary institute in Santiago, Chile. Daniel teaches Customer Service Essentials and Business Essentials. His other duties include being the tutor and mentor associate for his learning community, serving as a liaison between the students and their tutors or mentors.
“The
best investment we can make for Boston’s future
is to create the skilled workforce employers need and
to invest in our young people so that they can compete
for the jobs of tomorrow. That’s why programs like
Year Up are critical.”
