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 apprenticeship 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 2008.

Year Up Boston holds Open Houses every Wednesday from 2:30-4:00 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

congratulations Class of jANUARY 2009

Platinum Sponsors:

On January 29th, Year Up's Class of January 2009 filled the Sheraton Boston Hotel, celebrating their graduation with more than 500 family members, corporate partners, program supporters, and community leaders. Platinum sponsors for the event included Bank of America, Microsoft, and State Street Corporation. Additional table sponsors included Children's Hospital Boston, Partners HealthCare, TAC Worldwide, and Wellington Management. We were honored to have Rev. Gloria E. White-Hammond, M.D., Co-Pastor of Bethel AME Church and Executive Director of My Sister’s Keeper, as our keynote speaker.
Claudio Martinez, Executive Director of Hyde Square Task Force, was presented with Year Up's Urban Empowerment Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made an incredible impact on their community by empowering urban young adults to reach their potential. Chris Leone, of East Boston High School, was presented with Year Up’s Outstanding Community Partner Award and Jim Sloman with our Outstanding Mentor Award. Vivian Coleman, of State Street Corporation, received Year Up’s Outstanding Apprenticeship Supervisor Award.
As with each celebration, Year Up's graduates inspired the audience by sharing their personal experiences and defining their visions of true success. Shawn Atkins described his personal transformation and thanked Year Up for “bettering the lives of urban young adults and giving us a chance to see past a high school diploma, past minimum wage, past the projects, and past being complacent with just being okay.”
Graduate Stanley Narcisse spoke about the obstacles he has overcome in his life to now believe, “I am a man with drive and purpose that is destined for greatness. I am a man that has only just begun to build his legacy.” He told his classmates, “To get what you’ve never had, you must do what you’ve never done,” and assured the Class of January 2009 that he would see them all at the top.

Year Up is honored to announce the Class of January 2009 awards and scholarships:
The Dave Retik Award for Excellence: Stanley Narcisse, Jonathan Zapata, Abdellah Ait Sidi Ahmed

The Chris Mello Award for Leadership: Peter Satchell, Raquel Pineda, Alyse Bookman

Strive to Learn Award: Skip Gonsalves

SIM Technology Leadership Award: Charles Hall

Rotary Club Scholarships: Drissia El Abd, Aung Si Thu

Pallotta Scholarships for Cambridge College: Giselle Levelle, Abdelmalek Melaiki, Tylica Pabon

CARNIVAL EVENT

Thank you to all of our sponsors for making this year's Carnival a success! To see photos from the event, please click here »

Boston Globe Op-Ed Highlights Year Up
On November 19, 2008, columnist Scot Lehigh highlights Year Up's success in preparing young adults to succeed in today's complex economy. Lehigh recognizes Year Up as a strong example of a program that is teaching the 21st-century skills necessary to be college and career ready. Click here to read the article.
 
Year Up in The Boston Globe
October 14, 2008, Click here to read the article.

State Street Honored for Year Up Partnership
At its annual Corporate Citizenship Summit on September 5th, the Boston Business Journal honored State Street Corporation with the Partner of the Year Award for the company's partnership with Year Up. The award recognizes companies who have demonstrated innovation and development of best practices in specific partnerships with non-profits. Click here to learn more about the partnership.

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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.

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EVENTS
class of July 2009 graduation
Year Up cordially invites you to join our graduation ceremony on Thursday, July 30, 2009. Click here for more information.

OPEN HOUSE
Year Up Boston holds Open Houses every Wednesday from 2:30-4:00 at 93 Summer Street.  To speak with an admissions representative about coming to an open house please call (617)542-1533.

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CONTACT US
Address:
Year Up Boston
93 Summer St, 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02110

Phone and Fax Information:
Phone: 617-542-1533
Fax: 617-542-1539

For driving directions:

For general questions, contact:
Tamika Mason
tmason@yearup.org

For questions about becoming a Year Up student, contact:
Linda Swardlick Smith
admissions@yearup.org

To hire a Year Up apprentice, contact:
Donald Ger
dger@yearup.org

To volunteer at Year Up, contact:
Michelle Demars
mdemars@yearup.org

To invest in or donate to Year Up, contact:
Michelle Demars
mdemars@yearup.org

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES
National Headquarters, Boston
VISTA Recruiting Associate, Boston
Technical Project VISTA Associate
National Director of Development & External Affairs, Boston
Senior Director of Strategic Human Resources, Boston

Boston
VISTA Admissions Associate, Boston
Events and Volunteer Coordinator, Boston
Commonwealth Corps Member/Teaching Fellow, Boston

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OUR TEAm, boston

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Tyra Anderson
Learning Director
Tyra comes to Year Up from Oklahoma City, OK. She has previously worked with the Children’s Community Arts Program for the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, FL. With a background in working with non-profit organizations, Tyra is excited to be apart of the Year Up Team. She has received her B.A. degree in Arts Management w/a minor in Marketing and African American Studies from the University of Tulsa. She is currently in graduate school pursuing her M.A. in Education at Lesley University.

Kevin Barry
Apprenticeship Account Director
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 apprenticeship program and managing relationships with a number of Year Up's strategic accounts.

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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 both the middle, 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. Until July, 2006, he was working toward an M.F.A. in Creative Nonfiction from Bennington College in Vermont; he has since transferred to the Masters in Publishing and Writing program at Emerson College in Boston.

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Bill Davidge
Business Communications Instructor
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.

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Smajl Cengic
Director of Career and Alumni Services
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 and a Master of Management degree from Cambridge College.

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Karen Crane
Academic Director
Karen comes to Year Up with a wide range of instructional experience with adult learners. Most recently, 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. Prior to The Chubb Institute Karen was 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, Business.

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Bill Davidge
Investment Operations Instructor / Apprenticeship Account Director
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.

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Michelle Demars
Development and Volunteer Manager

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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.

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Greg Gardner
Boston Site Leader
Greg joined the Year Up team after relocating to Boston from San Francisco, CA. Greg worked as a Project Manager for 7 years in the private sector before moving to the non-profit sector. During his career in Social Services, Greg has worked as a case manager, job developer, and vocational program coordinator. Greg holds a BA in Philosophy from Pitzer College in Claremont, CA, as well as an MSW from the University of Chicago.

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Pat Gaudette
Investment 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.

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Donald Ger
Senior Director of Apprenticeships
Donald joins Year Up with over 15 years of experience in sales, marketing and operations. Prior to joining Year Up, Donald spent several years in the technology industry working for both GTE and Nortel. In the late 90s he worked for eJobs, an outsourced Human Resource firm which on organizational development and hiring. For the past six years, Donald was a general management consultant helping high growth companies build infrastructure and processes to achieve their strategic plans. As a consultant he was responsible for documenting Year Up's unique practices of engaging employers with apprentices. In March 2008 he became a member of the Year Up team as Senior Director of Apprenticeships. He also serves as an advisor to the board of the non-profit Beyond the 11th. Donald received a B.A. from George Washington University, a general course certificate from the London School of Economics and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

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Brendan Halpin
Investment Operations 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, three novels for adults and two novels for young adults 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.

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Brian harvey
Commonwealth Corps Member/Teaching Fellow
Brian's resume reads, "After 10 years of positively impacting youth, plus the passion and qualifications to excel as a Teaching Fellow, I will empower the [YU] students to achieve academic and professional potential." Brian is a graduate of UMASS Boston and holds a B.A. in Community Planning. He was an Education Award recipient for AmeriCorps' "Students in Service". For nine years he worked at Roche Brothers Supermarket in customer service positions. He also worked at Little House in Dorchester, leading urban teens through intensive outdoor team building exercises. Most recently, he completed a rigorous summer program as a teacher in the Higher Achievement Program in Washington, DC, where he taught math and social studies to middle schoolers. Brian likes to sing karaoke in his spare time and coach basketball. In fact, he is YU's newest basketball coach along with Coach Carlos, providing Year Up with two basketball teams this term!

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Stacy Hightower
Boston IT 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.

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Sara Holt
Director of Enrollment
Sara joins Year Up with ten years of experience working in both for-profit and nonprofit agencies. Her unique experience includes strategic consulting, software QA and training, and knowledge management.  Sara's dedication to social change led her to earn a master's degree in urban social work practice and human service management.  Before returning to graduate school Sara spent three years at the Bridgespan Group developing their knowledge management practice, and five years at Bain & Company as a learning & development specialist in IT.

Sara has an extensive volunteer record working with Boston's urban youth at Steppingstone, MyTown, MSPCC and BP Schools.  She also enjoys volunteering with Boston's homeless. Sara holds a BA in English Teaching from the University of New Hampshire and an MSW from Boston University.

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Mawuli Hormeku
Commonwealth Corps Member/Teaching Fellow
Mawuli started his post-college career in the music industry, with a focus on promotions and marketing. He has worked for Kanye West's record label at Sony BMG and also started his own consulting business in this field. After several years in the music industry, he obtained his NY provisional teacher's license and worked as a permanent substitute for special needs students. It was here where he found his life's passion in urban education. He later worked for B.E.L.L. in NYC as a tutor/mentor before deciding to pursue his graduate degree in Education at Boston College. Mawuli holds a B.A. in Psychology and is on track to graduate with his Master's in Curriculum & Instruction this December.

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Saskia James
Alumni & Career Services Coordinator

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BETTY JEREMIE
Boston IT instructor
Betty re-located from the Southeast to join Year Up Boston. While she needs to go buy some winter clothes, she brings with her a worthy background in the IT and teaching fields. Over the past 10 years, she has worked as a training specialist and project manager in the IT industry. Additionally, Betty has taught at Seminole High School in Florida where she taught emerging technology-- including at that time C++ and QBasic-- business computer applications, and employability skills. She also spent some time as a Corporate Trainer for Scholastic Book Fairs and the University of Central Florida, both developing instructional materials and methods, teaching corporate classes, and developing and training new systems for external business customers. A native of Haiti, Betty is actually returning to Boston, as she is a graduate of UMASS holding a B.S. in Management Information Systems. She also has a M.S. in Management Information Science from the University of Phoenix. She is fluent in French, English, and Spanish.

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Shayla jordan
Commonwealth Corps Member/Teaching Fellow
A Boston native and a graduate of Stonehill College with a B.A. in American Studies and Elementary Education, she participated in diversity and cultural initiatives on campus and worked as a tutor and counselor for the Upward Bound program. Later, she acted as the program's Bridge Coordinator. She mentored low-income HS students who desired to be college bound, and taught resume writing, interviewing skills, and time and stress management. She also has three years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, working for Texas Roadhouse Restaurants, most recently as a Training Coordinator/Corporate Trainer and Hourly Manager. There, she coordinated and facilitated training to trainers and managers, hosted new employee orientation, and taught sales techniques to employees with a focus on customer service.

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John P. Killeen
Investment Operations 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 teaches Finance and Business courses. John graduated from Hartwick College in Oneonta N.Y. where he earned a B.A. in Economics. He also received a certificate in Financial Planning from the New England Banking Institute (now The New England College of Finance) and in 1999 received a M.S. in Finance from Northeastern University. Most recently, John received a graduate certificate in Publishing from Pace University.

John enjoys coaching youth soccer and spending time with his family

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Christopher Knight
Manager of Outreach & Admissions
Chris is a native of 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.  There he double majored in Sociology and Gender & Women’s Studies.  During his junior year Chris spent three months at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica studying Gender & Development through the School for International Training (SIT).  Chris comes to Year Up eager to serve the community in which he grew up.   Looking back on the “year up” he had in his life, Chris is excited to help provide an opportunity for other urban young adults.

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Harry Lindor
Learning Director
Harry was born and raised in Haiti. He graduated from the State University of Haiti with a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering and an Associate degree in Soil Mechanics. For 10 years, he conducted many infrastructural projects such as the drainage project for Haiti's Capital (Port-au-Prince) in collaboration with French and Canadian Consultants. He shared his experiences and knowledge teaching at a private university, and he also opened a Computer School to train working professionals. Immigrating to the US in 1990, he worked for the Florida Department of Transportation, and graduated in Computer Information Systems with a minor in Computer Science. He worked as an Assistant Network Administrator at the Florida Atlantic University, also tutoring students in Programming Languages and Software Applications. He continued his career working as a Help Desk specialist for Compaq, prior to extending his experiences with Equitrac, the world leader and most trusted print tracking and cost recovery solutions Company. His passion for children and youth led him to relocate from Miami, giving up his comfortable life to join the Year Up vision of empowering young adults to reach their potential.

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Caitlin MacDonald
Events and Communications Manager
Caitlin came to Year Up in June 2007 with a passion for education. After graduating from Bowdoin College in 2001 with a degree in English and Education, Caitlin taught high school English in Westbrook, Maine. She then returned to her alma mater as the Coordinator of Community Service Programs, helping to engage Bowdoin students in volunteer, service learning, and community leadership opportunities. Prior to joining the Year Up team, Caitlin earned her MBA in Public and Nonprofit Management at Boston University. While completing her degree, she was a Graduate Assistant at BU's Community Service Center where she served as advisor to the student leaders of the campus volunteer programs. She also worked with the GreenLight Fund and EdVestors to plan their annual fundraising events. Caitlin is excited to combine her experience in student development and her love of event planning and marketing in her position at Year Up.

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Chanelle Mack
Apprenticeship 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 apprenticeship 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.

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Teresa Martinez
Admissions Coordinator
Teresa Martinez was born and raised in El Salvador and moved to 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 graduation from Year Up, she became part of the Year Up team, working as Admissions Coordinator. Teresa is continuing her education at Cambridge College, where she is working towards her Bachelors Degree in Human Services.

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Jenni McBrayer
Admissions Specialist
Jenni joined the Year Up team after relocating to Boston from NC. She brings with her a mix of administrative and social work experience. Most recently she graduated from a one-year appointment with the AmeriCorps*NCCC program where she completed 1,700 hours of national service, including leading volunteers in Hurricane Katrina disaster relief. Prior to Americorps, she worked as a Customer Service and Billing Specialist at Vantel Communications and as a Case Manager for female offenders at the Summit House of the Piedmont. Other community service includes a 1 year internship at the Big Buddy Program, volunteering as a big buddy for a 12-year old girl, tutoring male offenders for the GED exam, and service learning with elementary school children and families. Jenni holds a B.S. of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

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Matt McCann
Boston Site Leader
Matt brings a 20-year career in technology to Year Up. As a Client Partner at Razorfish and i-Cube, he managed large 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 provided day-to-day oversight of 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 and has done graduate work in Multinational Commerce at Boston University.

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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.

Most recently, 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.

Robin has a B.A. in Communications from Rhode Island College, a post-graduate certificate in Refugee Studies from York University, Toronto, and has taken graduate courses in Education at RI College, Lesley College, and Cambridge College. She is a volunteer with Team in Training, the endurance sports training/fund raising program for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

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Dolores ORTIZ
Investment Operations instructor
While Dolores started full time with Year Up this summer, many of you are not new to knowing Dolores, as she has been a volunteer with us teaching workshops on personal finance and being a mentor to past students. She comes to Year Up with over 20 years working in both the non-profit and private sectors. Most recently, she worked for Organization for a New Equality (O.N.E.) as the Director of Financial Education where she managed statewide and national financial education programs and developed curricula for youth and adults. She also worked for 10 years at Cendant Corporation (formerly CUC International untill 1997) as a Research Anaylst and Fulfillment Coordinator, working in accounting/billing, quality control and assurance, and customer service. Dolores has been an active volunteer in the community, having also invested her services to support and guide young people at the Timilty Middle School and the Mission Safe youth development organization.

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Kelly Parrish
Learning Director
Kelly comes to Year Up with a wide range of skills including teaching technology classes in the corporate world and in 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, the creation of 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 a great passion for teaching and reaching students.

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Damien Rudzinski
Learning Director
With five years of professional experience at startups and corporations, Damien joins the Year Up team as a Learning Director to share his knowledge and experience from the industry. Originally entering college as a Music Education major, Damien eventually decided to pursue a degree in Computer Science, although he still enjoys playing music. In 2000, he earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science, with a minor in Business Management, from Keene State College in NH.

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Kayvan Sabery
Learning Director
Kayvan Sabery comes to Year Up from Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology where has been the director of computing services at for the past 5 years and an instructor for the past fifteen years. He has also 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. He holds a BS in Engineering from Boston University and is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.

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Linda Swardlick Smith
Director of Admissions, Volunteers, and Social Work
Linda comes to Year Up with over 20 years of experience in the workforce-training arena. Most recently, 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.

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Chelsey Tanaka
Site Leader

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margaret walkup
Commonwealth Corps Member/Teaching Fellow
Margaret graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in Spanish and Education Studies and is a member of Delta Sigma Pi, the National Spanish Honor Society. She has experience as the general manager of the on-campus student center and pub, Punch's Alley, where she handled day-to-day operations, managed a staff team, and increased foot traffic and revenue by implementing a solid plan with a focus on customer service. After graduating, she spent a year teaching kindergarten and first grade at schools in Boston and Watertown through grant-funded positions. A native of Washington, D.C., and a product of the Nashville public schools, Margaret holds a true passion for teaching and learning and wanted to teach older students. She comes to Year Up excited to teach our students and expand her own professional development. She enjoys improv and was once a member of the "Dead Serious Improvisational Troupe".

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Priscilla Weinstein
Admissions Specialist
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 of 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. She has joined the Year Up team full time working with admissions and enrollment.

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