Year Up’s Providence site opened its doors in January of 2005. We are proud to be Year Up’s first expansion site outside of the Boston area and are committed to serving this community’s urban young adults. We are humbled by the tremendous support that we have received over the past five years and look forward to working with Providence’s many talented young people, its businesses, and our community.

WHAT'S NEW
Year Up, Providence, Graduates Class 10
On August 4, 2010, friends and family members, corporate partners, supervisors and mentors, and community leaders gathered at The Providence Biltmore to celebrate the achievements of twenty-five Year Up graduates. Providence Mayor David Cicilline congratulated the graduates. Armeather Gibbs, Chief Operating Officer of The United Way of RI delivered an inspiring address.

At graduation—yet another milestone in their professional careers, we were able to celebrate this year’s achievements, like Deloy Leon, who received his A+ certification during the Learning and Development phase, a national Year Up First! Also, Ronald Dalomba received the Leadership Award. Michael Yapor and Oneyda Escobar were selected to speak to their class.  

In her address, Ms. Escobar, who received the Excellence Award, began by saying, “Quedate en la escuela y trabaja duro,” citing to stay in school and work hard. She explained that, “with just a high school diploma, [you] couldn’t find any job with a career path… this was the opportunity [she] needed.” She exclaimed, “I now know I truly am college material.” Oneyda is the first Year Up student, across the country, to receive her HDI certification for support center analyst. She concluded that, “A year ago all of this would have been foreign language but today it's what I do for a living and I love it. “

Microsoft and Bank of America were the event's Platinum Sponsors. Gold Sponsors included Hasbro and CVS/pharmacy. There were also several table sponsors including, GTECH and Navigant Credit Union.

FM Global received the Outstanding Corporate Partner Award in recognition of their continued support of the program and its current students and alumni. Bob Penney, Vice President/Portfolio Manager at Bank of America received the Outstanding Mentor Award, which recognizes a community member who has been instrumental in the personal and professional development of Year Up students.

YEAR UP FEATURED IN CITIZENS TODAY
Year Up was featured in the manufacturing section of the internal newsletter Citizens Today. To read this article click here.

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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 Providence area. Currently we have students from Providence, East Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Warwick, Woonsocket and Attleboro, MA.

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EVENTS
Class of JULY 2010 graduation
Click here for more info

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CONTACT US
Address:
Year Up Providence
10 Dorrance Street, Suite 1108
Providence, RI 02903

Phone and Fax Information:
Phone: 401-421-7819
Fax: 401-421-7839

For driving directions:

For questions about becoming a Year Up Providence student, contact:
Alex McCray
amccray@yearup.org

To hire a Year Up Providence intern, contact:
Kristin Easton
keaston@yearup.org

To volunteer at Year Up Providence, contact:
Alex McCray
amccray@yearup.org

To invest in or donate to Year Up Providence, contact:
Meghan Hughes
mhughes@yearup.org

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OUR TEAM, providence

Meghan spent the last fifteen years in university academia, most recently at Tufts University where she taught Renaissance art history for the last six years. While there Meghan was proud to receive the school’s Excellence in Teaching Award and to contribute to new curriculum development and a partnership with Northeastern University. Prior to her academic career, Meghan was an assistant vice president for four years at Christie’s Auction house where she headed the American Folk Art department. Meghan currently serves on the Board of the RISD Museum of Art, heading the education committee, and has been active at her children’s schools with strategic planning and diversity work. She was raised in Indianapolis and is the proud graduate of its public school system. Meghan graduated magna cum laude from Yale and holds a PhD from New York University. Meghan and her husband Kimball have three children, Walker, Veta, and Jamey. 

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Jeffery Condon
IT Instructor
Jeff comes to Year up with an extensive background in teaching and information technology training. Prior to joining Year Up Jeff was a technical trainer at New Horizons Computer Learning Center. He delivered classes on Comptia certification as well as Microsoft and Novell classes. Jeff was also an instructor at Gibbs College in the PC/Networking department. Jeff graduated from Excelsior College Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Computer Information Systems. He also has a M.S. in Management Information Systems from Bellevue University. He also holds numerous information technology certifications.

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Kristin Easton
Director of Internships and Alumni
Kristin joined the Year Up Providence team in September of 2007. She graduated from Syracuse University in May 1999 and brought with her extensive private and public business experience. Whether it was working on Wall Street in New York, or managing her own business for Sylvan and Huntington Learning Centers, Kristin has always been committed to bettering her community and providing opportunities for others. Kristin has established tremendously strong relationships with business partners throughout Rhode Island (and parts of Mass.) over the last couple of years and is excited to bring Year Up into every company throughout the state. She also enjoys working closely with the alumni to not only help place them in jobs, but watch them grow and develop as individuals...any opportunity to empower urban talent to reach their potential.

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Bobby Gondola, Jr.
Manager of Development
Bobby began working with Year Up in 2010 and brings experience in fundraising, art and communications, and community development. Most recently, he served as Director of External Relations at Opus 118 Harlem School of Music in New York City. He has worked in the townships of South Africa, focusing on career development and access to education for underserved youth, also teaching art classes. No stranger to Rhode Island, Bobby graduated from Salve Regina University with a degree in both studio art (painting) and politics and a minor in art history. Awarded a full scholarship to Harvard University and recognized as a Public Service Fellow, Bobby earned his Master in Public Policy degree in Political Advocacy and Leadership with specializations in nonprofit management and the mobilization of support. Bobby enjoys drawing and painting, skiing, and traveling- recently returning from a road trip between South Africa and Kenya where he spent time in eight African countries.

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Lauren Heard
VISTA Strategy & Operations Associate
Lauren relocated from her hometown, Detroit, Michigan to serve as the VISTA Strategy & Operations Associate.  At Year Up, she will implement Providence's goal setting process and facilitate regular strategic planning with a concentration on our new partnership with the Community College of Rhode Island.  Lauren has worked with teenagers and young adults in multiple capacities such as an advisor, mentor, tutor, and Child Welfare Caseworker at the Department of Human Services.  Prior to joining the Providence team, Lauren worked with Win Win Resolutions, in North Carolina, a violence prevention organization, where she planned and developed a girls mentoring program.  Lauren is an alumnae of Michigan State University.  In her spare time Lauren enjoys indulging in pastries, playing sports, and being a die hard Spartan fanatic.

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Jackie Henry
Business Communications Instructor
Jackie joined the Year Up Providence team in July 2008, as the site’s first AmeriCorps VISTA member. Born and raised in Central California, Jackie learned from an early age the value of education. Under the watchful eye of her mother, a single parent, and with the guidance of very supporting mentors, Jackie was admitted to and graduated from Brown University with honors in May 2007 with a Bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies and Political Science. Jackie firmly believes in the talent of the young adults she teaches and holds out hope for a future that recognizes what it truly means to be an “educated” young person in America.

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Ivan Marte
Alumni Coordinator
Ivan has been involved with Year up for over 3 years. Prior to working at Year Up he volunteered as a mentor and guest speaker for several classes. Ivan comes to Year Up with an extensive background in IT, Adult Education and Networking. Hired as a contract facilitator, he has taught adult classes for the Rhode Island Mentoring Partnership for over two years. He's an active member of Rhode Island Young Professionals, an auxiliary of the Urban League of Rhode Island, and contributes much of his time towards helping many local non-profits. Most recently he was an MIS specialist at Bank RI for over a year. He was offered this position after completing a six month internship through Year Up. As a graduate of the program Ivan offers a different perspective and knows the program in and out.

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Alex McCray
Outreach, Admissions, Student Services Director
Alex joined the Year Up Providence team in July 2010. A 2005 graduate of Leadership Rhode Island, Alex holds an Economics degree with a Minor in Dance from Bowdoin College. Most recently at The Rhode Island Foundation, where Alex honed his knowledge of the Rhode Island community, he has served in development and marketing roles for a diverse group of youth-serving and human service organizations, including Junior Achievement and Kaplan, Inc. At Junior Achievement, Alex taught basic economics to middle-school students for two years. Currently, Alex is pursuing a graduate degree at Northeastern University focusing on nonprofit management. Serving as a Big Brother and traveling are among his varied interests.

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George Nippo
Program and Academic Site Director
George joined Year Up in 2010, having spent much of the previous decade as a teacher and then director of the Robert Muller LIFE School in Panajachel, Guatemala.  A native Rhode Islander, he returned home to continue his work in the non-profit world and is thrilled to be a part of the Year Up Providence team.  An educator at heart, George holds a Master of Science degree in College Student Personnel and BA degrees in Spanish and Elementary Education from the University of Rhode Island where he won the President's Award for Excellence in each of his undergraduate majors. Having also studied in Spain and Argentina, he is a fluent speaker of Spanish. While in graduate school, George did student advising in the Office of International Education and National Student Exchange at URI as well as at Salve Regina University's Office of International Programs. 

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Madeline Snow
Business Communications Instructor
Maddie is an educator with a passion for working with urban youth. She originally joined the Year Up team as Commonwealth Corps Teaching Fellow at the Boston Site. While in Boston she taught Customer Service and Business Essentials. In addition to her work as an instructor, Maddie demonstrated her dedication to Year Up’s “high expectations, high support” model by expanding the tutoring program. She developed a tutor handbook and a new tutor orientation session. Maddie was also able to put her passion for service to work by assisting in the facilitation of Leadership in Service, a community service group for students. Maddie earned her Bachelor of Arts in History as well as a Master of Arts in Education from Ithaca College. While in college, Maddie was an active member of her campus community and the President of Ithaca College Big Brothers Big Sisters (IC Bigs). She brings with her several years of experience teaching and volunteering at various educational non-profit programs, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, AVID, and Cruz Cares. Maddie is an avid reader who loves to spend time outdoors. She especially enjoys taking trips with her family and playing outside with her daughter Charlee.

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John-Marra Youte
Student Services Manager
John-Marra Youte is the Student Services Manager for Year Up Providence. Prior to joining Year Up full time in 2008, John-Marra served as mentor. John-Marra is a firm believer in giving back to the community and working hard to expose young people to educational and career opportunities. He has devoted much of his career to community outreach and working on Saturday mornings with the W.E.B. Dubois Academy tutoring young children and as a big brother to young men of color. John-Marra has worked with street organizations like Positive Edge in Cambridge, Massachusetts to reduce gang violence while increasing educational awareness. John-Marra worked for Massachusetts Institute of Technology Talent Search Program as a Program Specialist and for Massachusetts Department of Children and Families as an Adolescent Outreach Worker. John-Marra also worked with the national Job Corps Program under the U.S. Department of Labor as Career Development Field Coordinator. After three years of dedicated service, John-Marra worked for the City of Cambridge in Massachusetts as Career counselor and Life Coach. During his tenure he engaged in several community building projects like Neighborhood Safety Task Force at the invitation of Mayor Kenneth Reeves to address the effects of the Criminal Offender Record Information law and regulations on workforce development. John-Marra is a candidate for a Human Resource Management Certificate from Southern New Hampshire University. John-Marra received his Masters of Education in Psychological Studies from Cambridge College and his B.S. in African History from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. John-Marra moved to the United States in 1985 from his birth country Haiti.

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