History
- Blog
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- Member for
- 3 years 16 weeks
*My Story
- I am
a complex, authentic man, whose faith and hope make me purposeful, directed and accepting. I am dedicated to the healthy, holistic development of youth and in bringing them hope through acceptance and empowerment. I am a person that finds great joy in authentic relationships, that learns a great deal through taking risks and that believes that cooking and sharing a great meal can be very therapeutic.
- I earn my daily bread
at V.O.I.C.E.S. (an Emancipation/Independent Living Skills Center for transition-aged youth): developing and coordinating effective programs, building empowering and intentional intergenerational relationships, changing systems, and working together with youth to identify and reach their career and education related goals.
- How my leadership has changed as a result of OTV
OTV was the push that I needed—to truly risk being vulnerable in order to accept myself, find my voice and let it be strong. Through my work in On the Verge, I have decided to continue to go deeper in myself and choose to put myself forward to bring about the powerful change I want to see in myself, in my organization and in my communities.
- Where I’ve come from and where I expect to be in the next 3-5 years
My background is in developing groundbreaking programs focused on youth, education, and comprehensive approaches to development.
My first three years as a professional, I worked in developing and coordinating the Dual-Language Immersion Program at Silverado Middle School, promoting bilingual, bicultural and bi-literate education, and bringing together English and Spanish speaking students.
From 2002 - 2006, I established Northern California's first integrated, bilingual, Catholic Youth Ministry Program for St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, working with over 500 English and Spanish speaking youth from varied backgrounds.
Now my work at V.O.I.C.E.S. is opening me up to see that what truly brought me satisfaction about each previous step in my career was building relationships and developing youth. I plan to obtain a master’s degree in the area of social work.
Community Impact
- Geographic Location: Napa County
- Field of Interest: Youth Development
- Sector: Community Based Organizations
