TF Spotlight: Marisely Hernandez

Having attended NYC public schools throughout elementary, middle, and high school, I was able to experience a wide variety of schools across different communities within the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. My middle school years were some of my toughest years. At the time, there were many changes going on within my personal life that negatively affected my behavior toward my grades and schoolwork. In part, I owe my decision to become an AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow to my middle school guidance counselor who continuously pushed me to grow.

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AmeriCorps Member Spotlight: Diego Bermejo

I decided to become an AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow in order to gain teaching experience and also be exposed to underprivileged education in order to be a catalyst for change in the community. After graduating college, I knew that I wanted to do teaching for a while. Being raised by my mom, who has been a teacher for 33 years, taught me the value of education. I wanted to be able to help students gain knowledge in places where they struggle to get it. I knew taking up a job as a Teaching Fellow for AmeriCorps, in partnership with Citizen Schools, would expose me to an environment that would help me learn about education, students, and myself.

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Trump’s proposed AmeriCorps cuts would trim .03 percent of the federal budget — but slash support at 11,000 schools

Through another AmeriCorps program, Citizen Schools, 41 corps members act as teaching fellows in high-needs middle schools in Harlem and Brooklyn, where they also help mobilize community partners to volunteer, said Wendy Lee, executive director of Citizen Schools NY.

“Our entire operating model is based on having AmeriCorps service members in schools,” Lee said. If funding were cut, she said, “We’d either have to rethink staffing or rethink the way our model is delivered.”

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Bank of America, Kerry Sullivan, Recognized by Voices for National Service for Commitment to National Service

On February 14, 2017, Bank of America was awarded the Corporate Service Award by Voices for National Service at the 14th Annual Friends of National Service Awards in Washington, D.C.  The award recognizes their investment in the civic health of our nation through support of national service. We were proud to celebrate alongside Kerry Sullivan, President of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, and her team - and honored to call them a partner.

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Lessons From Year One as CEO: Our Role in the Education Sector

Winter marks a set of important anniversaries for Citizen Schools:  the anniversary of our incorporation on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1995;  the anniversary of Black History Month, which offers the country an important reminder of the perseverance and resilience necessary to forge a more just and equitable society; and, now, my first year anniversary as our CEO.  I am proud to stand on the shoulders of giants in fulfilling our mission to close opportunity gaps to restore economic mobility in this country - and every student’s shot at the American Dream.  

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Citizen Schools Expands Focus on Applied Science with Support from Dell

Today Citizen Schools, a national leader in providing project-based apprenticeship learning for middle school students in high-need, public school districts, announced, with support from Dell, its plan to expand its focus on applied science apprenticeships for students across the country. Dell joins AmeriCorps, Biogen Foundation, Cisco and Fidelity as a National Leadership Partner, Citizen Schools’ lead corporate investors.

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Motorola Mobility and Citizen Schools Win Top Award for the 2016 Chicago Charity Challenge

Citizen Schools and Motorola Mobility, a Lenovo company, earned the 2016 Impact Award, a top award given by the Chicago Charity Challenge. Known fondly as “the Cha Cha,” this unique corporate giving competition is designed to motivate corporate employees to volunteer and donate.“We were thrilled to partner with Citizen Schools for the Chicago Charity Challenge and benchmark our impact metrics against other strong philanthropic partnerships around the city,” said Monica Hauser, Head of the Motorola Mobility Foundation.  “Winning the Impact Award honors the dedication of our employee volunteers and the impact of Citizen Schools’ mentorship model, one of the most rewarding volunteer experiences we offer employees.”

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Apprenticeship Recap: Intro to Debate with Skadden

Since fall 2014, attorneys and staff at Skadden, a New York-based law firm with 22 offices worldwide, have led apprenticeships at Citizen Schools, inspiring students to dream big while teaching practical skills exercised in the legal field. Last fall, a dozen Skadden personnel guided students through a 10-week Introduction to Debate class at the Urban Assembly Academy for Future Leaders School in West Harlem.

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Questrom’s Link Day Offers Expertise to Nonprofits

Chi Vo and Marisabel Jaramillo, two staffers from local nonprofit Citizen Schools, came to Link Day at the Questrom School of Business last Saturday looking for help in attracting more volunteers from diverse backgrounds.

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CSIL Spring Apprenticeships

We are so excited to offer apprenticeships this semester to our students that will inspire and empower them to be engineers, design thinkers, and data analysts. Thanks to our corporate and nonprofit partners this semester for giving us volunteers to teach our students hands-on apprenticeships.

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Citizen Schools: Measurable Impact in Illinois

Since 1995, Citizen Schools has been part of the movement committed to giving all students access to an excellent education. Since we first launched our program in Chicago, coming together with our school partners, students, parents and supporters, we have made a measurable impact on the lives of the students and communities we are serving.

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Apprenticeship Highlight: “Save the Bulls” with Boston Consulting Group

Citizen Teachers from Boston Consulting Group taught our 8th grade students how to take on the role of consultants.  Together, they worked to answer some questions for the Chicago Bulls, such as why are the Chicago Bulls losing fans, why are people not attending their home games at the United Center at the same rates as before, and what can the Chicago Bulls do to get people out to their games again.

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