How has Waterbury Youth Services helped you grow?   When I first enrolled in Waterbury Youth Services' after school program, Linking Academics to Life, I was a freshman in high school. I was very shy. I wasn’t comfortable, confident or social at all.  Now, you can’t stop me from talking.

The staff made all the difference. They were always kind and positive. Helpful when I needed it most. I started making new friends.   I became a lot more comfortable speaking with kids and adults I didn’t know. I wanted them to value my opinion so I valued theirs, even if it was very different from mine.  When I interacted with other people, it opened up my mind.

I also wanted to do more.  Making new friends inspired me and gave me the confidence to reach out at school and in the community. I joined Waterbury NAACP Youth Council and Make ‘Em Believe.  We did Open mic nights to get kids more comfortable speaking out. We helped feed the homeless at  GWIM.  We participated in the Hunger Walk.

When I was a freshman, a lot of things were going on that I felt I couldn’t control.  But this program helped me become more confident, have more self esteem. I realized that I was in charge of my life.

Now that you've graduated high school, what's next for you?  When I think about my career, I know I want to work with kids.  I worked as a Summer Camp counselor and 4-H Mentor while at WYS. I showed them what they could do and what they could be.  I told them to always believe in yourself. Keep going, keep pushing past blocks in the road. Keep moving forward.  You build up kids, you don’t break them down. That’s how you reach them. With me, they knew they were seen. That they mattered.  You could say my mentoring style is a direct reflection of how I was mentored at Waterbury Youth Services.