New Americorps VISTAs join GSN Team!


Cindy Anderson

Ms. Anderson has worked in Colorado education in K-12 and postsecondary environments for over 20 years. Most recently, Cindy worked as the Interim Director of Advising at the Community College of
 Aurora and as the Assistant Director of Advising at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She currently is on the steering committee of the Academic Management Institute and is the Co-Chair of the University of Denver's University College Diversity Committee. She has worked with thousands of students, providing academic and career guidance, and has watched them become successful professionals in a variety of fields around the world. Cindy holds an MA in Educational Psychology emphasizing Adult Learning theory, and she recently retired from an assignment in higher education to begin work at GSN. In her free time, she is an active volunteer at the Denver Art Museum, and visits her grandchildren frequently in Washington, D.C.


Elizabeth Prochoda

Lizzie is a recent graduate from the University of Colorado - Denver with a B.S. in Psychology. Eventually she is hoping to go back to school in order become a school counselor. Lizzie has an extensive history working and volunteering in an educational setting, and wants to channel her passion for education and community development into her position with Generation Schools Network. She will be serving as a Community Partnership and Outreach VISTA for the Englewood School District, one of GSN's partner sites. She is extremely excited to partner with the students, parents, and community of Englewood this year.



Brianna Gaines

Brianna joins GSN this year as the Grants Specialist and is excited to continue her fundraising experience. Throughout her college career, Brianna mentored underserved high school students to prepare them for
college applications and assisted them in finding scholarships. She hosted campus tours and overnights at her school, allowing them to experience real college life. Brianna graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor's of  Science in Political Science. Prior to joining AmeriCorps, she worked  at  two large corporate law  firms in the attorney recruiting department working to bring in top talent and run their summer programs for law school students. She also assisted in office-wide fundraising efforts to raise money for their local food-bank. After her VISTA service, she hopes to go to law school and eventually work in public interest law. 



Yael Holzman Castellands

Yael brings many meaningful experiences and skills to GSN. She has
previously volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Connec
ticut where she worked with
elementary students in the after school
readingprograms. She was also an intern at the Middle East Media Research Institute, where she worked on press releases anddonor research. Yael is a recent graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she double majored in Communications and Political Science. Yael is an AmeriCorps Vista member who joined GSN in August of 2017. She is the Communications Specialist, working to help improve and expand Generation Schools Network's impact through marketing and social media. She is in charge of the management of all GSN social media accounts. She will be working with other members of the organization to re-design the GNS website and promotional materials to create more accessible platforms in order to reach broader audiences



Ava Nadel 

Ava is joining the GSN team as a Communications Specialist. She has b
een the photographer for collegiate athletics programs and began her work with youth in her high school's Best Buddies program, which continued when she served as a summercamp counselor in New York City. As thechild of immigrants, she knows first-hand the importance of a strong education and she is excited to bring her passion for service work to spreading GSN's message! Ava holds a BA in Sociology from Guilford College.



Akilah Moore

A kilah Moore graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in May 2012 with her Bachelor's degree in Deviant Behavior and Social Control. 
From there she went on to work with a non-profit for a year, coordinating
 family programs at one of their homeless shelters in midtown  Manhattan.She completed her Masters in Higher Education Administration from Stony Brook University in 2016. She has a passion for helping others in various capacities and often volunteers with a l
ocal NYC volunteer organization. She is currently the Communications Specialist for the Brooklyn office of Generation Schools Network.





Abbie Specht 

Abbie is working
with Generation Schools Network as an AmeriCorps  Vista this year to encourage the growth of a medical career pathway for high school students in rural Southeastern Colorado. She is based inPueblo and is excited for the college  and career opportunities this project has the potential to share with the area's students. Having grown up in rural Southeastern Colorado herself, Abbie moved to Pueblo Colorado to pursue a degree in History and Education. For the past two years she has embraced many roles at the El Pueblo History Museum including school tour facilitator, summer program teacher, and tour guide for the El Pueblo Archeological site.





Maggie Mather 

Maggie is a recent graduate of Occidental College, where she received a degree in Critical Theory and Social Justice. During her time at Occidental, she served as a member of Peer Health Exchange, a national program that trains college students to master a comprehensive health curriculum, which they then teach to first year students in schools in the surrounding area. Maggie brought this experience to inner city Los Angeles and impacted her students' health and wellness initiatives. She is joining the GSN VISTA team as a Curriculum Development Specialist by supporting the development of our Social Emotional Learning curriculum.
 


Generation Schools Network is excited for the upcoming year with all the new team members and the new projects they will be working on! 



Generation Schools Network™
Northeast l 540 President St, 1G l Brooklyn, NY 11238 l  347.410.5322
Rocky Mountain l 455 Sherman St, Ste 120 l Denver, CO 80203 l  720.452.3605


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