KCPS Mentors Sharing Expertise in the form of Workshops for Shepherds Sophomores & Juniors

CODING CLASS by Mentor Sadhana Joliet

Shepherds Senior mentor Sadhana Joliet who is mentor to Shepherds KC '25 Mindy D. is also Managing Director, Global Security Growth at Accenture in NYC. Sadhana volunteered her time and conducted a Coding Workshop for Kolbe Cathedral Prep's Sophomores and Juniors. The workshop was educational, interactive and even included coding with music...the students' favorite part! Thank you, Sadhana!

COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP TIPS and RESUME WRITING by Mentor Alice Gorman

Shepherds Sophomore mentor Alice Gorman who is mentor to Shepherds KC '27 Damisha A. enjoyed over 12 years as the College & Career Center Coordinator at Fairfield Ludlowe High School. Alice volunteered to share her extensive experience in providing college, career, job search, internship, gap year, scholarship advice and guidance to high school and college students in the form of two workshops to both Shepherds mentors and students. Thank you, Alice!

Congratulations to Shepherds/NDHS Juniors on Ring Day

On January 29th, Notre Dame West Haven celebrated with our Shepherds Class of 2026 mentees at the annual Junior Ring Ceremony.

These juniors received a blessing of their class rings that have been customized and engraved with their academic and extracurricular achievements such as sports and arts programs.

The rings are meant to represent their journey at Notre Dame and the enduring bond shared with the community. Mentees have been proudly sporting their new rings and look forward to wearing them at graduation next year. We congratulate our Shepherds Class of 2026 on this great milestone!

KCHS Honors for Shepherds Students

And the awards go to...Shepherds/Kolbe Cathedral Prep students! Congratulations to all:

SENIORS: Mindy D., Zacharie S., Rolando C., Melissa C., Nyasha W., Angel C.

JUNIORS: Jonathan S., Tristan R. Jahsyi J., Nixie G., Mishi A., Bayron M., and Jayden M. E. Farez

SOPHOMORES: Caty R. Sariah D., Amanda V., Damisha A., German A.

FRESHMEN: Maria P., Jessica H., Evelyn M., Sahirah A., Melanie P., Ramek D., Pascal M., Elias P.

Another Shepherds Alumni Visit to Kolbe

Once again, we had the privilege of having some of our Shepherds alumni speak with our current Shepherds Junior and Senior students about life after Shepherds and their college experience.

With the help of Nashyra Yates (KC '15, Fairfield U. '15 and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission at Fairfield University) as moderator, our alum helped inspire our Seniors for their road ahead.

These alumni also helped to foster a sense of connection, bridging the gap between past and present, and creating a supportive community for our Shepherds students. Thank you, Shepherds alumni!

Shepherds Celebrates Mentor Appreciation Month!

Cheers, Shepherds mentors! We are so thankful and appreciative of our wonderful and dedicated mentors everyday-but we celebrated our mentors at the closing of National Mentoring Month at Brooklawn Country Club on January 30th.

Led by Shepherds Executive Director Tim Magee and Board member and mentor Jim O'Neil, we had the pleasure of hearing from Kolbe Cathedral Prep School Class of 2027's mentor Mary Dineen and mentee and Caty R.

We also had the privilege of meeting prospective mentors for our incoming Class of 2029 as they were introduced to the Shepherd's community, mission and programs. Thank you to our Board members and Shepherds staff for putting together an evening that celebrated the core of the Shepherds mission.

"Proper Use" of AI Workshop

Last week, we held an AI workshop hosted by Carnegie Prep for our Shepherds Freshmen and Sophomore Shepherds students.

It was an interactive and informative session that provided guidelines and ethics on the use of AI. The discussion covered important topics on appropriate AI usage.

Fairfield University Women's Basketball Game

It was a big win for the Fairfield University Women's Basketball team over Rider on Feb. 20th.

Our Shepherds group of mentors, mentees and staff filled the Leo D. Mahoney Arena to cheer on the Stags.

Fun was had by all, and we even got a big "Welcome Shepherds" on the jumbo screen!

Fundraising News

Fall Appeal

We are delighted to report that we raised over $120,000 from many generous individuals and institutions. This amount greatly surpassed our goal and set a record for the fall appeal. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this effort!

Shepherds does not receive any public funding, but rather relies on the generosity of individuals, foundations, corporations and other entities to fund its important programs and services.

We have received recent support from the following sources:

Bedford Family Social Responsibility Fund

Benjamin Lewis Trust

Buck's Creek Foundation

The Community Foundation of Greater New Haven

FSP Foundation

Hennessy Family Foundation

Near and Far Aid

Henry Niles Foundation

Alumni Stories

Angel Chavez, NDHS '17, College of the Holy Cross '21, Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business ‘24, Senior Associate Scientist at Pfizer

Angel graduated from Kolbe Cathedral in 2017 and enrolled at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. While an undergraduate, he interned in chemistry labs at both UMass Medical Center and Holy Cross. Following college graduation, Angel began full-time work as an Associate Scientist at Pfizer. He was promoted to Senior Associate Scientist in April 2024. He holds a Certificate in Advanced Management from Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business, where he is currently pursuing an MBA degree. Check out Angel's LinkedIn: Angel Chavez | LinkedIn

Tatiana Thompson, KCHS '18, College of the Holy Cross '22

Tatiana graduated from Kolbe Cathedral in 2018 and began her college journey in the fall at the College of the Holy Cross. As an undergraduate, she was involved with numerous campus organizations, including the Caribbean African Student Assembly and the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies Student Advisory Committee. She also volunteered for several local non-profit organizations and rowed on the women’s crew team. In the summer of 2022, she attended Dartmouth as a Tuck Business Bridge Fellow. Following graduation, Tatiana joined UMASS Chan Medical School as a Clinical Research Coordinator. She also works part-time as a Research Assistant at NYU. See her Linkedin: Tatiana Thompson | LinkedIn

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