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Tabitha is a 20 year veteran in the field of youth leadership development and holds degrees in Psychology and Education from Clark University, as well as graduate education from University of Massachusetts Boston. She has provided training and consultation in public schools, community-based programs and non-profit organizations for youth of all ages, parents, teachers and mentors from all over the country. Tabitha has received extensive professional and experiential training in the areas of communication, mentorship, diversity engagement, peer mediation, leadership development, facilitation, civil discourse, anti-bias and primary prevention education. The launch of Roots & Wings brings together her experience with leadership and identity development in an innovative way, empowering all types of youth and adults to strengthen their character and identity, connect with others through deeper communication and effect change in their community. When she is not supporting others in their work, she is at home raising two young leaders of her own and working on her own communication skills.
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Karin was born and raised in Queens, New York and is a graduate of Wellesley College, with a double major in religion and economics. At Wellesley, she was a fellow with the Interfaith Youth Core and a campus activist, striving to bring faith- inspired students together to promote social justice causes on campus. Following graduation, Karin became a resident organizer with the Bend the Arc's Community Organizing Residency (COR) and spent a year as a union organizer in Baltimore, MD. Currently, Karin oversees and coordinates Youth Leadership Programs in the Greater Boston area and coordinates Youth LEAD's annual TIDE Conference. As a proud active member of the Boston Muslim community, Karin plays a key role in the identity and leadership development of Muslim teens in the community. In her spare time away from the kids, Karin loves to dive into adventures with her friends and family.
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Julie holds a BS in Psychology from Bridgewater State University, but has spent the majority of her professional career working in the areas of Pension Administration and Consulting. She spent the first three years of her career with Putnam Investments, followed by 12 years at New York Life Retirement Plan Services where she fulfilled numerous positions including the role of Operations Manager. Most recently, Julie managed the finance and operations for a small non-profit organization in the Boston Area. Away from the office, Julie enjoys teaching CCD and keeping up with her three active children.
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Training Facilitators
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Kyla received her Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN and her Masters of Science in College Student Development and Counseling from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Through her personal, professional, and academic journey she has had the opportunity to live in NY, MI, CT, MN, NJ, MA, and RI so the question "where are you from" is always a hard one for her to answer. One of her biggest passions is leadership development through an intercultural and violence prevention lens. She believes that this is the tool necessary to create spaces in which community members feel connected, safe, and valued as their genuine selves.
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Virginia is a native of Charlottesville, VA and moved to the Boston area 20 years ago. She graduated from Duke University with a major in Political Science and an interest in the issues facing third world countries. After working on Capitol Hill and a start-up publishing company in California she returned to North Carolina for her MBA at the Kenan Flagler School of Business. When Virginia moved to Boston she worked with Family Education Network helping schools communicate with parents online. Since then Virginia has been focused on raising her three children. Her passion has been working with young people both through volunteer work at her children’s schools and then coaching girls lacrosse in the Concord Carlisle Youth League. Virginia is on the board of advisors to the Jefferson Awards Foundation and has been active in recruiting schools for their Students in Action program that uses service learning as a vehicle for teaching leadership skills to students.
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Originally from sunny Florida, Alicen moved to Massachusetts for college in 2008 and has loved the winters ever since. She graduated from Smith College with a self-designed major in Peace and Conflict Studies and a minor in Religion. She has a passion for multi-cultural dialogue, youth empowerment and community development, and currently works in programs and development at Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries (CMM), Greater Boston's oldest interfaith nonprofit. She has studied language and conflict transformation in Northern Ireland, Morocco, and in Jerusalem. In her free time she loves playing guitar and singing with friends and attending a variety of faith-based gatherings.
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Andrea Levinsky has been an educator both in traditional schools and in supplemental education programs. She holds a B.A. from Connecticut College where she studied American Studies, Human Development, Education, and Public Policy. Before moving to the Boston area, she taught middle school English and Social Studies in Maine. She is currently the Education Program Manager at Temple Shalom of Newton. Passionate about youth leadership and youth voice, Andrea co-founded a girl's leadership organization called Girls Are... which provides summer camp programming focused on building leadership skills in girls through the arts. She also enjoys dance and participating in musical theater productions
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Anna LaneAnna is a New Englander at heart with a love for new experiences and dialogue. A recent graduate of Northeastern University, she studied Elementary Education & Psychology. As an undergrad, she had the opportunity to complete her student teaching at the Mission Hill School in Jamaica Plain, assistant teaching 3rd and 4th graders. She also has worked for United Somali Youth, a grassroots non-profit organization based in Roxbury, MA. As the organization's Assistant Director, she supported a youth immersion trip to Kenya, developed relations between youth, families, and teachers, and assisted in writing and managing public and private sector grants. She loved all of the experiences she has had with young people around the world; they have taught her how to be an effective educator, a stronger advocate, and a more thoughtful and compassionate person.
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Demetria BridgesDemetria is a voice artist and actor. Prior to acting, she spent twenty years in corporate management and public education. Her past leadership experience allows her to be a catalyst to the next generation by challenging the lens through which they see the world, themselves in it and their ability to lead and change their environment. As a voice actor, Demetria understands the power of one’s words and advocates for students to raise their voice to empower their lives and influence others to do the same. She has and continues to mentor young girls and older women through organizations like Dress4Success Boston, faith-based mentoring groups and Boston Cares. A creative soul, Demetria loves cooking, singing, autumn and all things art by Dali. She is a native born BeanTown girl, an introvert with an inner extrovert and she received her Bachelor’s of Science degree from UMASS Amherst.
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Jen MoffJen is a recent transplant to the Boston area. Spending her last four years in the sunshine state, she is grateful for the varied seasons. Jen has a BFA after studying theater arts, communications, and public relations from Valdosta State University. She initially fell in love with servant leadership while working for APEX Communications in 2011 and was introduced to mindfulness a year later. Now an online entrepreneur, she is passionate about utilizing both to empower women to know, care for, love, trust, and stand up for themselves so they can go after what they want in life, love, and at work. Jen is interested in, and studies, topics at the intersections of leadership and employee experience, play and personal development, as well as relationships and spiritual growth. A self-proclaimed foodie, Jen enjoys horseback riding and using makeup as a creative outlet / self-care tool
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Shaya PokuShaya Gregory Poku is committed to advancing equity and bridge-building across gulfs of experience and understanding. Her 12+ years of professional experience spans peacebuilding, social justice education, advocacy and organizational development work with local, and international non-profits and in the higher education sector. She holds three interdisciplinary degrees: An M.S. in Resilience and Security Studies, a M.A. in Intercultural Relations and B.A. International Relations that provide her with a uniquely complex lens on social systems and human development. Shaya is a proud native of California, wife and mom to a bright and energetic toddler.
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Yusuf SolomonFrom an early age Yusuf has been surrounded by educators devoted to the constant growth of their students. Through the guidance of his parents and his mentors this mission is something that he has embraced. Through building children’s consciousness of their strengths and personal accountability while working at EXPLO or helping children with special needs build their self-esteem and devotion to learning while working at South Shore Medical Services, Yusuf has ensured that his love for his students comes through in every student interaction. Yusuf also founded the Muslim Student Association on the Wheaton college campus back in 2016, which still continues to provide support for students of all background. He currently studies Political Science at Umass Boston and hopes to continue on to Law School.
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Lara GlassA desert child, Lara was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After attending Grinnell College in Iowa and serving with Americorps in Chicago, Lara came to New England to pursue her MDiv at Harvard Divinity School which she completed in 2017. During her Master's degree and since Lara has worked in residential life, academic advising and spiritual life contexts to support college students in co-creating community and discerning who they are and how they hope to be in the world. In particular, Lara appreciates facilitating opportunities for growth and leadership through a spiritually informed lens that takes into account the complexities of power and privilege and how these dynamics both shape our worldviews and situate us within them. Lara loves to dance, take road trips, and curl up with a good book.
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Jen GerofskyJen has been a teacher for 15 years, spending 10 of those years in the Boston Public School district. After graduating with a degree in education from SUNY New Paltz, she earned her Master’s Degree in both Elementary Education and Special Education through the Boston Teacher Residency program, where she was trained not only in education but also leadership and cultural understanding. Throughout her career, Jen has worked to instill an understanding of self and others in her students. It is important to her that young people learn to know themselves as both individuals and as learners in order to be able to advocate for their own needs, as well as becoming compassionate, empathetic, and perceptive members of their communities. She strives to teach her students and her own two young children to be role models and helpers - to find a way to make others feel welcomed and comfortable in every environment. Jen is very excited to have the opportunity to work with Roots and Wings, assisting others on the path to self-awareness and collaborative leadership.
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Evan J. WalshBorn and raised in Connecticut, Evan received his Bachelor of Science in Communications from Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimanitc, CT and his Masters of Arts in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. He has had the great opportunity to work for public, private, liberal arts, research based, and Ivy League colleges & universities. Now a resident of Boston, he has transitioned to K-12 education serving in a Director role at a Charter School in Roxbury. Evan has many passions in education, but his top priority is bridging the gap between K-12 and Higher Education, and assisting students in building their multicultural competence and identity exploration through Social Justice Education. He believes post-secondary education is a right for all, and strives to create more accessible, inclusive, and equitable educational practices for all young people in America.
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