Epiphany Acevedo
Epiphany graduated from Oberlin College in May 2011 with a degree in Hispanic Studies. Throughout her four years in college she volunteered at an alternative middle school in Cleveland and fell in love with the students there. She chose to serve with City Year Boston to dedicate herself fulltime to get students excited about their education. This year she is serving in the 8th grade at Dearborn Middle School in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. She loves cooking, baking and has an obsession with loose tea. She is applying to graduate school in broadcast journalism and is utilizing the City Year Boston Blog to give herself more media experience. Click here to see Epiphany’s posts.
Elijah Fanelli
Elijah is originally from a small, touristy town along the coastline of Connecticut. After attending one semester of college, he decided that he was ill-prepared for the academic demands of postsecondary education. He left school on personal leave, and after around eight months working in corporate sales, moved up to Boston to give a year of service to start his lifelong quest to change the world. Elijah is serving his City Year on the Bank of America team at the Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot K-8 School in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood. He serves for the youth of Boston and for the future leaders of our world. He writes to display and promote unfailing idealism in a less than ideal world. Click here to see Elijah’s posts.
Kevin Fish
After growing up in the small town of East Brookfield, Massachusetts, Kevin decided to attend college in Ithaca, NY, where he studied Culture and Communication and Politics. After interning with the Mayor of Milan during his semester abroad, he saw himself entering a career in politics, but it was during his senior year, serving as Student Government President, that he developed a passion for community engagement and service. City Year Boston was the logical next step for Kevin’s post-college plans and he is so thankful to have been granted this opportunity. Currently, he is serving in the 9th grade on the Bain and Company team at the English High School in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Through the blog, Kevin gets to continue exploring and advancing his passion for writing. Click here to see his posts.
Jordan Frias
Jordan resides in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, just fifteen minutes south of the Massachusetts border. He is a recent graduate from Providence College where he majored in English and minored in writing and Black Studies. Throughout his life, Jordan has worked with youth in academic and social settings. He decided to serve a year with City Year Boston to make an impact on the lives of others in neighborhoods he has never visited. He serves in the Boston’s South End on the National Grid team at the Blackstone Elementary School. Of interest, Jordan received The Free Spirit Scholarship for journalism from Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today, when he was a senior in high school. He writes and blogs to share his corps experience with others and to gain the skills necessary to become a successful journalist. Click here to see Jordan’s posts.
Jennifer Javier
Jennifer (JJ) Javier graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology, Law and Society. She proudly serves on the MFS Investment Management Team at the Dever-McCormack Upper School in Boston’s Dorchester neighborood. She decided to commit a year to service because she was impressed by City Year’s design to provide youth strong mentors and tutors, and she believes that every young person deserves someone to believe in them. She loves to write and finds writing to be one of the best ways she can precisely articulate what she is thinking and feeling. Click here to see JJ’s posts.
Michaela Kinlock
Michaela Kinlock is a proud corps member serving on the Summit Partners team at the Harbor Pilot Middle School in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood. An avid New England Patriots fan, her favorite foods include macaroni and cheese, Pad Thai, and goldfish crackers. After college, Michaela chose to serve with City Year Boston to help close the achievement gap and ensure that all students receive access to the same quality education that she was fortunate enough to receive. She blogs to tell all about her corps experience and the amazing service that is done at City Year. Click here to see Michaela’s posts.
Diana Mai
Diana was born and raised in New York’s Lower East Side and moved to Boston six years ago. She decided to commit to a year of service with City Year Boston on the HPHC/PTC team at the Holland Elementary School in Dorchester because she wanted to help in delivering a good education those who may not have access to it. She enjoys telling stories through a digital medium, including writing and photography. She believes these mediums – especially photography – can highlight and give voice to marginalized and historically disenfranchised groups of people. They are a way to empower, and to make those who are invisible, visible. Fun fact about Diana: She can whistle with her mouth closed! Click here to see Diana’s posts.
Erin O’Donnell
Erin has lived in several countries and loves everything water-related, from sailing, to scuba diving, to surfing. She serves on the Comcast team at the Jeremiah E Burke High School in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood. Why does she serve? Because teenagers have dreams. Even if they haven’t discovered what theirs is yet, one day they will, and they will need a solid education behind them to fulfill that dream. Why does she write? Because words have the power to capture mindsets, to communicate experiences, and to inspire. Click here to see Erin’s posts.
Kevin Popovich
Kevin Popovich currently serves on the State Street Foundation Team at the Maurice J. Tobin K-8 School in Mission Hill. He decided to join City Year directly after high school because he knew he wanted to do something that was worthwhile before attending college. He never expected the immense amount of personal and professional growth that he would experience at City Year, and he considers it to be the best decision he ever made in his 18 years of life. In his free time, he plays 5 different instruments and enjoys reading poetry as well as classic literature. Kevin writes because he believes it is one of the purest forms of self expression. He loves to let his voice be heard through his writing. Read Kevin’s posts here.
Nithya Prabhala
Nithya is 23 years old and has lived in the surrounding Boston area for half her life. After completing her four years at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Neuropsychology, she wanted to complete a year of service before continuing her education. Through her sister, who herself had completed a service year in New York, Nithya received raving reviews about City Year. She decided she would try her own hands at it and applied to City Year Boston. That life-changing decision has led her to serve on the CSX team at the Elihu Greenwood Leadership Academy in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood. In five short months, her experience has broadened her world-view and taught her many skills. Through the blog, she is happy to have the opportunity to develop her skills as a communicator while also sharing a bit of what she learns from her students. Click here to see Nithya’s posts.
Samantha Schnell
Samantha grew up in New York City and graduated from Amherst College in 2011. She decided to join City Year Boston because she felt that her college experience, while wonderful, had been a relatively selfish and self-centered time of her life; after four years of writing papers in the library, she was ready to step outside the college bubble and do something that would make a difference in the lives of others. City Year seemed like an ideal next step for Samantha because she loves working with kids and finds educational equality important to her. She serves as a Corps Member on the Westfield Capital Management team at the Neighborhood House Charter School in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood. Samantha spends her days tutoring and mentoring sixth-grade students and loves sharing with them her passion for education, learning and – when the weather is warm enough – Ultimate Frisbee. She writes for the City Year Boston Blog because she feels that writing is the best way to reflect on her experience working and building relationships with her students. Click here to see Sam’s posts.
Gabriel Solis
Gabriel Solis was born and raised in the Boston area. He currently serves on the Deloitte Team at the Washington Irving Middle School in Boston’s Roslindale neighborhood. After graduating from Providence College, he decided to serve a City Year in his hometown because he believes every student is entitled to the best education, regardless of their background. Serving others has always been a big part of Gabriel’s life and City Year has given him the opportunity to do just that as he begins his career in Education. Something interesting about Gabriel is that he is both Puerto Rican and Dominican and speaks fluent Spanish. He stresses that he does not blog for himself, but for others to see how awesome the kids that he serves are. He is simply the voice box to their anthem. Click here to see Gabriel’s posts.
Rian Yalamanchili
Rian is 22 years old and graduated as a Psychology major from Cornell University in 2011. He comes from a small, peaceful town in Maine called Falmouth, but has lived in a lot of different places across the world, including South Korea, Hong Kong, India, and China. He is currently a corps member at City Year Boston serving on the Johnson and Johnson Team at Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. He chose to serve at City Year Boston because he was interested in becoming a mentor. Through self-reflection in his writing, Rian came to understand the importance of education in shaping the future of the United States. He is excited to chronicle his year-long journey through writing and blogging. Click here to see Rian’s posts.
Igor Kharitonenkov, Editor
Igor strongly believes in the power of new media in delivering a message to mass audiences. As Communications Coordinator at City Year Boston, Igor is spearheading online communications efforts. Prior to joining City Year in 2011, Igor was a freelance filmmaker and writer and was fortunate to use his skills to promote social and environmental causes around the Boston area. He has worked with MIT, Backpacker Magazine, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Bootstrap Compost, and the Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition. When he’s taking a break from media advocacy, Igor enjoys outdoor adventure, soccer, and writing an occasional ballad on his acoustic guitar. He was born in Russia and has lived in Germany and Indiana. Twitter: @IGORoamnreport
