Our Blog

arete alumni feature - Dinanyelin Martinez

Arete Alumni Feature - Dinanyelin Martinez

Meet Dinanyelin Martinez - graduate of The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology in 2020 and current student at Mount Holyoke College, double majoring in Sociology and Spanish with a certificate in Latin American study

 

Dinanyelin started working with Arete back in 2020 as a tutor and teacher’s assistant. Following LSFT graduation, Dinanyelin worked as a virtual intern supervisor for the entire academic year. Then, in the summer of 2021, she became an in-person supervisor for the summer tutoring program/summer youth workers, specifically as a supervisor for Summer Programming student interns. As a supervisor, she guided, taught, and evaluated students on different benchmarks like teaching strategies and SEL.

 

This summer, Dinanyelin will return to Arete as an Impact Fellow. She will work alongside our president, Sarah Benis Scheier-Dolberg, to plan the logistics for Arete's pilot Summer Career Camps. She is leading the pilot career program which includes programs teaching, finance, and journalism. As Dinanyelin anticipates her return to Arete this summer, she appreciates all she has learned from this work environment. One thing she noticed that Arete underscores is the mental health of students and how students’ mental health is important when it comes to academic performance. With this, she has learned how to approach students using different tactics based on their different circumstances, learning styles, and skill levels - something that is imperative to effectively address the needs of every student!

 

Dinanyelin is grateful to have picked up pedagogical skills while working with Arete. “The ability to teach and navigate communication with students and other adults is an asset that will come in handy in any career field and network opportunity!” Furthermore, Dinanyelin deeply values the substantial personal and professional development she has undergone in conjunction with her participation at Arete. Through its commitment to cultivating an environment conducive to the expansion of skills and offering unique avenues for active involvement, "Arete has bestowed upon me exceptional opportunities and responsibilities that are rarely attainable for the younger members of my community."  

 - 07/20/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz
arete alumni feature - Mariyam Sumareh

Arete Alumni Feature - Mariyam Sumareh

Meet Mariyam Sumareh - LSFT Class of 2020 and a rising senior at New York University majoring Sports Management and minoring Public Policy and Management

Her involvement with Arete as an employee began back in 2020 as a senior at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology forming part of the internship team. She was a tutor to three 8th grade students. Being a tutor provided her with connections she did not know she would have made. She connected with her tutees on a more personal level on top of providing them with educational support during the peak of the pandemic. She noticed that these tutor-tutee relationships helped her reflect on how she saw herself in the younger kids and made her realize that she could become a mentor to them. She made sure the students felt validated about their passions. She was not just a tutor but someone that students could lean on socially, emotionally, and academically. 

After being a tutor, Mariyam became a Youth Service Leadership Fellow where she conducted leadership initiatives for grades 6-12, helped with the adaptation of virtual learning and became a spokesperson to donors and guests. After this, she took on the role of Project Coordinator for Summer Bridge/Rising. During her 2021 summer role, she mainly did administrative work. Her other responsibilities involved outreach which included updating families about student progress. She also curated weekly vlogs for the summer rising program and communicated with program donors. She then got promoted to Program Coordinator for College and Career Access. Here, she oversaw high school student activities during afterschool programs and managed attendance for 400+ people. She supported weekly and monthly attendance reports for the senior leadership team. On top of that, she made phone calls and wrote letters to donors and also maintained a digital alumni database . Additionally, during her time in this role, she started up the Arete Alumni Council where they held monthly events, such as financial literacy, resume building, Feed our Needs events, and Alumni Day. 

Currently, Mariyam works as an Admin Operations Associate. She is in charge of various operational needs like keeping inventory on school supplies, ordering supplies and storing items in the office, and organizing electronic files (paystubs, alumni contracts, etc.). She ensures that students get stipends in a timely manner and administers the onboarding process of staff to ensure they get offer letters. Moreover, she serves as support for human resources responsibilities. This means that she tackles operational issues, creates guides on how to clock in and clock out, provides assistance on accessing paycom and timesheets, and produces basic employee manuals. Not only is she the go-to person for employee assistance, but she also helps the President of Arete, Sarah Benis Scheier-Dolberg, find prospective donors, have access to an alumni database, and keep alumni contact information organized! 

One thing that Mariyam is immensely grateful for is the ability to grow as an individual with the help of Arete. She recalled that when she first started working with Arete, she possessed a student mindset where her main goal was to just do what needed to be done; however, as she progressed throughout her various roles, she gained leadership skills as she took on more responsibilities. Through this, she has been able to tap into her leadership skills whether it be leading groups or leading behind the scenes. She is constantly pushed to do better and improve on her time management, organization, networking, leadership, and mindfulness skills. She is proud of being able to create a space where everyone is able to adapt and do what they have to do - something that Arete has enabled her to do easily!

A second thing that she values about Arete is Arete’s involvement in her life but also with everyone that is part of the organization. She became exposed to Social Emotional Learning that taught her that it is imperative to check in and make sure you and everyone around you is doing and feeling well. Having the opportunity to debrief and be mindful of these emotions allowed her and her colleagues to perform better within their roles. “Arete definitely cares about their staff!” exclaimed Mariyam as she explained that Arete asks their employees about their feelings and opinions on certain projects instead of just being told what to do. Being asked for personal input makes Mariyam feel welcomed and validated. As a former LSFT student and current Arete employee, she is able to provide a new and youthful perspective on certain events and makes her feel valued as a member of this organization. On top of that, Mariyam enjoys seeing that Arete organizes important events that are beneficial and dear to the communities they serve (Juneteenth, Feed Our Needs, hotline and family services, Eid celebrations, etc.). Also, the fact that Arete is expanding shows that they care about service and are constantly striving for more! One last thing Mariyam underscores is that although what she is studying is different to what she does within Arete, she is able to gain transferable skills that help support her career goals (youth engagement, consistency, empathy, being supported and being supportive). 

 - 07/11/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz

Arete Launches Summer Career Camps

Join Arete’s network of professionals this summer to engage students ages 14-22 in an innovative career exposure and networking program: Arete Summer Career Camps. From July 31st to August 11th, we will be engaging students from across the city to explore the careers of Journalism, Finance, and Teaching. For our recently arrived families who are asylum seekers, we will run a specialized bilingual program for career exposure with additional social services supports included. Students who complete one or more Career Camp programs will receive a certificate and stipend check or rapid! Paycard ($15/hour). All interested students should complete our registration form by June 30th. Arete Impact Fellow and alumnus Dinanyelin Martinez will follow up by phone to confirm program dates, locations, and other details and answer student and family questions during the week of July 3rd. Learn more.

---- Register Now ----

Arete campamento de carrera de verano

Únase a la red de profesionales de Arete este verano para involucrar a estudiantes de 14 a 22 años en un innovador programa de exposición profesional y creación de redes: Arete Summer Career Camps. Del 31 de julio al 11 de agosto, estaremos involucrando a estudiantes de toda la ciudad para explorar las carreras de Periodismo, Finanzas y Enseñanza. Para nuestras familias recién llegadas que son solicitantes de asilo, llevaremos a cabo un programa bilingüe especializado para la exposición profesional con apoyos de servicios sociales adicionales incluidos. Los estudiantes que completen uno o más programas Career Camp recibirán un certificado y un cheque de estipendio o rápido! Tarjeta de pago ($15/hora). Todos los estudiantes interesados ​​deben completar nuestro formulario de inscripción antes del 30 de junio. La Becaria de Impacto de Arete y exalumna Dinanyelin Martínez hará un seguimiento por teléfono para confirmar las fechas del programa, las ubicaciones y otros detalles y responderá las preguntas de los estudiantes y las familias durante la semana del 3 de julio.

---- Regístrate Ahora ----

 

 - 06/22/2023 - sbsd@areteeducation.org
leslie rivas arete alumni feature

Arete Alumni Feature - Leslie Rivas

Meet Leslie Rivas - a third year student at Lehman College studying English Creative Writing with a minor in Middle and High School Education!

 

Her journey with Arete started during high school at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology where she and her friend, Chanel (also an Arete employee), started up an afterschool Book Club. This idea came to be after Leslie and Chanel happened to be discussing about books they previously had read in middle and high school. Both had the brilliant idea to organize a space where a group of students could gather together and read books they’ve heard about and give an honest review of what they thought as they read. 

“Starting up a book club made me realize that I actually enjoyed reading and it also made me realize that academically, I did well in my English classes,” exclaimed Leslie. In retrospect, this experience, that Arete fostered, allowed for Leslie to grow a passion for literature and become an English major in college and aspiring to become an English teacher. From this moment forward, she began to feel connected with Arete as they helped fund the program and gave them the opportunity to propose different ideas for their book club. On top of that, she was able to see first-hand what Arete’s mission was - acquire brand new books that may not have been accessible through LSFT and receive small journals for note taking. 

 

During her senior year of high school, Leslie also formed part of the tutoring internship program. She recalls that being part of the internship helped her grow as a person and professionally. Around the time she had joined the program, she was still confused on what college she wanted to attend and what she wanted to major in. However, being able to work with students one-on-one made her realize that maybe she could go into the field of education. As a tutor, she also developed leadership and effective communication skills while also learning how to multitask. 

 

Not only has Arete helped Leslie academically, socially, and professionally grow within the organization, but also through external partnerships. During the summer of 2022, Leslie was able to work with Funfab where she gained more experience in working with high school students. Leslie is grateful to Arete for presenting her with an excellent opportunity where she could network outside of Arete. Here, she would apply the experience she had gained through her previous work within Arete while also gaining new skills necessary for the education field. 

 

Now, she is currently a Book Club and Table Tennis instructor for Arete. Her scope of work as Book Club instructor consists of  getting students to have an interest in different books and increase their reading scores. As for table tennis, she facilitates an environment where students are able to learn a new sport and develop many different skills, such as hand-eye coordination.  

 

“Through Arete, I am able to solidify my leadership and organizational skills by working with students and being able to run a club.” Leslie reiterates that these roles helped her flourish professionally by also challenging her to work with different kinds of kids, making her figure out and use different methods that work with each kid individually. Not only is she gaining personal skills, but also gaining insight on different age groups and teaching styles that she can use to approach others!

 - 04/12/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz
Chanel de los Santos

Arete Alumni Feature - Chanel de los Santos

Meet Chanel de los Santos - a third year student at Barnard College majoring in Africana Studies and English!

 

Her journey with Arete started when she was a high school student at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology. Her and her friend, Leslie (another Arete employee) had the amazing idea to start up a book club. Chanel asserts that starting up this club gave her a sense of responsibility as she had the tasks of curating and giving out topics for each session, sending out professional outreach emails for books and supplies, and coordinating events for the club. This would not have been possible without the support of Arete!

 

On top of starting up a book club in high school, Chanel also became a tutor. She wanted to become a tutor because she wanted to explore different fields and tutoring was something new to her. As a tutor, she developed the ability to be a leader and acquire skills such as outreach, problem solving, and initiative. 

 

During her sophomore year of college, Chanel formed part of the Arete Alumni Council. As secretary, she scheduled meetings, met with committee members and the president of the council, and kept an organized system to effectively coordinate events. Now, she is a supervisor for the Teaching Internship program where outside of logistical work, she helps interns in the program learn valuable skills such as lesson planning, mentoring, initiative and the ability to teach a student with various strategies. 

 

Chanel is grateful for the environment Arete fostered where she was able to professionally develop and gain different necessary skills like communication and networking. She has done a lot of communicating with various types of people in various industries and learned how to navigate a more professional space, as well as build connections along the way, thanks to the roles she has had!

 - 04/12/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz
Screen Shot 2023-04-12 at 4.10.02 PM

Arete Alumni Feature - Stephanie Polanco Serrano

Meet Stephanie Polanco Serrano - a third year student at Lehman College studying Psychology!

Her journey with Arete started when she was a high school student at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology where she had the brilliant idea to start up the Self Care Club! Stephanie recounts that starting up this club helped her emotionally because the focus of the club was to offer a space where one would take care of themselves through different artistic activities. This outlet allowed her and other participants to learn of various ways to practice self care! Professionally, she gained communication skills and learned how to take initiative when she had to propose the idea to Arete Executive Director at the time, Sarah Benis Scheier-Dolberg, in order to get the club up and running. She also mentions that she felt connected to Arete and our mission because she felt that her voice was heard and as a student she felt that her idea of starting up a club was validated and taken seriously. 

Stephanie also became a tutor as a high school student during the pandemic. Stephanie chose to become a tutor because she felt that helping students academically would not be challenging to her as she was in good academic standing. Another big factor in taking up this opportunity was being motivated by a former middle school teacher, Ed Martinez, who presented this opportunity and encouraged her to form part of the program. In the end, it worked well as she was able to solidify her teaching and time-management skills and gain different service skills. As Stephanie puts it, “this role helped me grow because I learned how to serve my community!”

Now, her role within Arete is Senior Program Coordinator. Stephanie oversees Arete's afterschool programs at their various sites, on top of many other responsibilities! Currently, she is located at P.S./I.S. 155 to help the program function and flourish. 

 

Stephanie is grateful for Arete because they foster an environment where she can develop professionally. They provide her with opportunities like participating in trainings and professional development sessions. Being part of those things has helped her realize what it takes to be a part of a successful working environment. She continues to benefit from Arete because she feels security in the role she currently has and underscores that within the organization, there is a sense of trust and unity amongst her coworkers! As a college student, she is also extremely thankful that Arete works around her school schedule and does not penalize her for being a student unlike other college students her age who do not have the same privilege.

 - 04/12/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz
arete alumni feature - kailyn espinosa

Arete Alumni Feature - Kailyn Espinosa

Meet Kailyn Espinosa - a third-year college student (technically a lower senior) at Hunter College double majoring in Adolescent Education grades 7-12 and English Language Arts. Combined, these two majors work towards equipping her with the skills to do work in the field of Adolescent English.  

Kailyn’s journey started off in her senior year of high school, during the pandemic where she worked as a middle school tutor. She tutored middle school students in different subjects such as English, Math, Science, History, and did other work like social emotional learning. On top of that, she often had to communicate with parents to discuss the progress of the students. 

As she entered her first year of college, she took on the role of Learning Advocate. As a Learning Advocate, she conducted family outreach which meant she helped families connect with different resources. She often helped families acquire access to chromebooks and wifi during this tough period of time of online learning. Additionally, in order to build community through the pandemic, she hosted movie and game nights to unite students even through a screen. At some point during this point in time as a first-year student and as a worker within the organization, she took on both roles simultaneously. 

Even through her roles within Arete as a newcomer, Kailyn underscores her growth as a student but also as a worker. While in high school, she never envisioned herself becoming a teacher; however, after becoming a tutor, she found out it was not as bad as she thought it would be. “Maybe I could become a teacher!” asserted Kailyn as she recounted that upon entering college, she declared an undecided major but her initial roles within Arete allowed her to develop a strong interest in teaching and education. Her professional development also consisted of figuring out her strengths and weaknesses. She found out that she was pretty good at teaching and advocating for families and had the necessary skills to go into the profession of teaching. On top of that, Kailyn was able to narrow down the age group of students she felt most suited to teach through her work as a tutor and Learning Advocate. 

During her second semester of freshman year, Kailyn got promoted to a supervisor of the tutoring program. She essentially overlooked high school tutors and helped foster a stable environment for the tutor-tutee relationships. This meant she created breakout rooms, welcomed both tutors and tutees, and conducted observation sessions during ongoing tutoring sessions. During these sessions, she observed the relationship between tutors and students and gave tutors feedback to help them improve on their tutoring skills. Kailyn’s previous experience as a tutor gave her the expertise to know what was working and what was not working during tutoring sessions. Her promotion from tutor to supervisor gave her insight into the management of tutors and gave her the opportunity to professionally develop and gain competence as someone in a higher position. 

Later on, during summer bridge, Kailyn became a literacy educator. As a literacy educator, her focus was on students who were behind in literacy. Her responsibility was to help bridge the gap between on-level students and students who were struggling in literature. In order to do so, Kailyn helped students by reading and testing their comprehension skills in small groups. One thing that Kailyn learned as a tutoring program supervisor and literacy educator was that she could work with older students and professionals. Her previous experience revolved around a younger demographic, but these two new roles allowed for her to experience what it would be like to work with older students and also take on roles that were higher up within the organization. 

Currently, Kailyn works as a Specialized Reading Intervention Facilitator. She administers and facilitates specialized lessons to help students’ comprehension skills through different activities like SEL, writing prompts, and discussions about the books they read. In conjunction with this first role, Kailyn is also a Program Coordinator and Data Specialist. She reports data for middle school and high school students through two different platforms - EZ Reports and CitySpan. The data she handles and reports is fundamental to the funding Arete receives. It is worthy noting that Kailyn started off with just reporting data for one community school (The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology) but has now transitioned to managing data for all of Arete’s community schools. 

“Before Arete, I did not know what social emotional learning was!” One thing that Kailyn pointed out as something she appreciates and makes Arete distinct is that they exposed her to SEL. She was shown different activities to conduct SEL. She then became equipped with the skills to host her own SEL sessions and activities. Through this, Kailyn learned that social emotional learning is an integral part of learning and development which ties back to her career aspirations of working with children and education. 

Kailyn acknowledges that her work with Arete as of now delves into a more administrative field, but still maintains the essence of working with kids. She benefited from the flexibility that Arete granted to her as a college student. Arete was able to accommodate to her schedule and helped her gain social skills through her various roles. Her exceptional journey within Arete highlights how she was given the opportunity to professionally, socially, and emotionally grow as an individual. 

 - 03/22/2023 - Anthony Ramirez Diaz

S.T.E.M. to S.T.A.R.S. 2022 Launch

Support Our Summer 2022 Launch of S.T.E.M. to S.T.A.R.S.

Make a Contribution on Square to Sponsor Our First Cohort at our Juneteenth Program Launch

S.T.E.M. to S.T.A.R.S. Supporter

S.T.E.M. to S.T.A.R.S. Supporter

Donate

 - 06/18/2022 - sbsd@areteeducation.org

Work, Learn & Grow (WLG)

We are excited to highlight our Work, Learn, and Grow initiative. Students have already begun their Work, Learn & Grow (WLG) experiences this Fall. This program is being offered in collaboration with United Activities Unlimited (UAU).

WLG is broken down into two parts:

  1. Educational component: The educational component consists of (A) 1-credit CUNY student development course, or (B) non-credited course on Digital Media and Literacy. Alongside this education component UAU will run its own class to offer students additional support, focusing on college/career readiness and exploration. While completing this educational component, students will earn a stipend.
  2. Internship component: Once students complete these courses, they will then become eligible for internship placement. In response to the continued pandemic protocols, UAU will be prioritizing remote internship opportunities. Students will have the opportunity to take a survey to let UAU know where they are interested in working. Overall , this will allow students to work from mid-December through the beginning of March.

 

Students are eager to work and learn through these unique time. As a team, we are eager to have the students involved in different ways and continue to innovate ways to give our community opportunities to grow and succeed.

 - 11/19/2021 - Mariyam Sumareh

Copyright 2023  Areté Education © All Rights Reserved