Together We…Are a Support System

Bay Area Quality Assurance Coach Trainer Krystal Gonzalez has been part of the Think Together team for the past six months. In that time, she has impressed us with her leadership skills as well as her care and connection to Think Together’s mission. Krystal graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in child development and a minor in Spanish. We are excited for you to get to know her more!

What’s your “why” for wanting to work at Think Together? 
I grew up attending afterschool programs from elementary to middle school and I always felt I was in a safe space around the program leaders and site coordinators. I want to continue providing that safe space to the students that attend program and be able to reach out to others so that they can have the opportunity of a quality program and be able to take something with them that they can carry on, as I have after all these years.

What is one of your proudest moments/success stories that connect to your “why?”
One of my proudest moments was graduating with my AA before graduating high school. That set me up for success as well as having a support system behind me. The “why?” behind this is that I attended a school district that was impacted by many students and sometimes I did not get the academic support that I needed. I want to change this and make sure that the students who attend afterschool programs not only have fun but learn at least one thing that can help them with their goals.

What is one thing you are hoping to accomplish in 2022?
I want to make sure my team feels happy working under my leadership, and I want to become a better leader myself to make sure we are always one step ahead of things.

What are you hoping to help Think Together accomplish in 2022?
I’m hoping to help Think Together accomplish our mission by making sure we change the odds for kids through their academic achievements and ensure a positive/fun work environment for staff.  

Krystal, thank you for being an excellent support system for staff and students!

It’s a special moment when someone discovers their passion and what they want to do for their career. For San Bernardino Program Leader Aaron Smyers, that calling happened when he was a Think Together student back in 2009. Aaron began working as a program leader three months ago after being a volunteer from 2016-to 2020.   Nothing is more humbling to us than when previous students want to come back to work with us to change the odds for kids for the next generation. These staff stories are special to us as well because we can see just how far Think Together has come over the last 25 years through the eyes of these staff members.  

We sat down with Aaron to ask him to share his Think Together journey, and we are excited to share his story with you.

Q. Aaron, could you tell us a bit about how your experience was as a Think Together student?

A. I came to Vista Grande as a brand-new student in 2009 straight from Montclair and started a new school with new people. I didn’t know anybody and Think Together was just a different way to not only meet new people but also be able to work on homework which I needed as a kid as well with an active IEP (Individualized Education Program). I struggled in various subjects and struggled just focusing on homework. I appreciated the collaboration and support of Think Together because I didn’t have to worry about being alone. There are always people there for you and our program leaders were always trying to push us to not only do better for ourselves but also find what we wanted to do as well.

Q. When was the first moment you realized you wanted to be in education?

A. I always loved helping other classes in my program. The staff encouraged us to finish our homework and extra problems so we could help the lower-grade students. I loved being able to help them.

Q. Now working as a program leader, do you find yourself mirroring what the site staff did when you were a student? 

A. Yes, one of my favorite program leaders of all is now a site coordinator and she was always so reliable and supportive. She encouraged us to talk about anything and I struggled a lot. As a 6th grader in her class, she saw that, but always gave me opportunities to do better. I see myself pushing forward to be like her and I find myself mirroring even my coworkers now. I want to do better and be better for my students.

Q. How have you seen Think Together evolve through your own experiences?

I want to say the biggest change comes in the budget. From 2009-to 2019, there were more limits to the budget and our site had to get creative with it. But now we have more supporters and partners who want to listen and be a part of our stories and it’s made Think Together that much better because we can afford to do so much more for our kids. The experience just gets better from here as we can give them [the students] better opportunities.

Q. What are your career goals? Do you see yourself staying at Think Together?

A. I love management and organization, and I would love to move up within Think Together. I would love to one day become a quality assurance coach. I would love to stay here my entire career until retirement, I love what I do here, and I love making a difference.

Site staff like Aaron are the backbone of the organization, and we are so grateful to have such passionate and devoted employees who are actively changing the odds for kids within their communities and being positive role models.

If you want to be like Aaron and make a difference in your community, visit thinktogether.org/jobs and see what opportunities are available near you.

February is Black History Month, however, at Think Together, we think it is vital to celebrate the voices who have helped pave the way and bring more attention to providing kids with quality and equitable education no matter what month it is. Race, ethnicity, gender identity, or socio-economic status should not be a determining factor in how successful a child will be along their educational journey. 

The work towards equity in education is ongoing to this day, however, we want to take the time to share a few of the many odds-changers in history that have made an impact. We hope that you feel inspired to dig deeper and learn even more about these passionate educators and activists making change happen. 

Alexander Twilight is the first Black man known to have earned a bachelor’s degree from an American college or university, graduating from Middlebury College in 1823. Alexander then became the first Black man to serve in a state legislature in the United States, a monumental stride towards introducing more inclusive legislature.

Read more about Alexander Twilight. 

In 1869, Fanny Jackson Coppin became the principal at the school she had been teaching for the last four years. She expanded the curriculum to include an Industrial Department and established a Women’s Industrial Exchange to display the mechanical and artistic works of young women. She also persuaded employers to hire her pupils in capacities that would utilize their education.

Read more about Fanny Jackson Coppin. 

The first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology in 1933, Inez Beverly Prosser did extensive research on the effect of segregated schools versus non-segregated schools on Black students. She was passionate about finding the best way to foster and educate young Black students. She was also one of the first to take a vested interest in the mental health of Black children subjected to racism.

Read more about Inez Beverly Prosser.

As the first Black graduate student in Mathematics in 1887, Kelly Miller came to understand the importance of education to help foster strong Black leaders. He then became a dean at Howard University and an active civil rights activist where he continued to push for access to higher education for all Black Americans. 

Read more about Kelly Miller. 

Esau Jenkins purchased a bus in 1945 to bus children to school and adults to their jobs. During these bus rides, Jenkins stressed the importance of voting and taught them to recite passages from the state constitution (something that was required to vote in South Carolina at the time). Before his passing, he was appointed to the U.S Commission of Civil Rights.

Read more about Esau Jenkins. 

Rita F. Pierson, a professional educator since 1972, taught elementary school, junior high, and special education. She was a counselor, a testing coordinator, and an assistant principal. In each of these roles, she brought a special energy to the role; a desire to get to know her students, show them how much they matter, and support them in their growth, even if it was modest.

For the past decade, Pierson conducted professional development workshops and seminars for thousands of educators. Focusing on the students who are too often under-served, she lectured on topics like “Helping Under-Resourced Learners,” “Meeting the Educational Needs of African American Boys” and “Engage and Graduate your Secondary Students: Preventing Dropouts.”

Watch her Ted Talk titled “Every Kid Needs a Champion” https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion

Dr. Edmund Gordon was one of the first educators to focus on closing the academic achievement gap. His long career as a psychologist weaves in and out of that history, with appointments at numerous universities, groundbreaking research into how education shapes minds, and his role in 1965 as a founder of the federal Head Start Program, which provides education, nutrition, and health-care assistance to children living in poverty. He also founded the Institute for Urban Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College in 1973.

Read more about Dr. Edmund Gordon.

Currently making Black history in the present day and at only 17 years old, activist Marley Dias is making waves. From launching her #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign to becoming an author, there’s still plenty of greatness we’ll see from this influential young Black woman in years to come. “Innovation comes from, one, acknowledging yourself; two, studying and understanding the problem and three, finding a solution.” – Marley Dias

Read more about Marley Dias. 

Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, as well as an award-winning writer and cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where she studied Sociology. She has written for the New York Times and has three books being published with Penguin Random House.

One of the books Change Sings, is an illustrated children’s book that reminds the newest generation that anything is possible when our voices join together. As a young girl leads a cast of characters on a musical journey, they learn that they have the power to make changes—big or small—in the world, in their communities, and in most importantly, in themselves. 

Read more about Amanda Gorman.

Think Together’s mission is to change the odds for all kids. Demographics shouldn’t be a determining factor in a child’s destiny and we are proud of the work that we are accomplishing with our school partners to continue to give all students the tools they need to achieve their goals.

The Boeing Company has awarded $100,000 in grant funding to Think Together’s Southeast Los Angeles County region. This grant marks their third year of funding at $100,000 and has created a K-12 STEM continuum, serving more than 16,000 students across the cities of Bellflower, Lynwood and Compton. Boeing’s support of Think Together’s STEM programs was covered by the Orange County Register over the weekend on January 22. 

At Think Together, students are provided instruction in introductory coding, robotics, and logic through our Coding For All initiative and other expanded learning and enrichment curriculums. Programming supported by Coding For All includes visual and text-based code editing, e-sports competitions, rapid-prototyping, STEM career explorations, Invention Adventures activities, and Hack Clubs in Los Angeles county as well as in Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Alameda and Santa Clara counties.

Boeing employees have contributed to the program serving as judges for competitions, conventions, and career panels. Through the funding and support provided by Boeing, Think Together has been able to offer a robust STEM curriculum and support to these traditionally under-resourced students. Many of Boeing’s employees have similar backgrounds as the students Think Together serves, and this partnership makes visible the future successes our students can achieve.

​​​​​“Boeing is proud to support an organization like Think Together that inspires our youth to engage in opportunities involving math, science and technology,” said Kristie Hernández, Senior Government & Community Relations Specialist at Boeing. “By partnering with Think Together, we are helping local students receive equitable education resources that can propel them for success now and in the future.”

Knowledge from STEM courses is becoming increasingly more vital for careers out of college. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts are critical, but so are the traits developed like ingenuity, creativity, problem-solving, resilience, teamwork, and the willingness to take risks.  

“We are grateful for partners like The Boeing Company who believe education is the key to changing the odds for kids,” says Randy Barth, founder and CEO of Think Together. “STEM knowledge is integral to future success and Think Together is proud to offer that knowledge to students through our partnership.” 

Think Together prides itself in cultivating an environment where students feel safe to make mistakes and learn the concepts through STEM projects. There has been an assortment of STEM lessons and challenges throughout the 2021-22 school year that are based on the undergirding of rapid prototyping and coming up with creative solutions in a timed setting. One STEM challenge was to build a skyscraper using Lego kits.

Students worked together to see who could construct the tallest skyscraper without it toppling over and tested to see how strong their skyscrapers were. This challenge allowed students to think quickly and collaboratively to make the best skyscraper possible. Students describe the challenges as hard but fun and are always looking forward to the next opportunity to participate in an activity. 

“I love the way our students have become so creative through their STEM activities. They look forward to these hands on-minds on experiences,” said Virginia Servin, Think Together Quality Assurance Coach. 

These lessons get students excited about STEM, and students become the teachers when they bring these activities home to challenge family members. “My daughter asked me to purchase her own Lego kit to play with at home. She loves the activities she does at Think Together,” said one Think Together parent. 

Think Together is grateful for all of our partners who help contribute to our afterschool programs. Together we are giving students an extra level of support that they will carry with them the rest of their academic career.

Think Together receives $317,128 in grant funding from The LA84 Foundation to provide afterschool sports programs to 88 schools throughout Southern California

Santa Ana, Calif. (January 27, 2021) Think Together, California’s leading nonprofit provider of afterschool, expanded learning and school improvement programs, today announced the award of a $317,128 grant from the LA84 Foundation, a nationally recognized leader of youth sport programs focused on positive youth development. This grant will allow more students from under-resourced communities to participate in free team sports opportunities.

Think Together’s funding from the LA84 Foundation previously covered sports for 3,240 students at 81 public schools across Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. This year, the funding is much more extensive, allowing 7,040 students at 88 schools across Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties to gain access to sports programs. The expansion includes schools in Think Together’s newest region, Palm Springs.

“Think Together and the LA84 Foundation are aligned in wanting to promote equity for kids. For Think Together that’s in the classroom, and for the LA84 Foundation it’s supporting positive youth development through sport and play,” said Randy Barth, founder and CEO of Think Together. “The communities we serve are often under-resourced, and we have seen the value of making sure students are exposed to sports and activity for their physical and mental health.”

Depending on state and county health guidelines, Think Together will provide in-person sports programs with three 10-week rotations: basketball program for boys and girls in the winter; boys and girls soccer program in the spring; and flag football and volleyball programs in the fall, each with culminating tournaments.

Sports programming is a crucial element of students’ education and will help them develop socio-emotional skills and identity development. In addition to competitive sports, Think Together will provide Skillastics, an evidence-based curriculum, with in-person modules in martial arts, STEM and sports, yoga, mindfulness and more. If needed, Think Together can also provide the Skillastics curriculum in a virtual environment to engage students in physical activity while teaching them sports skills.

“Sports and play programs have never been more important to help kids learn, connect with each other and add joy to their lives in a healthy environment,” said Nolan Ortiz, Director, Grants & Programs of the LA84 Foundation. “Think Together continues to expand their sports programming to reach more youth. We thank Think Together for their partnership and commitment to closing the Play Equity gap across the region.”

Research from the USC Keck School of Medicine found that children were less physically active and much more sedentary in the early phases of the pandemic. Based on the study, the highest risk group includes low-income and minority students. Regular exercise and sports programs helps student social and emotional development as they learn to work as a team and practice strategy and collaborative thinking skills. In addition, regular exercise helps students focus better while in the classroom.

Think Together and the LA84 Foundation have partnered since 2008, and have since served approximately 50,000 students with sports programming, alongside sports and healthy living partners like the LA Dodgers Foundation, US Soccer Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.

Private philanthropic grants are pivotal to Think Together’s expanded learning programs and provide students with equitable access to academic and enrichment programs many youth may not otherwise receive.

Think Together’s afterschool expanded learning programs are funded in part by After School Education and Safety (ASES) grants awarded by the California Department of Education and 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants secured from the U.S. Department of Education. In 2020, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, committed a record $5 billion investment by 2025 for afterschool programs as part of his historic $123 billion funding bill to support K-12 schools.

About Think Together

Think Together partners with schools and communities to pursue educational equity and excellence for all kids. As a nonprofit organization, Think Together innovates, implements, and scales academic solutions that change the odds for hundreds of thousands of California students. Think Together’s program areas include early learning, afterschool, school support services and leadership development for teachers and school administrators. For more information, call (888) 485-THINK or visit www.thinktogether.org.

About the LA84 FoundationThe LA84 Foundation is a nationally recognized leader in support of youth sport programs and public education about the role of sports in positive youth development. The foundation has supported thousands of Southern California youth sports organizations through grant making and funding facilities and fields of play, while also training coaches, commissioning research, convening conferences and acting as a national thought leader on important issues in the youth sports industry. LA84 levels the playing field to ensure all youth have access and opportunity despite economics, gender or ability, while elevating the field of youth sports as an integral pathway to lifelong well-being. To learn more, visit www.la84.org and @LA84Foundation on Twitter and Instagram. For more information, visit www.la84.org.

Media Inquiries
Elena Bosch
(714) 824-8136
[email protected]

Stone Avenue Elementary Site Coordinator Darlene Castruita has been an instrumental part of Think Together’s Jurupa Valley team, Riverside Region and the entire organization. No matter what challenge is in front of her, Darlene keeps a positive mindset and understanding that what she does is essential to the development of our students. Her resourcefulness, creative thinking, kindness, guidance and encouraging nature makes her a strong leader who cultivates an amazing team connected to Think Together’s mission. We are excited to share a little more about her with you.

What’s your “why” for working at Think Together?  
My “why” is to be able to provide a quality program to my community. I know that my staff and I are making an impact in our student’s lives when past students who are now in high school want to come back and be part of the program as mentors to our younger students. That is what pushes me to continue with my work at Think Together.​​​​​

What has been one of your team’s greatest successes so far this school year? 
One of the best successes this school year has been how much our students in program have grown. Whether academically or emotionally they have made great strides to better themselves. One of our students expressed how he felt so welcomed in the program and said, “I am so happy to have someone to talk to about my day and have someone to share my bad days with as well.” Our little humans have the potential to be anything they want to be, and we are happy to be part of their lives.

What is your favorite Think Together memory since you started working here? 
One of my favorite memories is to this day receiving updates from my parents about their students, how they are doing in school and life. One of my first parents shared with me the following “Ms. Darlene I just wanted to send you a quick thank you for always pushing my son to his best in school and going after his dreams. You make him feel like he can do it.” It’s a reminder that we as a program continue to make an impact on them even after they leave us. 

Especially over the last two years, we’ve had to experience a lot of adaptability and flexibility. What is one way you’ve helped support your team and students through this time? 
I had the opportunity to be able to be part of the lesson curation team to create lessons for our students that would help with social and emotional learning. Watching these lessons come to life during virtual learning and seeing the impact these lessons had on our students was an amazing experience. Since then, my team and I have been able to adapt at a moment’s notice to better support our students and district during this time of need. 

What are you looking to accomplish during 2022? 
I’m looking forward most to being able to watch and contribute to our student’s improvement in every aspect of their lives. 

Thank you, Darlene, to you and your team for changing the odds for kids!

Meet Ethan, future structural engineer (or architect).


A brand-new year is full of possibility and Think Together is excited to share with you the bright future generation of leaders currently enrolled in our programs. Each year, we grow more impressed hearing about our students’ passions and wishes for the world. These students inspire our work and fuel our mission to continue to change the odds for kids. To kick off the new year, we want to introduce you to Ethan, a particularly inspiring student from our Riverside County region.

Ethan, who is currently a fifth grader in our afterschool program, wants to be a structural engineer or an architect. He is especially interested in designing houses from the outside in.

Ethan has been enrolled in Think Together for two years, and currently his favorite subject is math. “I like math because I just like to add up all the numbers, and sometimes it can be really easy and sometimes can be really challenging.”

Fortunately for Ethan, a path to becoming a structural engineer or architect is filled with math.

STEM is one of the core curriculum pillars Think Together adds to the expanded school day. Students like Ethan get an additional 540 hours of academic lessons and support through their attendance in our program. In addition to STEM, students participate in arts, enrichment, and physical activity.

“I think that Think Together helps me because whenever we’re finished with our homework, they always give us the daily four, which is extra problems that you can do. You can practice spelling new words, and you can also do math problems.”

When we asked Ethan what his new year’s resolution for 2022 is, he said his goal is to finish the school year with straight A’s. (And he feels confident he can achieve that goal.)

As Ethan moves on to middle school in the 2022-23 school year, he will be equipped with a firm foundation to build on for the next stages of his academic career. And Ethan is ambitious with his future, he’s hoping to be part of Stanford’s freshman class of 2029.

You are helping students like Ethan reach for their dreams through your support of Think Together. We are thrilled to announce that in our Together We Light the Way end-of-year campaign we raised $410,000! Thank you for believing in Think Together’s mission as much as we do. 2022 is going to be an exciting year, and we are so happy to have you be a part of this journey.

This has been an exciting year with funders supporting next-level academic and expanded learning support for students across California! If the last few weeks show us anything, it’s that 2022 is going to be an outstanding year of changing the odds for kids thanks to additional funding and contributions.

For the second year in a row, The Boeing Company has kicked off our end of year giving campaign with a $100,000 grant towards STEM programming in our Southeast Los Angeles County region supporting Bellflower, Lynwood, Compton and Ingenium Charter Schools. STEM is an increasingly important talent in the modern world, with the core skills of problem-solving, critical thinking and teamwork being translatable into any future career a student desires.

Then on Giving Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and Think Together surprised 50 Think Together students at Werner Elementary School in Rialto with a visit from Los Angeles Dodgers Third Base Coach Dino Ebel.

Students received books, swag and listened to Ebel read “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of Year” by Larry Harper as part of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation LA Reads program. You can read more about this event in the story covered by the San Bernardino Sun and the Inland Empire Business Journal.

The following week, Kaiser Permanente Riverside County employees and physicians pulled together gifts and donated them to students in Moreno Valley Unified School District and Val Verde Unified School District. These students were incredibly grateful for the gifts, and we know that they will remember opening those presents for years to come.

Just 72 hours later, the Agua Caliente Clippers basketball team passed out toys not only to Think Together students but to the entire school of 397 students in Ontario. The toys ranged from STEM kits to art activities with all students also receiving fun Clippers swag items.

Think Together is always thrilled to bring students an extra bit of joy during the holidays, but we also know that the best gift is a robust education. It’s through the relationships we build with our corporate and community partners that Think Together helps truly light the way for our students.

If you are interested in becoming a partner in 2022, visit https://thinktogether.org/corporate-support/ for more information.

Every student has ambition, we help them achieve it.

Paolo Leon has served on Think Together’s Board of Directors for the last nine years and serves as a chairman for our Friends of Shalimar committee. He graduated from USC and went on to become an architect. Before all of this, he was a student in Think Together’s Shalimar Learning Center in Costa Mesa.   For almost 25 years, Think Together has been there for students like Paolo and helped them go on to college and pursue their ambitions.   “Think Together has had a tremendous impact on my life. It’s altered the course of my life for the better and I know my family and my children will be better off because of my involvement with Think Together,” says Paolo. “I am personally invested in making sure that the same opportunities are available to more kids like me.”  

Think Together has helped students attend universities like Harvard, Columbia, UCLA and more with alumni going on to become doctors, Emmy-winning reporters, architects, engineers, teachers, and leaders within their community.

We help students overcome barriers and connect them to resources that help them on their college and career path. Whether you’ve been a supporter for years, months, or only discovered Think Together recently, you are part of our story, and you are helping us light the way for students across the state.

Support students this holiday season, because the best gift you can give them is the opportunity to succeed.   “I’m lighting the way by doing everything I can to help connect as many students to opportunity as I can. Opportunity made a huge difference in my life and I’m confident that it will do the same for other students in my community,” says Paolo.    

We would like to introduce you to Mariah. She is a fourth-grader who has been enrolled in Think Together since kindergarten. She is one of the students Think Together has impacted over the last 24 years. Her story, like many of our students, is that Think Together has become a second home. Especially after a year of disruptions, she is excited to be back and make more memories during this school year.

“Last year was kind of tough,” Mariah says. “I couldn’t hang out with my friends or do much, and I didn’t leave the house.”

Currently, Mariah’s favorite subjects in school are science and reading. She’s grateful for Think Together to help her bring her grades back up and have a place to play games and reconnect with friends and classmates.

This school year has already been packed with fun supplemental lessons, arts, enrichment, and homework support so students can get back on track with their learning and have opportunities for success. Through Think Together, students like Mariah will receive an additional 540 hours of academics and social-emotional development each school year.

Five years in Think Together is a long time, and when Mariah was asked what her favorite memory is, she immediately said, “My favorite memory is the time I met my site coordinator and program leaders for the first time. I knew this was going to be a good program where I would have friends, be supported, and have fun.”

Students like Mariah need support from people like you, so they can continue to have this safe space and access to all that Think Together has to offer. This Giving Tuesday we ask you to help us light the way to a future full of opportunities for students all across California. Together, we can make a huge difference and change the odds for kids.

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