Together We…Lead by Example

Site Coordinator Vanessa Negrete has been a part of Think Together’s LA Metro team for the last two years but has been an afterschool professional for the last six years. She graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of the Arts degree in psychology. Vanessa is someone who is always willing to lend a helping hand to her cohort whenever someone on her team is in need. Vanessa takes initiative and is always ready to share a best practice that may support another colleague’s site. We truly appreciate Vanessa and her “can do” attitude in completing any task that might come her way!

​​​Why did you want to work in afterschool?

I love working with children and feel that I make a difference in their lives. I was very fortunate to have some amazing experiences as a kid and for me, I’ve always wanted to give back to the community that helped shape who I am today. 

What is the moment that you felt the most connected to Think Together’s mission?

The moment I felt most connected with Think Together’s mission was when we entered the stay-at-home order and literally within a matter of weeks, LA Metro was the first region to launch distance learning. We showed our kids that anything is possible and we weren’t going to let anything get in the way of connecting with our families.

Do you have a favorite Think Together student story?

My favorite stories are the unexpected ones. As a site coordinator, you’re in charge and talk to many students but one student who stood out to me approached me on his last day of program as a middle schooler.

He thanked me for showing him that it is okay to be scared and step out of your comfort zone but as long as you do what you love nothing else should matter. It surprised me because he mentioned how that conversation we had when he was a fifth-grader followed him throughout middle school. It’s stories like those that make me feel grateful for what I do.

What is one moment that you felt like you were really changing the odds for kids?

This past year has honestly been one of the toughest, most challenging, and most rewarding experiences of my life! Bringing afterschool to a virtual setting really pushed the meaning of changing the odds for kids to the next level. It wasn’t an easy task but added itself as yet another example to a long list of ways we are changing the odds for kids!

As we are wrapping up 2021, what do you hope to accomplish at Think Together in 2022?

We spent a good year and a half working distance learning and with now being in-person, for 2022 I hope to accomplish a thriving quality program for others to see. I want to pick up right where we left off pre-pandemic. These kids shouldn’t have to feel that they were robbed of experiences but rather create new ones.

Vanessa, thank you for all that you do for our students and for changing the odds for kids!

When students show an interest in going above and beyond, Think Together Site Coordinators often encourage students to become student leaders and help support their classmates.

Yaretzi is one of those student leaders. She’s a fifth grader and has been in Think Together’s program for three years.

“One of my favorite things to do in the program is helping out,” she says. “I always like to ask if I can help monitor or help the younger students with assignments.”

When Yaretzi grows up, she wants to turn her service-oriented heart towards helping others.

“What I want to be when I grow up, I want to make a special place for people in need. If they need help with something, if they have issues, I want to be there to help.”

Until then, Yaretzi is enjoying her time being a kid and being a part of Think Together.

“My favorite part about Think Together is being able to hang out with my friends. I’m an only child so I like to be around other kids,” she says.

Last year, she found school a lot more difficult and missed seeing her friends in the program. When Orange Unified School District came back in person, she said it didn’t feel the same interacting with friends while socially distanced.

This year she said feels a lot more normal. She’s been enjoying hanging out with old friends and making new ones. Her days have been packed with additional academic lessons, enrichment, physical activity, homework support, and having fun. “Think Together is way more fun in person than online!”

One of Think Together’s primary focuses has been on academic recovery and social-emotional learning. We don’t know how dramatic the academic impact of the pandemic will be, but students like Yaretzi are getting back on track thanks to support from Think Together.

Yoselin Martin has worked for Think Together for 2 years currently as the lead program leader at Vineland Elementary in our San Gabriel Valley Region. Yoselin is an outstanding person and loves to work with children. She comes to work with a can-do attitude and always sets goals to be more successful. When a difficult situation arises, she never backs down and always pushes through. Yoselin shows that together we can be strong role models while supporting our students.

How would you sum up your experience working for Think Together since you started working here? 
Since I started working for Think Together, I’ve developed a lot of experience with working with students in all age groups and helping them develop and be successful.

What is your “why” for working at Think Together?
My “why” is just like Think Together’s mission, changing the odds for kids and helping them be successful. Also, I’ve enjoyed seeing the students grow up and develop. 

What is one of your favorite memories working at Think Together?
Just remembering how far I’ve come since starting as a substitute program leader to now taking over my supervisor’s position and owning it. I still remember the time my site coordinator, Susie Jaimes, asked me if I wanted to be the lead for Vineland Elementary and I said yes. I’m now able to deal and overcome different situations and I have learned so much this whole year of being lead program leader. 

Can you tell us what it’s been like for students adjusting back to in-person learning this school year? What are some of the challenges you are seeing and how are you helping to support them?
They are having a difficult time coming back to the in-person environment and adjusting to it. They also did not have the resources when they were at home, which made it more challenging for us to redirect them with systems, routines, and having their materials. The main thing is keeping masks on and keeping their distance. Acknowledging the students that follow the systems and routines, praising them daily, having them understand the why behind it. 

What are your goals for this school year?
I’m looking forward to getting more experience as a leader and making a difference with the children in my classroom.

Thank you for changing the odds for kids Yoselin!​​​​​​

Think Together is proud to provide robust STEM programs for California students through partnerships with organizations like Edison International.

Students who would not otherwise have access to this specialized curriculum during a typical school-day environment are exposed to coding and robotics as a way to open up new experiences and opportunities.

Currently, there are over 72,000 open computing jobs in California with an average salary of $115K—but only 7,311 computer science graduates, and only 47% of high schools teach a foundational course.

“At Edison, we know that a STEM education has the power to change lives and communities,” said Alejandro Esparza, SCE Principal Manager of Corporate Philanthropy and Community Engagement. “We are so proud of our partnership with Think Together and our shared commitment to engaging students through impactful STEM programs.”

Even for students who do not pursue STEM careers, the skills required in coding are important to building foundational problem-solving and 21st-century skills, challenging student grit, inviting creativity, and encouraging curiosity.

During the 2019-2020 school year, Think Together implemented Coding and Robotics clubs at 10 middle schools in Rialto, Lake Elsinore, and Val Verde school districts. Over 1,700 students participated in high-quality lessons, hands-on learning opportunities and gained exposure to STEM careers.

“I love running the Edison STEM Robotics Club, seeing the smiles and excitement from the students when they build the robots is priceless. Some kids have never built a robot when they come to robotics and by the end, they feel like they have achieved so much,” said Think Together Program Leader Ron Webb.

Think Together’s Coding and Robotics Program utilized the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 curriculum to teach students the fundamentals of coding and robotic design. The first unit of the program was focused on renewable energy. Students engaged in lessons about energy transfer, wind energy, solar energy, energy efficiency, and electric vehicles.

In a culminating project, students built, programmed, and tested their own windmill to demonstrate their knowledge of wind turbines. After the renewable energy unit, students continued to learn about key coding terms, application of the design engineering process, building and programming their own bots.

“I like making new things from Legos. It’s challenging and I learn about science in a fun way. Robotics will help me in the future by making new things and helping others,” said one of our 6th grade students.

Through this partnership, Think Together students have gained interest in exploring STEM majors and careers. Not only that, but through STEM curriculum, students are learning vital skills in troubleshooting, problem-solving, and teamwork as they complete these robotics lessons.

“I’ve never seen my students so engaged as I did with them learning about robotics. They worked in groups to complete a group goal and worked together to accomplish the same outcome. They enjoyed learning something different and building something new!” said Site Coordinator Kimberly Martinez. “The students gave it their all and saw it to the end! They truly enjoyed learning about robotics!”

“My daughter comes home daily talking about what she was able to do in Robotics and was super excited to show me her progress,” said one of our parents.

We are so appreciative to work with corporate and foundation partners to help us provide students with quality programming that sets them up for success in the future. Thank you Edison International for partnering with us to change the odds for kids!

What sets Think Together apart from other after school programs is that we work closely with our school partners to cater to the individual needs of each individual school site. With that close partnership comes cohesive support for students and, in the case for students at Tahquitz High School in Hemet, some neat opportunities. 

Think Together’s high school programs are drop-in spaces that provide homework help, credit recovery, workforce readiness prep, college admissions help, and extracurricular clubs. One of those clubs is hip-hop dance.

The students involved with the dance club missed being able to attend their program, practice dances, and perform together. “It’s been so long since I got to perform and being able to get back on campus and participate in these activities makes me really happy,” said one of our dance team members.

The school originally had set time for the dance club students to perform for the school rally, but then something exciting happened. They were asked to perform a three-minute-long dance at the homecoming game halftime show. With two weeks until the game, the students went straight to work and dedicated time before school, during lunch, and after school to practice. 

They didn’t do it alone either. One of Think Together’s Older Youth Leaders, fondly called Coach Marie, was there every step of the way to help the students create their routine. 

“The Tahquitz Dance Team has come a long way and has grown tremendously through its student leadership. I gave the team a tough performance assignment, time was not on our side and practice space was limited. Yet, with their tenacity and will to win, they broke barriers and delivered an amazing show for their homecoming halftime,” said Coach Marie.

That hard work paid off, and these students put on a great performance!

“Their return was even greater and more successful than they anticipated. I am VERY proud of our dancers and as well as Coach Marie,” says Site Coordinator Jasmin Moreno. 

“I forgot how it felt to perform in front of the whole school due to being online last year. It felt so good to be back to performing again and having dance after school with all the amazing bonds we are creating with our new dance team. As the co-captain this year of the dance team it’s a different experience than being just a part of the team, there’s a responsibility that lies behind the scenes of making sure the choreography, accountability, and everyone is notified about everything that is happening. I am grateful for the opportunity and couldn’t do it without the other two captains who have made this experience feel great,” said one of the dance team captains.  

Thanks to DICK’s Sporting Goods and the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Think Together students were decked out in brand new soccer cleats.

DICK’S donated 15,000 adidas soccer cleats in both children and adult sizes so students could get their game faces on for our incredibly fun Soccer for Success program we provide in partnership with the U.S. Soccer Foundation. 

Santa Fe Springs Quality Assurance Coach Andrew Perez said this about Soccer for Success: “The U.S. Soccer Foundation has brought a positive and energetic atmosphere to Think Summer 2021! Whether a beginner or an expert, students who are participating in the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Soccer for Success program have learned the power of teamwork, leadership, growth and more through lessons and exercises for the sport! The Little Lake team is excited to see our students actively learning, growing, and trying out new adventures this summer.”

The Soccer for Success curriculum breaks down steps to learn a drill, maneuver the soccer ball, kick the ball and so much more. With COVID restrictions students spent the 2020-21 school year keeping their skills sharp using the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s adapted curriculum, which was launched ahead of the fall 2020 season.

This adapted curriculum allowed Soccer for Success program operators across the country to run the program across a variety of settings – from pre-recorded sessions to live virtual sessions to in-person socially-distanced sessions.

Over the summer, with students participating in Think Summer, participants got back in the game (socially distanced) and had fun with their friends in person. Not only has this been a fun activity as students return to  campus, but it also has been great to get kids active and healthy with physical exercise.

Think Together looks forward to a healthy year filled with fun for our students thanks to partners like the U.S. Soccer Foundation.

Darlene has been with the organization for the last year and a half as our staffing coordinator in our San Bernardino region. She has played an integral part in the success of the region’s staffing efforts, working to make sure our students have inspiring role models and supporters in their lives. Darlene is the embodiment of service above self, and we are excited to share a little more about her with you.

What’s your “why” for working at Think Together?

The future! The students that go through our Think Together programs represent the future of our communities. I believe in the mission of the org. The lasting impact that we have on kids is super important to me. I strive to provide as much support in staffing to provide a quality program to our students.

What are you most excited about for this school year?

The kids being in person full time! I’m excited to hear that students can see their program leaders, site coordinators, and friends face to face. I’m excited to provide support in closing that gap that students had this past year.

We heard that you’ve also been supporting Palm Springs lately, can you tell us a little about that?

I have thoroughly enjoyed supporting our newest Think Together region. When I was asked to provide staffing support in Palm Springs, I was excited to help get our sites staffed and to help ensure we provide the best program experience to our students returning to in-person learning. Together with Program, Human Capital and our Student Support Services team, we have been able to ensure that our program is running smoothly.

What’s your favorite Think Together memory?

Most of my career at Think Together has been in a virtual setting. My fondest memory of Think Together is honestly seeing how tight of a team we all became during a global pandemic. The opportunity to continue working while students were in a virtual environment and coming up with ways to shift processes originally written for an in-person setting was a challenge I enjoyed.

What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve received?

It’s all about perspective. I’ve learned that any situation I am currently in can change by shifting my perspective. Focusing on my perspective and others has taught me to be more resilient, understanding, and perseverant both in a professional and personal setting.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about joining the Think Together team?

Think Together is a program that provides a lasting impact on a student’s life. I would encourage them to consider this fun and rewarding work experience.

Thank you Darlene for your support in getting students back to afterschool!

In our Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) region, Think Together ran Think Summer in Bellflower and Lynwood School Districts, and with our Ingenium Charter Schools partner. “Summer was rewarding despite the challenges in our world, we were able to give students a little bit of normalcy,” says Lugo Elementary Site Coordinator Brishea Crichlow.

Over a year of hard work got us to a fantastic Think Summer program filled with fun, learning recovery, and social interaction with classmates that many have only seen through computer screens.

“Think Together makes me happy because they are always there for us and help us.” says one of our Think Summer students.

Beyond academics, a large component was focused on social emotional recovery and fun activities like carnivals, movie days, and more.

Students had a lot to say about these last few weeks:

“My favorite part was the water balloon day!”

“Think Together is fun because it feels like a family.”

“Because of Think Together, I get to make new friends and talk to people I haven’t met before.”

At Rosa Parks Elementary in Lynwood, students learned about the universe around them to become superheroes in their community. These heroes in training learned about the galaxy, the moon, and how to sustain our planet as the “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

As Think Summer in SELA wrapped up, each site made a short film showcasing all they did for summer. Through this process, students became cinematographers, producers, directors and actors while learning about film production, writing, acting, research, professionalism, business, budgeting, and photography.

We put together our favorite clips for you as a small peek into Think Summer.

Back in March 2020, educators knew that this was about to be one of the most challenging school years on record. The barriers became larger, resources became more challenging to obtain, and vital support systems had to adjust to the new normal.

For anyone who knows Think Together, you know that we will do everything in our power to ensure students are safe, learning, and have the tools they need to succeed. Over the last 18 months, Think Together pivoted to offer distance learning programs, in-person learning hubs, and even returned to in-person programs at a large portion of our schools by last fall.

None of this would have been possible without our supporters, through creative collaboration with school partners, and our staff that are so passionate about our mission to change the odds for kids.

Pandemic learning loss is going to have a ripple effect for years to come. As Think Together begins supporting our school partners with back-to-school season, we need your support as well.

If you want to support our mission and help give students access to more resources to help curb learning loss, consider donating at thinktogether.org/afterschool