Reading Empowers

Stephen was born and raised on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Over the past fifteen years, he has been active with a number of youth mentoring organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, West Philadelphia Tutoring Project and University of Pennsylvania’s PEER Mentoring Program. Stephen holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Aileen grew up in Queens, New York. Having lived in a refugee camp as a child, she is extremely passionate about improving access to healthcare and education for the underserved.

Angel has an MA in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a BA in Psychology from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). Currently, she works in Management Consulting for a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services in New York City.

Aside from her professional interests, Angel has a passion in caring for young children and is dedicated to shaping a brighter future for children in New York. She has more than five years of experience in mentoring young children in different learning environments, including one-on- one lessons, small-group activities, and formal classrooms. She has worked under other educational organizations, including UCLA Krieger Child Care Center, Kids 'N Keyboards Music Center, BrainChild, Reading to Kids, and Pomeroy Elementary Tutor Program. Angel is grateful for the opportunity to impact young students through Reading Empowers.

Eileen was born and raised in LES. She graduated from the University at Buffalo with a B.S. in Business Administration. She currently works at a bank. In her spare time, she looks for ways to get involved in her community. She has a strong passion to volunteer with organizations that have a long term impact. She loves kids and has over 6+ years of experience working with children between the ages of 6 - 14. She also enjoys running and playing basketball.

Jamila was born in St. Andrews, Jamaica. She received her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education/Special Education from NYU. While studying at NYU, Jamila worked with children from a variety of ages, toddlers to school age, in a variety of academic settings: one to one, small group, and formal classrooms.

Cory was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. His love for Philadelphia sports took him East, where he attended the University of Pennsylvania. During his time in college, he was a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a community service fraternity, through which he developed an interest in service having done hours of volunteer work at soup kitchens and beautification projects in the area.

Cory graduated with a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of Business. He currently works in the private equity real estate industry, focusing his time on pursuing and managing opportunistic deals in the U.S.

Julian studied Business Economics at University of California, Los Angeles. He recently moved to New York City and is actively searching for opportunities to make a difference in the community. During college he has served with Circle K (an organization under Kiwanis International) and participated in numerous volunteering events such as Susan G.

Yen received her bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University. She majored in Inclusive Elementary and Special Education and French. During her time at Syracuse, Yen had the opportunity to work with children of diverse cultural and academic backgrounds in different schools in Syracuse City school districts. Currently, she teaches kindergarten and first grade special education. She designs and implements differentiated instruction for students with a variety of learning needs and used multiple assessments of student learning to inform future lessons. Additionally, she actively participates in events such as annual reviews for individualized education programs, special education meetings, and other student-support services. Yen is a committed and enthusiastic teacher who strives to make a difference in the lives of her students.

Jack was born in Guangzhou, China and immigrated to the United States at an early age. He received his B.S. in Biological Engineering from Cornell University and J.D. from Cornell Law School. He currently works in the consulting industry and is also involved with the Asian American Bar Association of New York.

When Jack first arrived in the United States, he didn't understand a single word of English. His educational and professional accomplishments would never have been possible without the patience, support, and guidance of some extraordinary public school teachers that he encountered growing up. Recognizing both the importance of literacy and the lasting impact of an effective teacher, Jack hopes to help the next generation of public school students achieve their own success.

Dynia graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management from New York City College of Technology and received a Certificate in Pastry Arts from the Art Institute of New York City. Dynia uses food as her medium for community outreach.

Catherine began as a volunteer for PS 1 in 2014 because she wanted to engage with the community in a fun, meaningful way. Service has always been important to her and in college, she volunteered with a service-learning organization that tutored students.

After graduating from Cornell, she moved to New York City to pursue an MPA at NYU and currently works as a business analyst for the Institute of International Education. In her spare time, she enjoys trying new exercise trends, traveling, and eating pizza.

Jessica joined Reading Empowers 3 years ago, when she discovered the heartwarming wonder of reading to 2nd graders on lazy Saturday mornings at PS 124. On regular weekdays, she works at American Express in Consumer Lending, and on weekends, spends her time brunching with friends, taking dance classes, and exploring the city (or napping). Prior to NYC, she studied in Philly, and prior to that, called Texas home.

Mary is a native New Yorker who completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell.  She also completed her Masters in Library and Information Science at Rutgers University.  Currently, she works as a digital librarian in media.  She likes arts and culture, theater, and reading. On her spare time she runs 5Ks.

Juliann is a born and raised Jersey Girl before moving to NYC. She holds a Bachelors degree in English and works as a Communications Manager in the financial services industry. Due to her passion for volunteering, she has volunteered for various non-profits since high school, including Habitat for Humanity. In her free time, she enjoys searching for her next travel destination, experimenting with new kinds of recipes, and of course, reading.