Spring 2013 BEETS Cohort

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Introducing the twelve BEETS (Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) for Spring 2013 Cohort:

RETURNING BEETS

Shontay Vessell
A referral from Westside Community Services Girls Group at Ida B. Wells High School, Shontay started BEETS mid-way through the Spring 2012 Session. Shontay has assisted with many CG Seed to Mouth Cooking classes during her time in BEETS and was also involved in the Cooking Program at Ida B. Wells High School. One of her goals during BEETS was to graduate High School. In October 2012, Shontay graduated from Ida B. Wells High School 2 months early. Shontay is in her 3rd session of BEETS and currently attends City College.

Serena Adams
Serena joined BEETS in Fall 2012 after hearing about the program from a BEETS alumni at her high school. Serena recently moved to San Francisco from San Jose and currently attends Downtown High School where she is involved with the WALC (Wilderness Arts & Literacy Collaborative) program. Serena hopes to be a fashion designer when she grows up. During Fall 2012 BEETS Serena set a goal of learning more about a career in fashion design and took initiative to attend an information session at the San Francisco Academy of Art.

Claudia Williams
Claudia was referred to BEETS by her older sister, a BEETS alumni, and started BEETS in Fall 2012. Claudia currently lives at Hayes Valley North and attends Mission High School, where she is a cheerleader. Claudia’s highlight from her Fall 2012 BEETS Session was volunteering at the AIDS Memorial Grove. When she grows up she hopes to be a lawyer.

Delvin Tobie
Delvin joined BEETS in Summer 2012, after a referral from Booker T. Washington Community Center. During the Summer 2012 Session, Delvin set a goal of starting College in the Fall. Delvin is still in BEETS and started taking classes at San Francisco City College in Fall 2012, after which he plans to transfer to a 4 year university.

NEW BEETS

Shayla Averett
Shayla, a resident of the Western Addition is the current president of the Black Student Union at Galileo High School and is expected to graduate in Spring 2013. Shayla was referred to BEETS by a program alumni and is looking forward to gardening, gaining work experience, and strengthening her leadership and public speaking skills in the program. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with friends and playing basketball. Growing up without a Father has been difficult for her. In the future, Shayla hopes to travel the world and become an interior or fashion designer. She has been admitted to SF State and Cal State East Bay for Fall 2013 and is currently trying to make her decision about where to attend.

Mercedes Cross
Mercedes is 16 years old and is currently a student at Downtown High School in the WALC program. She was referred to the program through a BEETS alumni. Prior to BEETS, Mercedes had interned in the Western Addition and worked at MYEEP. Mercedes joined BEETS to gain job experience, gain extra income to not rely on her Grandmother, and to help out other youth in a positive way. In her free time, Mercedes enjoys cooking, reading, listening to music, and drawing. Her favorite subject in school is environmental science and she hopes to be a forensic scientist when she grows up.

Julianna Echeeverria
Julianna joined BEETS after a referral from the Occupation Therapy Training Program – Family Mosaic Project. Julianna graduated from Galileo High School in 2012 and is currently a student at SF City College. Prior to joining BEETS, Julianna assisted with several community events at the Thrive House for Youth. Julianna currently takes care of her Mom, who is sick, as well as her helping out with her family, which has been a challenge for her. In BEETS, she is looking forward to learning more about gardening, cooking, and how to maintain and care for plant life. In her free time Julianna enjoys art, cooking, writing, and drawing.

Armani Reed
Armani applied BEETS after it was recommended to her by one of our current BEETS. She is currently 16 years old and goes to school at Mission High School, where she is on the cheer team. Armani relies on mentors to stay positive, as growing up without a Mother has been difficult for her. She currently lives with her Grandparents and hopes to be a lawyer when she grows up. During BEETS, Armani hope to learn teamwork, independence, and earn money to help out her family. In her free time she enjoys cheering, dancing, singing, and learning new things.

Sydni Walker
Sydni currently attends Galileo High School and is expected to graduate in Spring 2013. Referred to us through Westside Community Services, Sydni is the older sister of a BEETS alumni. During BEETS, Sydni hopes to learn new things, meet new people, and gain work experience. If she could change anything in her community it would be to stop violence and gang related deaths among young people. In her free time, Sydni enjoys reading books, poetry, and volunteering at Golden Gate Nursery. She hopes to be a Criminal Justice Lawyer or work in social services.

Joseph Lilly
Joseph was referred to BEETS through Treasure Island Job Corps and lives in the Western Addition. During his time in Job Corps, Joseph did facilities maintenance and helped create a farm on site. In his free time he enjoys relaxing, having fun, and helping out with student government at Job Corps. He is looking forward to learning about multicultural awareness, networking, and personal growth in BEETS.

Jennifer Rodriguez
Jennifer found out about the BEETS program through her teacher at Independence High School. She is a single parent of a one year old, and enjoys walking and spending time with her son and friends in her free time. Jennifer hopes to learn more about the environment and gardening during BEETS and gain experience to help out in her community in the future. She hopes to be an X-Ray Tech or Pediatrician when she grows up.

Julien Lundh
Julien lives across the street from the Hayes Valley South Youth Center and graduated from Ida B. Wells High School. He is currently a student at SF City College and loves science. He is interested in astrophysics and mechanical/electrical engineering. His freshman year of High School was challenging for him at Washington High School and after transferring to Ida B. Wells he focused more on staying in school. In his free time he enjoys playing video games, science, and watching movies. He is looking forward to learning more about gardening and learning new things in BEETS.

Check out a video from the day…

For more photos from that day, check out our CommunityGrows Flickr Photostream.