Hannah Yibrah grew up in Somerville, MA and is currently an NDA AmeriCorps Member. She is serving at Brookline High School as the CSI Assistant Advisor, in addition to working as an Assistant Director for the Teen Advantage program located at the William H. Lincoln School. She is a recent graduate from Bates College in Lewiston, ME, with a degree in Sociology and a general education concentration in Identity, Race, and Ethnicity, as well as, Teaching and Learning. She enjoys volunteering in schools and working for educational programs.
Sydney Keiler
Sydney Keiler grew up in Vero Beach, Florida and earned a Political Science degree, with a focus in social services, from Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN. She has worked with many community based nonprofits, from the children’s theater in her hometown to a community center in Northern Ireland. She believes that nonprofits are able to create real change, and is excited to be a part of the positive change Steps to Success is bringing to education in Brookline.
Rachel Rinker
Rachel Rinker grew up outside of Charleston, South Carolina, and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from Clemson University with a minor in Business Administration. Currently an NDA AmeriCorps Member, she is excited to bring her art background and interest to Steps to Success serving as a Program Assistant with its AHU and INK programs. She enjoys music, traveling, teaching, learning new things, painting and drawing, and contemplating existence.
Giancarlo Ambrogio
Giancarlo Ambrogio was born and raised in Hartford County, Connecticut and graduated from Boston College with a Bachelors in History and Economics. Giancarlo is currently an AmeriCorps member working as a Program Assistant with the AHU and INK Programs. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, skiing, playing trumpet and being outdoors in any capacity.
Dayana Donisca
Dayana Donisca is an NDA AmeriCorps Service Member at Steps to Success. She is serving at the High School and CSI as an advisor and at the Lincoln Elementary/Middle School Teen Advantage Program as an assistant. Dayana earned a Bachelor in Arts degree from Queens University of Charlotte in 2015. Dayana’s areas of study included Political Science, Sociology, as well as Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. Dayana was born and raised in the greater Boston area and is glad to return home after so long. This is Dayana’s second year in AmeriCorps, previously serving in Baltimore, MD, and after this year of service Dayana hopes to attend law school in the Boston region. Dayana aspires to become a well-renowned political figure and hopes to influence our nation’s education system.
Emy Takinami
Emy Takinami is the College Success Initiative Advisor at Steps to Success. She graduated from the University of Vermont with a dual degree in Psychology and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies and is interested in the structural implications of income, race, and gender inequalities on individual lives. She is a Brookline High School alum, as well as a Steps to Success and CSI alum, so she uniquely understands the challenges associated with getting into – and navigating – college. She hopes to get the next generation of Brookline High School students from all backgrounds to understand and get excited about the college process.
Stephanie Philippe
Stephanie Philippe was born and raised in the city of Boston. She earned both a B.A in Political Science and a B.A in Africanas Studies from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She taught in Somerville and few years later worked as a Program Coordinator of an ELT program. For the last couple of years Stephanie has worked for Citizen Schools as a Deputy Director and Director and is now the Asst. Director of Programs with Steps for Success. Stephanie is interested in politics, education reform, civil rights and social impact.
Sarah Fowler
Sarah Fowler grew up in Western Massachusetts, and earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from University of Massachusetts Boston. A few years later she earned her Master of Arts in Teaching in English Language Arts, from Northeastern University. For five years, she taught English Language Arts to 8th-12th graders in Boston, and then Chelsea. She joined Steps to Success as the former After Hours University (AHU) Director at the Pierce School, and is now the Director of Extended Learning and Programs for Steps to Success.
Shoma Haque
Shoma Haque is a community development professional who brings over twenty years of experience in the field. She was recently hired as the Executive Director of Steps to Success in Brookline, MA. Her career has centered around the non-profit sector in Boston for the past 15 years, with positions at the Center for Women & Enterprise, City Year, and Nuestra Comunidad. Most recently, Ms. Haque served as the Chief Operating Officer at BPE (formerly the Boston Plan for Excellence) a non-profit organization focused on developing great teachers and great schools in Boston. Ms. Haque received her undergraduate education from the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a Master’s in City Planning degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ms. Haque lives with her husband and two children in Jamaica Plain.
Tony Wells
Tony Wells is the Senior Advisor of College Success Initiative. Tony earned his Bachelors of Science in Sociology and M.Ed. in Community Counseling from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. Most recently, Tony served as the Freshman Services and Academic Coach at Mount Ida College within The Learning Circle Program. Tony has worked with middle school through post-secondary students for more than 15 years. He has had extensive experience working with first generation and/or low-income students within the TRIO, Educational Talent Search and Upward Bound programs.
Rachel Hu
Rachel Hu grew up in Southern California and earned her Bachelors of Arts in Architecture at the University of California Berkeley. She spent some time in Los Angeles working in the architectural design and project management fields. Additionally, she worked as a community and youth worker in a low-income community in Stockton-on-Tees, England. She cares about social justice issues surrounding the poor and the marginalized within a community, and she enjoys spending time with friends and family, soaking up the sunshine, and painting.
