Click here for a print-able version of the mentor biographies or roll over each of their pictures below.
Jaclyn Ambrecht
Andrea Baptista
Michael Custer
Michael Elias
Karrisha Ellis
From September 2007-May 2009, Jaclyn tutored and mentored middle school students at University Settlement, a program at the Chinatown YMCA, encouraging them to succeed academically. Jaclyn is an experienced traveler and has been to El Ayudante in Nicaragua, to assist with youth education and health care provider programs, volunteered at the Medical Ministries International in Barahona, Dominican Republic, and studied abroad in France. She is a member of the NYU Class of 2011 Activities Council, participates at the NYU Catholic Center, has helped build homes with Habitat for Humanity in Newburgh, NY, and is currently interning in the Outreach department of Sesame Street Workshop, which has been incredibly exciting for her. Jaclyn likes to run, write in her journal, spend time with friends, do yoga, and read new books. She likes volunteering, meeting new people, experiencing new places, and playing with her dog Chloe.
Andrea serves as the NY Director of Operations for a new non-profit called Styleta-an innovative student-run organization that has been featured in "Teen Vogue" and "Seventeen" magazines, winning the Harvard I3 competition and placing as a semi-finalist in the Dell Social Innovation competition. Styleta takes donated high-end clothing, sells it online, and donates the profits to charity. When Andrea was 10, she appeared on a Food Network special and at 18, she sang in a professional choir with a performance at Carnegie Hall. Andrea is an adventurous eater-she has tried jellyfish, snake, cow tongue, haggis, blowfish, frog, alligator, century eggs, shark, and raw chicken and beef!
Michael first began mentoring in high school with the Big Brothers program. Once reaching college, he mentored every week with the University Settlement Beacon program in the East Village during his first year and a half. While at NYU, Michael interned with the Micro-Finance Community Development Organization in Accra, Ghana, interned at the Afghanistan World Foundation in New York, and is currently studying abroad at NYU France, in Paris. His hobbies include ice hockey (he plays for the NYU ice hockey team), traveling, soccer, and writing. His favorite books he has read recently are China Safari and The White Man's Burden. He also enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird and the Catcher in the Rye. He has also read all of the Harry Potter books. Michael studied abroad in Africa and it was the best time of his life, and he can't wait to go back!
Michael is the chair and founder of the Student Senators Council International Affair Committee at NYU. He is an active member of his fraternity at school and has chaired the Intermural Sports Committee. He is a summer RA in an NYU residence hall and a Student Assitant in the NYU Office of Global Programs. He was recently selected to be an NYU Alternate Spring Break Site Leader. He also interns for NY City Council member Peter Vallone Jr.'s, in Queens, NY. He has been on a service trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, an NYU leadership trip to London, and was one of five students selected to travel to Abu Dhabi to see the NYU campus there. He is fluent in Spanish and studied abroad in Madrid. Michael's hobbies include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, writing (fiction and some poetry), pop-locking, beatboxing, and basketball.
Karrisha started mentoring when she was in high school. She served as a peer mentor for two incoming freshmen girls and helped them adjust to the academic and social demands of high school. This past semester she interned at the Mercy Corps Action Center to End World Hunger in Battery Park City. She served as an education/program developer and outreach intern. Karrisha is a member of NYU's Presidential Honor Scholars Program, which traveled to Beijing, China for a week in Spring 2009 for a cultural and intellectual exchange between NYU and Peking University students. She also studied abroad in Spain and participated in a four day exchange to Morocco. Her hobbies include biking, roller blading, photography, films, reading, visiting museums, and listening to music. Her favorite books are Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, Invisible Man, Long Day's Journey Into Night, and Brothers Karamazov. She is currently learning how to play the guitar and has a secret obsession with the moon!
Angelia is from Bedford-Stuyvesent, Brooklyn. She has been a member of the Salvation Army since she was 13, first as an attendee, and now as staff. She has mentored at the Bedford Salvation Army Corp, and also worked as an assistant supervisor and camp counselor. Angelia also served as a tutor/mentor for the Salvation Army Gains Program. Angelia feels it is her duty to give back to her community, and looks to be a positive influence to the youth in her neighborhood. Her favorite book is The Metamorphosis and she collects money from countries around the world.
Ishmael is an upper sophomore at John Jay College for Criminal Studies. He is originally from Brooklyn, NY. Ishmael has been a part of the Salvation Army for many years and is currently working at the Greater New York's summer camp at Star Lake. He truly enjoys mentoring and impacting the lives of youth in his own neighborhood. His hobbies include basketball, playing piano, playing and listening to music, playing pool/ping pong, and hanging out with friends. He loves to read and loves to talk!
Stacey is from Brooklyn, NY and graduated from Boys and Girls High School in Bedford-Stuyvesent. She has always loved aeronautics and hence is pursuing her degree in airport management & air traffic control. She is an active member in her school's Women in Aviation International, Aircraft Owners, and Pilots Association, and the American Association of Airport Executives. Stacey has worked at the Brownsville Salvation Army for the past three years and enjoys mentoring youth there. She is a firm believer that there is no limit to what you can do and the thought of being able to travel anywhere in the world keeps her motivated.
Adam is originally from Texas. He now studies at Pratt Institute. Adam is an Eagle Scout and has accumulated over fifty hours of charity work through volunteer work for scouts, including his Eagle Scout Project, which was a clothes donation drive for children who were victims of abuse. His favorite authors include Arthur Miller, Nick Hornby, Jack Kerouac, Langston Hughes, Vonnegut, JD Salinger, and Harriet Gillem. He also enjoys Du Bois' Souls of Black Folk, and the work of Tom Robinson. His favorite film is Do The Right Thing. Adam played the French Horn for over five years.
Lilly is originally from Oakland, California. In the past she mentored for a young women's group she ran in a New York City public high school which aimed to create a safe space where the mentors could engage in emotional support, reflection, community-building, and education beyond the classroom, and also mentored for Young People For (YP4). This past January she traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico for an alternate spring break where she helped construct a classroom. She has also traveled to Germany, Kazakhstan, England, Palestine, Israel, and Nicaragua for service work. In her spare time, Lilly loves going to the beach. Her favorite books include the Harry Potter series, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, The Color Purple, and The Kite Runner. She likes to write poetry, short stories, and journal. She always likes to hear new types of music and go salsa dancing (even if she's not that great!)
Rayneese finished her degree in fashion design and art history this spring. She is now focusing on costume design. She was a mentor for the America Read/Counts program, where she helped put on quarterly plays with the youth she worked with. The children were cast, had to learn their lines, and learn choreography. Rayneese worked with students on the costume design and creating the garments for the productions. Their most recent play was "The Wiz Meets The Wizard of Oz." Kelly also volunteers at the Metropolitan Playhouse and has tutored youth at St. Mary's Church in Brooklyn. Her favorite play is "A Streetcar Named Desire," and she can quote most scenes in their entirety. Her favorite hobbies include writing and daydreaming.
Aamir was a youth mentor at the Northeast Parent and Child Society and Youth in Progress throughout his high school career. He served as a positive role model to youth in the foster care system and conducted presentations about his experiences across the nation. At Pratt, he has worked for the America Reads/Count program and mentors youth from ages 4-17 on topics such as reading and presentation skills, our environment, job searching, and choreography. He also worked at NYC Champion Learning program to help students succeed in math and reading. Aamir loves to dance!
At NYU, Kelly volunteers in a variety of activities. She was one of ten recipients of an "ISM" grant, which is awarded to students to explore a social issue of their choosing. Her research and performance was on nutrition. Additionally, Kelly is a founding member of the recently started NYU chapter of The Body Positive, which is an organization that addresses women's health, wellness, and positive body image. Kelly is a theatre director, writer, and member of The Body Ecologists Performance Group and The Movement Theatre Company, which is a theatre dedicated to presenting new works by young playwrights of color. She LOVES to cook, can sing (but is very shy about it), designs jewelry, has an endless amount of facial expressions, and is just learning how to ride a bike. Kelly's favorite book is Pedagogy of the Oppressed. She also has an 8 year old pet turtle!
Terrian is originally from Jamaica but now lives in Brooklyn. She has spent a large part of her life working with children and currently mentors with The Legacy Corporation, where she assists students with homework, plan educational trips, and most importantly acts as a positive role model. Additionally, she is an active member of the Medgar Evers College Society for Public Administrators and served as a recruiter for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on her campus. In her spare time she likes to play soccer, netball, volleyball, and dances. Some of her favorite books are Harmless, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, The Halo Effect, and Stardust.
Denise has been mentoring youth since high school as a part of a group called Peer Leadership. Since entering NYU, she has been a part of the Fashion Committee for Chinese Student Society's annual EXPO Fashion Show, which is a fashion show to raise money for Room to Read, an organization that encourages children in China to read. She is also a part of NYU Stern's Women in Business mentoring organization and an active member of the Marketing Society. She has traveled to Tennessee to help rebuild hiking trails as a part of Alternate Spring break and studied abroad in Shanghai, China last year, where she helped teach English and volunteered at an orphanage. Denise's hobbies include running road races, fashion, going to the beach, traveling, and listening to music. Her favorite books are And Then There Were None, Life of Pi, and The Catcher in the Rye. She hate the smell of fresh-cut grass, but loves the smell of rain after a summer thunderstorm. If she could have any superpower, it would be able to speak any language in the world!
