The smiles were plentiful and with good reason as Becky Jo
Peterson, Teen Services Sonoma Executive Director, welcomed teens, family
members, staff, board members and friends to celebrate the accomplishment of 32
amazing teens. The event was held Friday, April 12th at the Krug Event Center, Best
Western Sonoma Valley Inn.
Congratulations go to: Naomi Aho, Marisol Aparicio, Natalie Arguello, Laura Benitez, Alaery Carmona, Armando Cazares, Christian Cazares, Aurora Claris, Noe Contreras, Maria Garcia, Sophia Girguis, Dani Grippi, Brianna Guitierez, Juliana Guiterrez, Lily Hamilton, Diana Hernandez, Ramses Hernandez, Annabelle Hunter, Leo Inigues, Armella Irakoze, Breanna Knierim, Nathan Lopez, Edwin Martin, Janette Martinez, Abel Morales, Kapono Myer, Karla Perez, Adal Ramirez, Jazmin Rodriguez, Tita Rodriguez, Victoria Santos, and Rocio Sosa.
For more information and photos, click here.
On Thursday, January 24th a group of teens, Ready to Work coaches and board members gathered at Teen Services to learn more about opportunities available in the world of technology—and what a world that is!
Be curious! Start Learning. Don’t be afraid of Tech. Adapt and Learn.
These were just a few of the comments made by Osias Encarnacion (above left), Chief of Staff at Kaiser Permanente, and Diego Latorre (above right) of Keysight Technologies in Santa Rosa, as they shared their experiences on how they arrived at their careers and described opportunities available in various aspects of technology.
To read the full story, click here.
A number of new faces joined us at Teen Services on Thursday, November 29th for a special evening with two of Sonoma’s culinary stars: Sondra Bernstein (the girl and the fig) and Nima Sherpa (Sonoma Grille). Both had interesting journeys to share and advice to offer to the young adults who came to learn a bit more about the culinary field.
The smiles were plentiful and with good reason as Cristin Felso, Teen Services Executive Director, welcomed teens, family members, staff, board members and friends to celebrate the accomplishment of 15 amazing teens.
Over the past seven weeks, despite the disruption of classes due to our tragic fires, these young people diligently participated in a series of after-school workshops to learn the skills needed for securing their first jobs. They gained self-confidence; learned about the application and hiring process, money management, and customer service; completed their first resumes; and participated in mock interviews with local business professionals.
Each graduating teen has now been assigned a personal coach and will be completing an action plan as part of the Ready to Work process. Coaches will work with their teens through the job search and placement processes and will continue to support them for the first 90 days of employment.
Cristin acknowledged the incredible network of employers who provide that crucial first work experience that empowers our teens and thanked all those who have supported the teens and the Ready to Work program. Special recognition was given to RTW facilitator, Jennifer Blackwood; RTW Manager, Gabby Petersen; the volunteer employment coaches; and, of course, the graduates:
Sophie Armer, Michel Bernal, Maggie Castro, Yaquelyn Cruz, Nick Diaz, Silvia Flores, Georgia Griffin, Fernando Hernandez, Amanda Horn. Gabby Knudsen, Andrea Labrador, Itzel Montes, Luis Ortiz, Sandy Pulido, James Sorrells
Teen Services is extremely grateful to MacArthur Place, Saddles Restaurant, and Director of Food and Beverage, David Daniel and his staff for generously donating the venue, sound system, and set-up for this special event.
The co-ed collaborative class between Hanna Boys Center and Teen Services Sonoma, which spans seven Saturdays from June 24th to August 5th, offers students an opportunity to develop construction skills through project-based-learning with specific focuses on welding, blacksmithing, and carpentry. The project is being underwritten by a grant from Impact100 Sonoma. Tools, equipment, and safety gear have been supplemented through grants from the CTE Foundation and the Exchange Bank Foundation. The class is being taught by Mike Snowden, Anastatia Chiurco and Diana Coopersmith Planson.
A group of our teens recently visited the KPIX News in San Francisco. They were able to meet with the anchors and learn what goes into creating the broadcasts.