I first became involved with the White Plains Youth Bureau when it was located on the corner of Lexington Avenue and Hamilton Avenue. I participated in a variety of neighborhood youth programs. I was involved with various job readiness programs; the Youth Bureau was a place where I always felt safe and I could always get information that would help me make good decisions. To date, I credit them with helping me create a solid foundation for my organizational skills, my work ethic, my educational accomplishments and my community values. The Youth Bureau instilled a sense of caring for needs and concerns of young people; in addition to the desire to help whenever and wherever possible.

My experiences with the Youth Bureau, working with staff and students in their afterschool programs created a desire in me to grow educationally. Education for me was an opportunity to improve myself and help others on a larger scale. I graduated from White Plains High School, Fordham University in the Bronx, Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, TX and 20 years later I graduated from Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY with a Masters Degree in General Education Grades 1-6 and a Masters Degree in Students With Disabilities Grades 1-6.

I am truly grateful to have grown from my youth bureau experiences and have learned from its great staff over the years. Presently I work as a teaching assistant in the White Plains City School District.