How long have you worked for The Leadership Program? This is my second year with TLP

One thing you may not know about me… I have an identical twin sister…and I can quote the entire movie Back to the Beach from beginning to end.

What has been one of your most rewarding moments as a Leadership Trainer? Being Trainer of the Month is definitely up there!

What inspires you? Seeing really good comedy that makes me belly laugh, good art, my family, the ocean, and seeing a student helping out another.

How do you rejuvenate yourself? Baking! For some reason, it totally relaxes me and it gives me another chance to be creative and experiment. Right now my favorite thing to make are ice cream cupcakes!

Who is a leader you look up to and why? My Great-Grandmother.  She lived to be 95 and was an incredibly strong woman who was really down to earth, true to herself, educated and extremely open-minded. She taught me how important it was to have faith in yourself, try new things, take each day as it comes and also to go through life with a really good sense of humor.

What is one place you would love to travel? I’ve always wanted to go to Greece.

What is one of your personal or professional goals this year? I really want to learn how to speak Spanish. I’m looking into purchasing a Rosetta Stone.

What do you hope your students will take from their experience in your club this year? I hope they take with them confidence, the power of their imaginations and their talents. I also hope they take the friendships I have watched them make with each other this year. Its been amazing to watch them grow from the beginning of the year until now and I truly hope they continue to recognize what leaders they have become and what they are capable of achieving if they put their minds to it.

What is your favorite quote? “You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’”

Congratulations to Phi Pham, April After School Trainer of the Month!

How long have you worked for The Leadership Program? This is my first year with Leadership.

One thing you may not know about me… I once ate 45 hot wings in one sitting.

What has been one of your most rewarding moments as a Leadership Trainer? There was a girl in one of my classes that had a lot of trouble getting along with others at the beginning of the semester, but by the end of the semester, she became a class favorite, telling stories in front of the class that she had written and leading groups in all kinds of activities. It was very rewarding seeing her transform from an antisocial student to a classroom leader.                             

What inspires you? I always get hyped from reading books, but especially from reading biographies. You have to have done great things to have books written about you. I also am inspired by social movements, which are usually run by the kids. Seeing how the youth can make such a huge difference in a community is really inspiring.

How do you rejuvenate yourself? I always feel rejuvenated from listening to music, but what’s even more rejuvenating is making music.

Who is a leader you look up to and why?  I have always looked up to both of my parents. My mother has always taught me the values of compassion and service to those who are not so fortunate. My father is a role model just from his work ethic alone. Growing up seeing him work 7 days a week has really taught me how to be a hard worker.                                                                                                                

What is one place you would love to travel?  I’ve always wanted to go the bioluminescent bays in Puerto Rico. Bioluminescent bays contain this naturally occurring organism that lights up when you touch them. Tulum, Mexico is another place I would also like to visit.

What is one of your personal or professional goals this year?   Personally, I want work more on my DJ game, I kind have been unfocused in that part of my life. Check out www.facebook.com/phiunit for some of my mixes and remixes. Professionally, I am just trying to learn as much as possible and make sure every experience is a learning experience.                                                               

What do you hope your students will take from their experience in your club this year?  For my students, I just hope they all leave the club knowing that once they are able to step out of their comfort zone, great things can happen.

What is your favorite quote?  There are so many quotes I live by, but here are two that have been lingering in my mind for the last few months:

“N.O.N.C.A.T. Not one negative comment action or thought” – Dam Funk

“Vision without execution is a figment of the imagination”

Congratulations to Herve Gaspard, March After School Trainer of the Month!

How long have you worked for The Leadership Program?

I have been working for  The Leadership Program since  Nov of  2005. Going on 5 years

One thing you may not know about me… I do a mean  Kermit  T. Frog and Shaggy impersonation

What has been one of your most rewarding moments as a Leadership Trainer? A Gompers High graduate found my MySpace address and told me of a situation that could’ve landed him in prison and he thought back to the lessons I gave on gang life and how to avoid it. He managed to stay away from the gang situation and is now a successful DJ.

What inspires you? A students reaction to success or the realization that he or she is capable of whatever it is we are working on…. and Stevie Wonder.

How do you rejuvenate yourself? Writing playing and letting my children beat me up

Who is a leader you look up to and why? My Mother. She left us in Haiti with my father for 9 months (which is hard for any mother to do) and came to the US to work and take care of  the paperwork for out VISA’s. We have been inseparable since.

What is one place you would love to travel? I would love to visit Australia

What is one of your personal or professional goals this year? Personally: I want to go back to Haiti to help my family members rebuild their homes. Professionally: I would like to bring a Leadership like program to Haiti

What do you hope your students will take from their experience in your club this year? Respect for self and others

What is your favorite quote? Thank You for allowing me to see, taste, touch, hear, feel, and love God’s art.

Congratulations to Michelle Nicholson, January After School Trainer of the Month!

How long have you worked for The Leadership Program?

This is my third year working with TLP

One thing you may not know about me…

Many people don’t know that I was actually a Film Major at U of M. After doing theater for so long, I thought I would become a film/television producer. Maybe I will achieve that dream one day!

What has been one of your most rewarding moments as a Leadership Trainer?

This is probably the most rewarding moment at Leadership, being recognized by TLP. The past few months have been very rewarding. I’ve watched the students that I work with become great leaders in such a short amount of time. I can’t wait to see what they will do in the coming months!

What inspires you?

Great art, great food and when a student surprises me.

How do you rejuvenate yourself?

I usually like to relax and watch a movie. I love watching movies. Most people love to exercise, but I feel I exercise enough in my daily life!

Who is a leader you look up to and why?

This may be a little cliché right now, but I look up to Michelle Obama. She is a woman who has worked to create a great career and balances being a parent. At first, she didn’t want Barack Obama to be president, but she realized that Barack as president was so important to our country and she agreed to let him run. I thought that was one of the most unselfish acts a spouse could do.

What is one place you would love to travel?

Morocco and Paris. Luckily, I will be going there this summer!

What is one of your personal or professional goals this year?

My professional goal was to have a great dance group that works hard and loves to perform. Also, I wanted to finally have Leadership be my only job and try to focus on my clubs.  It’s already starting to happen!

What do you hope your students will take from their experience in your club(s) this year?

I hope the students learn that in life, showing up is half the battle. You’ve got to push through and work hard even when it seems too difficult. We always try to address that in dance class.

What is your favorite quote?

Common once said in one of his songs, “You’ll never find love, until you find yourself!”  I can’t believe I picked a quote from a rap song, but hey it’s true!

THE BUZZ ABOUT MICHELLE NICHOLSON

“Michelle gives above and beyond contributions to her peers, her students, collaborating CBO’s and Leadership spirit.”

“A great communicator that is resourceful, committed, and supportive of colleagues.”

“Spearheading and helping to coordinate two after school 21^st century collaborative performances with Periwinkle and Urban Arts at IS 230.”

“She took on extra students and arranged for a professional guest choreographer to come in and facilitate during her club visit.”

“Exemplary planning, execution, attention to detail and thoughtfulness in her dance routines, lessons, music and costumes.”

Congratulations to Toni Smith, After School Trainer of the Month for December

Here’s a little more about this fabulous leader:

How long have you worked for The Leadership Program?                                                                                  

1 year                                                                          

One thing you may not know about me…                                                                                                                                     

I was in a cheesy commercial for Lucille Roberts.                                                                                                                       

What has been one of your most rewarding moments as a Leadership Trainer?                                            

Being in the company of those who truly value your efforts. 

What inspires you?                                                                                                                                                                   

My dreams.                                                                                                                                                       

How do you rejuvenate yourself?                                                                                                                           

Cooking or drawing.                                                                                                  

Who is a leader you look up to and why?                                                                                                                                  

My mother for being unafraid to go after what she wants.                                                                                    

What is one place you would love to travel?                                                                                                                       

Italy

What is one of your personal or professional goals this year?                                                                                  

To reconnect with friends.                                                   

What do you hope your students will take from their experience in your ICE unit(s) this year?            

The idea that they can accomplish things they felt was impossible. 

What is your favorite quote?                                                                                                                                         

“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”- Paulo Coelho

THE BUZZ ABOUT TONI SMITH

“The principal is consistently praising her work and the way she shines with the students.”    

“A shining leader in action—stellar flexibility, skill and spunk at PS 1 programming in the Bronx.” 

“She is a joy to work with and consistently sets positive standards for her peers to follow.”

“She goes above and beyond, always and is a fabulous leader in our organization.”

“Professional, great at communicating, thorough, optimistic, driven and committed, she always comes to work with a smile on her face.”