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When she was five years old, Julie (Juliana) Villanueva first stepped into a KidWorks’ classroom as a preschool student. Now a freshman business major at Orange Coast College, Julie overflows… Continue Reading
Today is the start of KidWorks After School programs for students in grades K-12 at all three centers. To learn more about programs and register a student please visit kidworksoc.org/after-school
Starting KidWorks Campus Crash off with a bang, KidWorks high school students and parents met at UC Irvine on April 1st to tour their campus, connect with current college students and consider future career paths.
After being dropped off at the UCI flagpoles, students learned fun facts about the different dorms, subjects to study and food options available to students. The tour guides showed off a couple of UCI’s prestigious schools, like their schools of engineering and business. Students also got a chance to check out university merch at the campus store and take a Starbucks run before heading back to their next stop. From there, students were transported to a lunch and tour at Irvine Valley College to explore more options for future education.
Students heard from speakers about the many programs and services IVC offers for student success and learned about the IVC Basic Needs Program. The group also got the opportunity to tour some of the campus buildings such as the Computer Science building, and the career and transfer center. One student shared, “I really enjoyed learning about the campus, especially hearing about the soccer team and other sports.”
Overall, the first day of Campus Crash was a success! The tours were a great way to provide a vision for college, ignite an excitement for learning and show that learning is a lifelong pursuit.
The path to college is ever-changing and can be challenging to navigate. Many KidWorks parents are helping their children prepare for college but may not have attended college themselves.
Thanks to our partnership with KidWorks board member Erika Sanchez and the support of Concordia University, we were able to send a group of KidWorks parents and students to attend their seventh annual Hispanic Leadership Conference, a forum focused on preparing 1st generation Latino students for higher education.
Concordia describes the no-cost event as “inspiring community college and high school students to pursue academic goals for a bright future. The purpose of this event is to help attendees navigate the path to college. The conference offers a toolkit of educational resources about college majors, financial aid, as well as inspiring first-generation speakers, industry professionals and a keynote.”
The conference included breakout sessions and an information fair. The university also provided, free transportation to and from the event for our parents and students.
Overall, 245 students and 30 parents attended from throughout Southern California. The conference was open to all high school and community college students, along with parents.
The event aligns perfect with our own College & Career Success Initiative™ (C&CSI). The initiative prepares first generation college students for higher education beyond high school.
KidWorks thanks the staff and leadership at Concordia for producing such an impactful conference. We also express our gratitude to Erika Sanchez, Project Director of Hispanic Serving Institutions at the university. She is a KidWorks alumnus and former team member.
One of the event panelists was David Benavides, KidWorks’ Chief Executive Officer. He spoke about his own journey and the important role education played in his life and career.
The event also featured a discussion that included four KidWorks parents as panelists. They shared their experiences as parents of college students/graduates. Attendees said their comments provided meaningful insight, encouragement and guidance.
Both our parents and students expressed how valuable they found the event to be.
Gloria Servin, parent: “It was helpful having a conference geared towards preparing 1st generation Latino students for college. The workshops left us thinking about our children’s future and well-being. Yasmin is my oldest daughter and I want her to attend college someday. These types of opportunities have really helped me believe that college is part of my children’s future. I thank everybody who made this conference possible.”
Liliana Flores: parent: “I’m very glad I had the opportunity to attend the conference because I learned about ways I can support my children as they get ready to go off to college or a university. These types of talks and opportunities make going to college more attainable and reachable for our children. Thank you very much for these types of events and opportunities.”
KidWorks 10th grader Santiago gave the event high marks: “Attending the Concordia conference helped me see that Latinos can change the world.”
We are confident that many successful higher education careers will be launched thanks to Concordia University’s Hispanic Leadership Conference. KidWorks congratulate them on such a successful and meaningful event.
By Glenn Leibowitz, volunteer writer
Jesse Torres may be one of KidWorks busiest high school seniors. In addition to honors classes, he plays varsity lacrosse, serves on his school’s color guard, and is active in KidWorks leadership.
“Jesse maintains the most positive attitude despite being extremely busy and at times exhausted. He’s always fully engaged.” says Clarisa Vargas, our College & Career Readiness Coordinator.
KidWorks has always been a part of Jesse’s world. In addition to music programs, Jesse has been involved in after-school programs and youth leadership teams where he has volunteered in the classroom, attended summer camp and advocated for the building of skate parks in Santa Ana.
“Many of my KidWorks’ experiences—such as playing the flute in front of a crowd during a concert and presenting to elected officials—helped me gain confidence in public speaking and being a leader,” Jesse says.
“I’ve seen Jesse grow into a very caring and confident young man; he is a natural-born leader,” says Maria Ruvalcaba, our Youth Leadership Development Coordinator.
She adds, “His faith and self-confidence have grown over the years. He’s always looking out for others and is not afraid to speak and voice his concerns. He embodies a humble leadership style that is very admirable for someone his age.”
Now that college is on the horizon, Maria, Clarisa, and other KidWorks staff have worked alongside Jesse to help him complete college applications, apply for scholarships, and prepare for college life.
Jesse plans to major in computer science and has already received several acceptances including Cal Poly and Vanguard University.
He credits KidWorks with giving him the confidence—and the motivation—to pursue higher education.
“In my elementary and middle school years, I thought college was out of reach because it would be too expensive and also that I didn’t have what it takes,” Jesse says.
All that changed when Jesse attended Campus Crash, visiting UCLA, USC, UC Irvine and others.
“KidWorks opened my eyes that if I tried hard enough, I’d have what it takes to attend college,” Jesse says.
“Math was one subject that was not my strong suit during my elementary school years,” Jesse recalls.
KidWorks’ tutors helped him gain confidence and proficiency in math, so much so that he’s been enrolled in honors math classes in the areas of algebra and pre-calculus since his sophomore year in high school.
Another big influence is Lance Lew, 26, an incoming medical student and future doctor, who is part of KidWorks’ mentor program. Like other KidWorks’ mentors, Lance meets with Jesse at least once a month. But they connect whenever Jesse needs advice.
“The world needs more people like Jesse, who are positive, passionate and kind to the core,” Lance says. “When I sit down with Jesse, I’m immediately in a brighter mood. His strong sense of self and ability to enliven others is inspiring.”
When you support students like Jesse you are making a significant impact on future generations who will be tomorrow’s respected leaders.
By Glenn Leibowitz, volunteer writer
KidWorks Lock-in is a KidWorks tradition that students hear about and look forward to from their earliest years at KidWorks. Students in grades 6-12 gather for a night of fun and no sleep.
Volunteers are needed to help with games, breakout groups and helping with set-up and tear-down.
E-mail vanessa@kidworksoc.org for more information.
When it comes to sharing her passion for music with KidWorks’ students, Sidra Villacorta never misses a beat. Literally.
That’s how Rachel Cervantes, program leader at our Dan Donahue Center, describes the way our September 2020 “Volunteer of the Month” brought the joy of Latin jazz music to our students during our online “Camp Hope” summer program.
“Although we had to do our programs over the Internet because of COVID-19, Sidra never missed a beat,” Rachel says. “She thought of new, innovative ways to bring the amazing qualities of summer camp to the virtual world, using music.”
Rachel describes Sidra’s dedication to our students as “unparalleled.”
Sidra is a high school senior at Orange County School of the Arts and founded the Latin Jazz Project: Ignite Your Rhythm in 2019.
“Sidra leads our students every step of the way on their journey to loving music and using it as a creative outlet,” Rachel says. “The leadership qualities she brings to her team as well as to our staff team are so impressive. She does all this with grace while juggling the responsibilities of a high school senior.”
In 2019, Sidra led a two-week Latin jazz music program during our summer camp, which that year was an in-person event. She’s also conducted music sessions as part of KidWorks University, which are volunteer-led workshops focused on art, science, dance, creative writing, and more.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic meant KidWorks’ 2020 summer camp had to take place completely on-line, Sidra pivoted and moved the two-week music program to a virtual setting, where 30 students participated.
“The purpose and goal of the Latin Jazz Project is to introduce Latin jazz percussion instruments and rhythms to students so that they can express themselves, find their own voices, and come together for the good of the community,” Sidra says. “I also hope that they become more confident in themselves and learn to never be afraid to try new things.”
For the 2020 music program, Sidra planned the curriculum and lessons to adapt to an online setting and worked with Orange County School of the Arts to develop the rhythm kits that enabled the students to have access to their own instruments at home. Sidra also led the online music lessons along with two other peer volunteers.
Conducting an online music program was not without real challenges. Many of our students have limited to no online access. And even when they do have Internet services, many struggle with old laptops and computers, and must share these limited resources with siblings who are also participating in their schools’ online learning programs while at home.
“The most rewarding part of the summer camp this year was seeing how far the students came since the beginning of the program,” Sidra says. “Even though it was virtual, the students were still able to grasp the instruments with confidence. It was so rewarding to see them grow over the two weeks of camp. This was a meaningful opportunity to offer the kids an outlet to express themselves despite the quarantine. It’s hard to be cooped up in your house or apartment all the time, so providing them the chance to play music, draw pictures, dance and just have fun was one of the best impacts of the camp.”
Sidra says she is filled with joy seeing how much our students enjoyed the Latin jazz music program.
“One young student was struggling a bit with some aspects of the lessons, but by the end of camp she was able to play the shaker perfectly on beat,” Sidra says. “She kept asking for solos because she loved playing the shaker. Other kids were extremely shy at the beginning of the workshop and didn’t even want to turn on their camera or play music by themselves. By the end, they were playing the instruments with ease and weren’t afraid to show videos of their performances.”
Adds Sidra, “I believe that The Latin Jazz Project is such a good fit with KidWorks because my program is geared towards underprivileged youth in the community, and KidWorks directly serves the underserved.
Additionally, KidWorks focuses on providing art and music education to their students; my project focuses heavily on music and art. The demographic of most KidWorks students is Latinx, and my camp teaches Latin music to these kids, which helps them connect with their culture.”
Rachel says that Sidra’s style and approach is one our students really respond to enthusiastically.
“Sidra is consistent in all aspects of the music program she leads,” Rachel says. “That dependability means everything to our students. She remembers their names and always takes time to ask them how they were doing. She and her father, Brian, generously purchased imprinted shirts out of their own funds so that the kids would have a picture opportunity and proudly sport them even after summer was over. Talk about thinking ahead and creating an inviting and united group!”
Vanessa Sedano, KidWorks’ Volunteer Coordinator, says Sidra is “a young, bright individual who is passionate for the work she does alongside her team.” Adds Vanessa, “She has been a great partner and such a sweet individual to work alongside with.”
When she’s not pursuing her studies and leading Latin Jazz Project: Ignite Your Rhythm, Sidra enjoys her two favorite hobbies, songwriting and playing music. She also loves bike riding, baking banana bread and spending play time with her dog, Rocco, an Australian Shepherd, who she says is “the sweetest dog you’ll ever meet.”
Sidra plans to major in biology in college, then attend medical school and become a doctor.
Studies by Harvard Medical School and other research groups show that music heals. How appropriate that our September “Volunteer of the Month” uses music in that way, and also plans a career caring for others as a physician.
