FOCRLS is thrilled to introduce our three new part-time staff members: Janis Navikas (Administrative Coordinator), Sara Reese Monestime (Alumni & Community Mentoring Coordinator), and Daniel Noel (It Takes A Village College Counselor).
These three hires represent a major step in our organization’s development, allowing us to both further grow our programs, and to build the base for long-term organizational sustainability. We are grateful for the community support that has made this possible.
Given the commitment of Friends of CRLS to deepening the connections between alumni and the current students of CRLS, we are particularly delighted that two of our new staff members (Janis and Sara) are CRLS alums.
Please read on to hear about these new FOCRLS faces, and what they will be bringing to our community, now and in the months to come.
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Administrative Coordinator: Janis Navikas
The Administrative Coordinator, a half-time position, will provide critical administrative support for CRLS fundraising and programs. FOCRLS has grown by leaps and bounds in the past 7 years – we currently have 7 major programs and a new scholarships initiative, and our mailing list has grown to some 17,000 parents, alumni, and community members. This position will allow us to sustain and build that momentum further.
Janis Navikas is a graduate of CRLS, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from UMass Boston. She served for a decade as Administrative assistant at the Cambridge-Ellis School, where she served as a primary point of contact for the school for parents, and provided administrative support for school operations, as well as for special events and fundraising. In addition to working at CRLS, Janis is currently part-time Administrative Assistant at YMCA Training, Inc. in Boston. She will be working out of the FOCRLS office at CRLS – if you’re in the building, please stop by and say hi!
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Alumni & Community Mentoring Coordinator: Sara Reese Monestime
The Alumni & Community Mentoring Coordinator will help to design and implement the It Takes a Village (ITAV) College Success Program’s new mentoring program; this is a 10 hour/week position through the school year. The program will connect CRLS alumni and other community members with recently-graduated CRLS students attending UMass Boston or local community colleges.
Sara Reese Monestime, the new Friends of CRLS Alumni and Community Mentoring Coordinator, was raised in Cambridge and graduated from CRLS in 1995. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Emerson College, a Master’s in Education from Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus, and a Certificate in Fundraising from New York University. She is a licensed Guidance Counselor, and has worked as a counselor at The Young Women’s Leadership School and developed a Health and Wellness program for Step Up Women’s Network. Currently, Sara also teaches Health Education at Cambridge Street Upper School.
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College Counselor: Daniel Noel
As part of the FOCRLS It Takes a Village (ITAV) College Success program, the College Counselor will be providing critical support for CRLS alumni at UMass Boston. This 10-hour/week position, running through the school year, was jointly funded by Friends of CRLS and a grant from the City of Cambridge’s Department of Human Services.
Daniel Noel, a Cambridge native, is a second year graduate student at UMass Boston. He is pursuing his master’s degree in Education at their School of Counseling and is currently working as an intern at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Daniel worked at the Eliot Boys Detention Center, first as a Patient Access Representative, and then as an At- Risk Youth Advocate. Currently, Daniel is also a Therapeutic Mentor with the Justice Resource Institute in Boston.
Please join us in welcoming Janis, Sara, and Daniel!