Zareen Kasad joined the BGCP family when she started volunteering as a tutor at the Mervin G. Morris clubhouse in December, 2005. Passionate about helping youth develop the skills they need to succeed in school, she is now the Director of the CNG After School Program at Hoover School. While working closely with the school, she also collaborates with other organizations in various community youth development projects such as Youth in the Middle and Redwood City 2020. In addition to her work at the club, Zareen volunteers at Youth and Family Enrichment Services (YFES) as a Crisis Counselor, offering support in suicide prevention, drug & alcohol crisis and prevention, and parent & child relations. She also serves as a mentor for teenage girls in San Mateo County's Juvenile Court Girls Program.

After growing up in the Bay Area, Zareen moved to Vermont and received her B.A. in Neuroscience and a minor in Spanish from Middlebury College. She also spent five months in Segovia, Spain, to further her study of the Spanish language and culture at the Universidad S.E.K. With the hopes of pursuing a graduate degree in Counseling Psychology, Zareen remains very passionate about teaching today 's youth how to lead healthy lives and make the right decisions, especially when it comes to choices they make in school. Every single day she comes to work, her goal remains the same: to encourage each scholar to aim higher and to help them realize what they can do for themselves and the community.

Gabriel Lomeli, grew up in Stockton, California and graduated from San Jose State University in 2008 with a Major in Social Science and a Minor in Psychology. He now works at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula as a CNG youth mentor at Hoover Elementary School. As he facilitates most of the academic enrichment activities for the 8 th graders in the program, Gabriel teaches his students the importance of maintaining good study habits, developing the right attitude towards school, and respecting themselves and others. His passion for youth development has grown exponentially as he has continued to help more young people cope with the daily challenges they face in school, at home, and in their community. His interests in film, editing, and music has also allowed him and other mentors to jumpstart a multi faceted media program that teaches youth how to make and edit their own films, documentaries, and soundtracks.

After receiving professional training from the Adobe Youth Voices program, Gabriel has successfully assisted kids in the filming and editing of several clubhouse events and youth development stories. Gabriel chose to work with the Boys & Girls Club after college because he truly believes in the importance and value of making a positive influence in the lives of young people. He loves working with kids and continues to be a great role model for the many youth who look up to him.

“Life, Love, & Music” has always been Monique Martinez's personal quote and what she lives for. Monique was born in Stockton, California, but moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with her family when she was 6 years old. She grew up in a musically talented family, where she was able to learn the art of being a singer. At just 8 years of age, Monique began attending singing lessons at Studio Z in Redwood City. Soon after, she started competing in many state competitions and festivals surrounding the Bay Area. As she continued to perform throughout High School, she slowly began to find herself through self-expression.

Monique graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School, already knowing the many sides of the Music Industry. As music continues to be her passion, she finds helping kids to be equally rewarding as it is to perform in front of thousands of people. She joined the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula to help youth follow their dreams and guide them through school to receive a good education. She has helped kids by supporting their passions and helping them build greater confidence and self esteem. By setting a good example for youth, Monique slowly helps the community encourage more kids to stay motivated in school. She wants to make a difference by showing the youth and young scholars that if they too believe in their passion, they can make it far.

Elizabeth Calderon (Liz) is currently a junior at San Jose State University and plans to graduate with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Mexican American Studies. Wanting to give back to her community and be a positive role model for the youth in Redwood City, Liz decided to work at the Center for a New Generation after school program at Hoover School.

She loves helping children understand the importance of education, and definitely encourages the all the students in the program to make the most of the many educational opportunities they are given. In addition to providing academic enrichment for the 7 th graders, Liz leads several discussions and activities that are meant to prepare our CNG 8 th graders for high school and help them understand the differences between public and private schools. The children as well as the community are very important to her, because she feels as though she can help change the future of both.

She lives by a quote from Aristotle, which states, “We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act but a habit.” Besides going to school and working, Liz loves to do outdoor activities such as walking, camping, and water rafting.

Amis Maldonado was born in San Francisco, where she attended preschool, and moved to East Palo Alto with her single mom when she was four. Growing up, she saw the disparity between East Palo Alto, a predominantly Mexican and African-American community, and Palo Alto, predominantly white. Her mom drove into Palo Alto to work everyday, and on occasion, she'd go with her to work during the summer. She always wondered why it was that two neighboring cities, only a skip and a jump away, could be so different.

After school, her eighth grade teacher would talk to her about the Unites States history left out of textbooks, that of the minority groups who've labored and built this country, carried it on their backs, and continue to be marginalized. This opened her eyes, making her see her country in a different way, but also created feelings of anger and frustration.

In High school, feeling cheated, she let her grades fall, rarely attending. Thankfully, two teachers always reached out to her, pushing her to do better and reach her potential. Her senior year she placed herself in Redwood Alternative School, received her GED, and went on to community college. In community college, she continued to struggle. In 2006, she attended the Latina Leadership Network, where she was elected as Student Vice President of the North. There, she met two Chicano women, who were some of the first Latina's to attend Berkeley. They took her under their wings, pushing her to transfer to a UC. She plans to transfer next fall, majoring in Sociology.

Amis knows the importance of a good education, and understands the frustration and lack of drive minority youth experience, being left to fall through the cracks. She chose sociology as her major to understand why and how our society has become this way.

On occasion, she mentors young ladies in Juvenile Hall. She loves to travel, spend time with her friends and family, scour thrift stores, and collects vintage cruiser bikes.

Ivan Martinez has been a member of the Boys & Girls club since sophomore year in High School. He became extremely close to the club because he had a strong interest for music and made good use of the music studio that was provided. As a Keystone member, he served as part of the regional and national steering committee for the planning of conferences that emphasized leadership, commitment, and responsibilities within communities.

Currently, he is enrolled is San Jose State and still continues his passion for music by producing/engineering for the biggest independent record labels in the Bay Area. As a mentor in CNG now, he encourages youth to pursue their dreams and leads by example.

Dennis Alaba was born and raised in San Francisco. He attended Archbishop Riordan High School, where he played basketball, baseball, and football for all four years. He continued his education at San Jose State University, pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology with a Minor in Business. Dennis' passion for sports has led him to inspire young kids to be active throughout their daily lives. He decided to work for the Center for a New Generation after school program at Hoover School so that he could continue inspiring kids and teach them how to stay healthy. In addition to facilitating academic enrichment activities for our 5 th graders, Dennis leads all of the program's exercises and sports classes. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family and traveling around the world.