Giving Tuesday First Responder Profiles
Justin Chiu, SEED Miami
2021 SEED Core Values award winner Justin Chiu’s superpower is the way that he helps everyone around him excel in their position. Justin is constantly looking for ways to grow professionally, bringing training and support tools that help him and his colleagues work more collaboratively and effectively. His commitment to growth for himself and SEED Miami have had far-reaching impact on the school community.
In his current role as executive associate to the head of school and data manager, he has facilitated Community of Practice sessions where SEED Miami staff work together to build an environment of communication, common implementation of school culture and curriculum, and continuous learning. He implemented the Kickboard system, a tool that helps the team use school culture data to inform decisions, involve parents with continuous updates on their child’s progress, incentivize positive behavior, and advise how SEED Miami focuses its efforts. To read more about Justin, click here.
Ashley Bargeron, The SEED Foundation
Ashley Bargeron, college success manager at The SEED Foundation, is driven by her belief that college is for everyone. She guides students and families from the beginning of their college application process all the way through their college graduation. She leads financial aid sessions, helps with college essays, and supports students with identifying right-fit colleges. Ashley also leads college matching trainings, and onboards and coaches new college success advisors and college counselors, so that each SEED student and graduate has the same exceptional support through their experience.
As an advisor, Ashley practices continuous support to help her students achieve their college goals. Constant communication with graduates means that together, Ashley and her advisees can come up with solutions when issues arise and address them before they become serious challenges that could hinder their progress towards their college degrees. To read more about Ashley, click here.
Rosalyn “Señorita”Lake, SEED DC
If you’re looking for Rosalyn Damiana Lake Montero—or Señorita Lake as she’s best known—on the campus of SEED DC, just look…everywhere. Señorita Lake not only teaches Spanish, but also coaches cross-country and track and leads various Spark activities. (Sparks are a component of SEED’s Student Life curriculum.)
It’s no surprise that Señorita Lake fit right in with the culture of SEED DC. Her teaching philosophy is aligned with SEED’s model of wraparound support. For her, it all starts with the emotional well-being of her students. At the beginning of her classes, she checks in with her students to see how they’re feeling and what kind of day they’re having. Her commitment to the whole child is apparent to everyone. “Ms. Lake is fondly known throughout the campus for exhibiting compassion and gratitude towards students and staff. Her perseverance for engaging students to address their social and emotional needs first in order to support academic success, has transcended throughout both academic and student life programs,” says Principal Durham at SEED DC. To read more about Rosalyn, click here.
Vincent Carter-Bey, SEED MD
Vincent Carter-Bey is in his twelfth year at SEED and currently serves as the director of student support at The SEED School of Maryland (SEED MD). In this role, Mr. Carter-Bey oversees the department that supports students’ social and emotional health needs, helps students learn self-mastery through behavior management, and encourages students to explore their academic and personal goals through off-campus activities such as internships and study aboard opportunities.
When our country began to grapple with the pandemic, Mr. Carter-Bey’s role shifted. He, and the entire SEED team, faced an unprecedented challenge: How does SEED keep students who have historically faced unequal educational access engaged, learning, and safe without in-person instruction, in-person after-school activities, or a key component of our programming—boarding.
“We had to take a deep dive into our programming and find creative ways to make sure all 403 of our students still felt connected and supported. Knowing when a student needs help before they slip is key—and together, we provided the structure and guidance they needed.” says Mr. Carter-Bey.