Special Programs Coordinator, Support & Compliance
How did you maintain organization in previous roles?
Folders, folders, folders! At the PUENTE Learning Center, I was responsible for developing and executing a series of program evaluations. The program evaluations were complex and often consisted of various data types, collection methods, disaggregations, analyses, and visualizations. Needless to say, I was keeping track of an extensive amount of data. Therefore, I created multiple directory structures to ensure that these evaluations were easily digestible for program leaders. As a result, program leaders were able to access findings and adjust their programming as appropriate.
Describe a situation that illustrates how well you manage multiple project deadlines.
As the Research and Evaluation Associate, my primary role was to create evaluation methods for the key programs throughout PUENTE’s portfolio. Towards the conclusion of my service year, the Vice President of Programs asked me to handle correspondence with the LA Food Bank, a new partnership to facilitate food distributions three times a month. Although I was preoccupied with facilitating key focus groups, I utilized my Outlook calendar to track deadlines, biweekly meetings with program leads to troubleshoot issues, and frequent email follow-ups to ensure smooth operations. The food distributions and focus groups were successful, guaranteeing greater access to the LA Food Bank’s pantry and filling programmatic gaps.
Describe a situation where you facilitated a smooth onboarding process
At the PUENTE Learning Center, near the conclusion of my service year, a new AmeriCorps member unfamiliar with office work was onboarded. On her first day, I introduced her to the many program leaders of the PUENTE Learning Center, the folders where she would store her work, and the documents where she tracked her work hours. Furthermore, I sent her documents and engaged in conversations with her so she could begin focusing on key organizational gaps through partnerships.
Difficult situation with coworker
During my time as a Site Monitor for the City of Bridgeport’s Summer Lighthouse Program, I supervised various sites within a particular area. I received numerous complaints from program managers about the youth counselors’s engagement. Consequently, I pulled youth counselors aside to remind them of the program’s standards, emphasize how their actions impact the students, and highlight how their disengagement reflects poorly on them. I ensured that the youth counselors maintained engagement through a conversation rooted in organizational policies,
tell me about yourself
I am an aspiring program manager with five years of experience in various educational roles surrounding participant experiences. As a Team Leader for City Year, the interpersonal connections I created with underserved students, fellow team members, and staff struggling with resource limitations emphasized a need for data-driven programmatic initiatives. My experience inspired me to join the PUENTE Learning Center as a Research and Evaluation Associate, where I documented participant progress, program gaps, and community assets for hundreds across multiple programs. I hope to join LA-Tech as a Special Programs Coordinator, designing cutting-edge organizational systems to track, facilitate, and document participant growth, ensuring success in their internships or job placements.
What are your strengths?
My three biggest strengths are adaptability, developing interpersonal connections, and organization. As the Team Leader for City Year, I demonstrated all three. While hosting an extended learning program, my team and I noticed that our engagement decreased from our attendance sheets. We collaborated and cultivated strategies for outreach during lunchtime, class, and in passing. Our concerted efforts helped us reach attendance goals on par with parallel City Year sites.
What are your weaknesses?
Although the nature of my work over the last five years has been collaborative, I have struggled to meaningfully delegate work because I do not want to put more on another person’s plate. At City Year, all team members are expected to lead after-school programming at some point throughout the week, not just Team Leaders. I tended to lead all aspects of after-school programming so that my team members could focus on their caseload for tutoring. However, following conversations with fellow Team Leaders and Program Managers, I found a happy medium where I delegated my team members to roles that assisted in the facilitation of the after-school program without having them take responsibility for the entire program
Why do you want this job? What motivates you?
LA-Tech’s mission and vision statements boldly oppose recent efforts to limit underrepresented communities, aiming instead to create an ecosystem of elevating the LA youth through opportunities in one of the most competitive industries. As a senior at Hamilton College, my thesis centered on the impact of stereotype threat on working memory capacity for underrepresented students. My research taught me that the mere feeling of not belonging within a space, including the STEM field, limits the potential of underrepresented students. The lessons learned have motivated me to participate in educational programs and have informed my focus on interpersonal relationships and meeting participants where they are. As the Special Programs Coordinator for LA-Tech, I will continue focusing on participants’ experiences to ensure that program milestones, participant goals, and stakeholder needs are all met.
Why should we hire you?
I am passionate about LA-Tech’s mission and vision statements because the organization boldly opposes recent efforts to limit underrepresented communities, aiming instead to create an ecosystem of elevating the LA youth through opportunities in one of the most competitive industries. Furthermore, my cutting-edge organizational system, utilizing directories, Microsoft 365, and Canva, will ensure data accuracy, personalized onboarding sessions, and candidate monitoring to cover gaps in service. As the Research and Evaluation Associate for the PUENTE Learning Center, I organized participant information spanning nearly 10 programs for program leaders. When program leaders needed information in a more digestible format for onboarding staff, I created Canva slide decks including an introduction, methods, analysis, and evaluation section. My work streamlined the evaluation of PUENTE’s programs, meeting participant needs, utilizing community assets, and informing programmatic changes.