Promise Ambassadors
2023 Promise Ambassadors
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5 Sikh Seva Category: Inspiring Collective Effort Hayward Promise Neighborhoods is recognizing the entire 5 Sikh Seva non-profit community for their inspiring contributions in just a short time. 5 Sikh Seva has been working tirelessly this year to bring much needed warm, healthy foods to neighborhoods with the highest levels of food insecurity in the city. Their food truck is a beacon of hope and joy, serving hundreds of meals twice per week along with our HPN partners. Beyond their meal delivery, they also support countless HPN activities and offer a helping hand whenever it is needed. |
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Alex (Paco) Durante Category: Advancing Equity for All Paco has been an exceptionally dedicated English teacher at Tennyson High for many years. His care and commitment for his students are visible to those who know him and/or see him work - making himself available to support his students' academic, emotional/mental, and social needs well beyond what is typically expected of a teacher. Beyond school hours, he gives his time and energy as a volunteer coach for the World House Soccer Without Borders Program at Tennyson, providing the student-players with opportunities to play together, build community, practice their English, and grow in their sportsmanship and soccer skills. |
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Amelia (Mia) Sete Category: Commitment to Community Mia is Hayward Made, but more than that she leads with her heart. She deeply understands the challenges our students and families experience being one of those students and has used that lens to support Pacific Islander students in middle, high and college. She gives deeply of her time and energy and holds a beautiful and affirming vision and hope for our Hayward Unified and Pacific Islander students. Mia exemplifies the promise of HPN, having attended Hayward High School, Chabot College, and Cal State East Bay where she is now earning her master’s in School Counseling and interning at Hayward High. |
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Ana Ballinas Category: Commitment to Community Ana has been part of the Hayward Promise Neighborhood community since the Jackson Triangle Initiative, participating in countless HPN programs and events. Ana is now a Promotora at Eden Youth and Family Center where she led community engagement efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Hayward, elevating the needs of the community. Ana continues to advocate for the Hayward community and HPN, recently serving as a speaker to launch and advocate for the “It Takes a Village” legislation to create funding opportunities to expand Promise Neighborhood initiatives across the state. |
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Andrés Urrea Category: Commitment to Community Andrés is a Cal State East Bay student who grew up in Hayward and has served Hayward Promise Neighborhoods via Chabot College and as a Promise Intern. He has served inside and outside of the classroom, promoting a college-going culture and the importance of STEAM while pursuing a degree in Computer Science at CSUEB. More recently he has transitioned to supporting our community outreach and engagement efforts and volunteers when he is most needed. Andrés consistently volunteers in programs such as our food distribution, always going above and beyond in the way he cares and connects with residents and colleagues. |
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Arelis Sandoval Category: Commitment to Community Arelis has been an exceptional nurse and leader at Alameda County Public Health Department and for Hayward Promise Neighborhood, serving as the first Spanish-speaking nurse in our programs. She has been with HPN since its inception and continues to stay committed to providing services and impacting the community's health and well-being. Her personal story, as someone who was raised in the Jackson Triangle, attended Stanford University, and recently earned her doctoral degree at the University of San Francisco and continues to serve her community, is one that we envision for all of our HPN children. |
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Dayrll Lewis Darryl is an employee at Cal State East Bay. When HPN needed to change its food distribution model, Darryl stepped up without hesitation. Darryl has committed time and resources to ensure that HPN’s Fresh Foods for Families has the supplies and equipment necessary to run their monthly distribution in South Hayward, which allows us to feed over 100 households every month. Darryl also goes above and beyond his daily work, coordinating supplies donated to HPN to ensure that they get into the hands of our community. |
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Diana Medina Category: Advancing Equity for All Mrs. Medina is a counselor and a part of the World House Team at Tennyson High School, where she coordinates efforts to provide the best services for newcomer students and their families. She guides students through their transition to the new community with great care and respect, all while working closely with the World House Team and Hayward Promise Neighborhoods to ensure the highest quality of support for her students and their families. Witnessing Mrs. Medina counsel students in times of crisis is truly inspiring. She tirelessly advocates for immigrant students, both among the students themselves and throughout the staff, school, and district. |
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Dorothy Dominique Category: Commitment to Community Dorothy is an artist, entrepreneur, and community leader who has advocated for quality education. Dorothy was a participant of the Community Leadership Initiative (CLI) and went on to start her own organization to promote the arts, self-expression, and creative opportunities for young people as a platform for promoting self and community healing. Dorothy is a resident of the Downtown Hayward community and we are excited to see what she does next. |
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Eduardo (Eddie) Cortez Barragan Category: Commitment to Community Eddie is a Cal State East Bay student who grew up in Hayward and has served Hayward Promise Neighborhoods via Chabot College and as a Promise Intern. Eddie worked closely with our Chabot TRIO/ETS partners to promote a college-going culture and support students' academic goals. Eddie has seen many Hayward classes of students graduate and still comes back to support them achievements at the end of year celebrations. Eddie graduated from Cal State East Bay and now leads college and career initiatives across the Bay Area. |
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Elena Lepe Category: Inspiring Collective Effort Elena is a community warrior and has been a participant and leader of various Hayward Promise Neighborhoods programs including the Community Leadership Initiative. She works with newcomers and families of all ethnicities to enhance their quality of life when they can’t access their basic needs. No issue too big or too small for Elena to handle with care and urgency, while inviting community members to work together to solve. Elena energy and love for her community is palpable and inspires others to act. |
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Fanny Camacho Category: Commitment to Community Fanny is a Hayward graduate who served as a Promise Intern at a Cal State East Bay Student during the South Hayward Promise Neighborhood initiative. In her time with HPN, Fanny supported pre-school, elementary, and high students with their academic and college and career goals and was one of the interns you can always count on to support with community outreach and engagement. Fanny graduated from Cal State East Bay and is now a Glassbrook Elementary School teacher in Hayward, becoming a role model for the next generation of Hayward made leaders. |
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Guadalupe Jiménez Longoria Category: Commitment to Community Lupita has served Hayward Promise Neighborhoods since the Jackson Triangle initiative as a Promotora de Salud with Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center. She has participated and supported almost every program that HPN has to offer including being a volunteer for Fresh Food for Families, and a Community Leadership Initaitive (CLI) participant. She has been instrumental in helping hundreds of families connect to services throughout Hayward. Guadalupe has also supported the development of new Promotoras in training and inspires others to lead. |
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Iris Camacho Category: Advancing Equity for All 4Cs of Alameda County recognizes Iris Camacho who has participated in Parent Promise Academy and Toddler Play and Learn, HPN sponsored programs. Iris brings a positive energy to any community she joins. She is a community builder by engaging families and strengthening connections with other multilingual and multicultural families, building relationships with parents and children to create safe spaces for all. |
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Jema Reyes Category: Comitment to Community Jema is a recent Tennyson High School and World House graduate. Jema was a dedicated student and role model for others in her school, maintaining a high GPA in rigorous courses in high school and earning admission to UC Berkeley this fall. Jema continues to inspire students and her community with her tenacity and perseverance and we are excited to see what Jema does next. |
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Jesus A. Manjarrez Category: Commitment to Community Jesus has been a longstanding volunteer and resident of the Jackson Triangle neighborhood. He is always available to support HPN’s commumity programs and consistently support’s CSUEB’s Fresh Foods for Families food distribution ready to pitch in. He engages our Spanish speaking residents and builds community with all around him. |
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José Montesinos Category: Commitment to Community José has been leading and supporting major community events in Hayward that bring joy and connection. He partners closely with Hayward Promise Neighborhoods and consistently supports programming and events. He helps all those around him dream big about ways to celebrate our community and puts in the work to make it happen. It is always a pleasure to work and collaborate with him and the Eden Youth and Family community. |
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Julieta Martinez Category: Commitment to Community We are nominating Julieta Martinez. Julieta has exemplified the Hayward Promise Neighborhood journey since the Jackson Triangle Initiative, participating in Parent Promise Academy at 4Cs Alameda County, Promotoras de Salud training at Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, Community Leadership Initiative at Cal State East Bay, and many more programs. She has joined many advocacy events and helped numerous programs including the HPN diaper delivery project during COVID-19. Julieta is now a Family Engagement Specialist for Tennyson High School and continues to build the vision of supporting an engaged community and family ecosystem across Hayward. |
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Kelli Cosby Category: Commitment to Community Kelli is a graduate of Tennyson High School and went on to serve as a Hayward Promise Neighborhood Promise Intern as a student at Cal State East Bay. Kelli served in many capacities, but her longest placement was at Tennyson as a College & Career Center intern and mentor where she supported students in accessing college and career resources. Kelli always moved with urgency and care to support Tennyson students, often creating new programs a tutoring center when she saw a need for one on campus. Kelli graduated from Cal State East Bay and now leads college and career initiatives across the Bay Area, while continuing to give back to Hayward and HPN. |
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Nancy Respaldiza Category: Commitment to Community Nancy has been involved with Hayward Promise Neighborhood since the Jackson Triangle initiative, first as a parent and then as a dedicated community member. Since then, she has served as a Promotora de Salud through Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, playing a vital role in connecting hundreds of Hayward Promise Neighborhoods residents with essential local resources. Throughout the pandemic, she tirelessly delivered resources to people's homes and remains a steadfast supporter of our Fresh Food for Families and Warm Food for Families programs. Nancy can always be counted on to show up and provide support to our families and community partners. |
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Sandi Rose Category: Advancing Equity for All Ms. Rose has provided HUSD students participating in the Eden Area ROP Hayward Center programs with the ability to focus on their general education studies while maintaining their enrollment in our demanding CTE Pathways. She builds deep and effective relationships with students. She provides wrap-around support for students from underserved and underrepresented student communities. As an integral part of the EAROP community, Ms. Rose is dedicated to our core values and the mission of HPN since the Jackson Triangle initiative. |
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Sandra Espinoza Category: Creating Equity for All Sandra Espinoza's lifelong residency in Hayward and her extensive career in social work exemplify her unwavering commitment to the community. From her early days as a Promotora de salud under the guidance of Lupe Nunez to her role as a Case Manager at Family Support Services, Sandra has consistently demonstrated her dedication to the well-being of Hayward's residents, especially children and families in need. Her return to the Community Outreach and Advocacy department as a Community Impact Coordinator showcases her commitment to leveraging her experience and knowledge to make a positive impact on the lives of countless families.. |
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Sara Prada Category: Advancing Equity for All Sara Prada is a resident of the new Downtown Neighborhood who has demonstrated a heartfelt commitment to serving scholars and community members. She advocates for all children and families in our educational system and consistently shows up for community and school events across the city. As a participant of the Community Leadership Initiative (CLI) she and her team worked to advance community relationships to advance common needs. We thank Sara for putting families and children first. |
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Serenna Tran Category: Commitment to Community Serenna is Hayward Made! She is passionate about helping first generation students navigate the path to college and then once in college, making sure they are successful. She was one of the critical members of our team who increased Chabot enrollment by 42% last year! Serenna exemplifies the promise of HPN, having attended Mount Eden High School, Chabot College, and Cal State East Bay where she is now earning her master’s in School Counseling. |
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Shannan Carpenter Category: Advancing Equity for All Ms.Carpenter is a Community Schools Specialist at Hayward High School. Mrs. Carpenter has continuously supported Hayward Promise Neighborhoods for the last two years by supporting the Student Success Coach program with student referrals, follow-ups, and coordination of services beyond the school community. She is positive in her approach by centering student voice that exemplifies the vision of HPN. Additionally, Ms. Carpenter’s work extends beyond her role, helping elevate the needs of Black student scholars and connecting them to aspirational visions of college and career. |
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Spozhmey Munir Category: Commitment to Community Spozhmey is currently a Cal State East Bay student and has served Hayward Promise Neighborhoods as a College Corps student and a Promise Intern. Through her service she has worked with newcomer and Afghan refugee students with their academic, graduation, and college and career goals. She advocated for a safe space for the young Afghan women from Tennyson High School she supported to learn about college, creating the Saturday Afghan Mentorship Program last spring. She is at THS but also supports students at Chabot College so she can ensure they persist through Chabot. |
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Tami Rossell Category: Commitment to Community Tami Rossell is an inspiring force in the community and has been a participant, volunteer, and leader in various Hayward Promise Neighborhoods initiatives. She has created multiple programs and opportunities for our city's most underserved students and families, while also fostering nurturing environments for Black scholars to thrive. During the pandemic, Tami worked with the community, including Hayward Promise Neighborhoods partners, to support homeless families with resources and tools to navigate their situation. Tami is someone on whom we can all rely for guidance and support when we need it most. |