Teachers

 

Brandon Clay

3rd year teacher
School: Humboldt State University 2002
Degree: BA in English/ Language Arts Education; Professional Clear Teaching credential
Current Job: LAUSD 11th Grade English Teacher (Carson High School); 8th Grade English Teacher (Samuel Gompers MS)
Sports: High School Varsity Football, College intramural Basketball
Hobbies: I enjoy reading, listening to music, and being around football
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program: My favorite aspect of the program is seeing the growth in the young men that we service.  I also enjoy the friendly and teamwork oriented work environment that is provided.
 

Mistie Barela

1st year teacher
School: California State University, Northridge and UCLA (CSUN 1998, UCLA 2002, CSUN 2007)
Degree: B.A. in Liberal Studies and Chicano Studies, M.A. in Administration Education
Current Position: Assistant Principal, John Adams Middle School
Sports Played: Softball
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program: Working with the Youth Impact Program allows me to give back to the community.  I'm excited because I'm doing what I love, teaching and watching football.  I look forward to seeing the growth these boys will make by the end of the summer.

 

 

Oliver Rivas

1st year teacher
School: California State University, Northridge  class of 2000
Degree: B.A English
Current Position: English Teacher, South Gate High School
Sports Played: Football, basketball, baseball
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program: I love football, and I love teaching kids how to properly play contact football so that they have fun and avoid injuries

 

 

James McVay

2nd year teacher
School: Youngstown State University (Ohio)/Friends University(Kansas)
Class: 2000
Degrees held or expected: Secondary Education Social Science
Current job: North Hollywood High School
Sports played: Football, Basketball
Hobbies: biking, hiking, fishing, working with youth group at my church
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program: My favorite part of working with the Youth Impact Program is participating in and witnessing the transformation that these young men will go through in such a short time during on of the most critical stages of their lives.

 

 

Joe Kearney

2nd year teacher
Education: New Mexico Highlands University,
Degree: M.S. in Physical Education, July 2008, National University, M.S. in Special Education, January 2007, Oregon State University, B.S. in Physical Education
Current Job: Santee Education Complex; Physical Education Teacher, Assistant Athletic Director, Physical Education Co-Department Chair
Sports Played: College – Football/ High School - Football, Track and Field, and Golf.
Hobbies: Bowling, Golf,
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program: The kids!  I enjoy seeing the kids grow within a month.  The program gives them another aspect of life that they probably would not experience if the program did not exist.

 

 

Jorge Rodriguez

1st year teacher
School:  Cal State L.A.
Class:  2003
Degree:  BS in Biology
Current Job:  USC MAST HS (First Assignment, Completed 5th year of teaching)
Sports Played:  Basketball, Cross Country
Hobbies:
Thoughts on Youth Impact Program:  This is my first year working in the Youth Impact Program.  From what I heard at the Orientation, this program has a positive impact on may participants (students). I am looking forward to hopefully have the same type of experience with the participants.  Growing up in South L.A. (Florence Area), I understand the negative influences that many of our young men face in their neighborhoods.  I hope that I can be a positive influence, not just for 4 weeks, but throughout their school years.

 

 

 

 

Mentors

 

Reginald S. Brass II

1st year mentor
School: Los Angeles Southwest College
Class: Sophomore
Sports Played: Football & Track
Hobbies: Riding bikes, filming, and editing
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program: I am looking forward to working with the Youth Impact Program because it is something new and looks fun to be apart of.

 

 

David P. Anderson

3rd year mentor
School: University of Southern California
Class: Class of 2008
Degrees held or expected: B.A Communication
Sports played: Basketball, Volleyball, Track and Field
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program: Interacting with the kids and watch them as they grown into themselves as INDIVIDUALS, students and athletes.

 

 

Marcus Brown

2nd year mentor
School: Morehouse College
Class: Graduated July 2007
Degree: B.A. in Finance
Sports played: Football, intramural basketball
Hobbies: Basketball, baseball, football, watching sports, reading, working out
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program: My favorite thing about the Impact program was the interaction with the kids in the classroom as well as on the field.   I like to see kids excited about becoming a student-athlete because I feel I can give guidance on what to expect and be a mentor to them to help them in their high school as well as college careers.

 

 

Andy Gonzalez

3rd year mentor
School: UCSB  (Go Gauchos!!)
Class: Graduated 2008
Degrees held or expected: BA in History
Current job: (teachers only)
Sports played: Football in High School, IM Ultimate Frisbee in College
Hobbies: I play the Baritone Sax
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program:  I like watching how excited the kids get when they put on the pads and get to play ball.

 

 

Art Gonzalez

3rd year mentor
School: Cal State Northridge
Class of: 2009
Expected degree: BA Geography
Sports Played: Football in High School, IM Flag Football in College
Hobby: Basketball
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program: Interacting with the kids in the classroom and on the field.

 

 

Cody MacLake

1st year mentor
School: USC
Class: 2010
Degrees expected: B.S. Business Administration, B.A. French
Sports played: I've played soccer since I was 4. I continue to play, but I'm not currently on a team.
Hobbies: I like to build and ride bicycles.
I'm looking forward to a whole month of football, field trips, and making new friends.

 

Randi Willhite

1st year mentor
School: Loyola Marymount University
Class: 2010
Major: Psychology and African American Studies
Sports played: Intramural Basketball
Hobbies: Playing sports, Traveling, Cooking, and serving the community
Why I am looking forward to working with the Youth Impact Program: I feel that this program is extremely beneficial for the inner city youth of today. I believe that in this critical period of their lives it is important to gain positive and encouraging mentors to look up to, and that is what I am looking forward to being. I want to serve as a role model and ultimately make a positive impact in these kid’s lives. With every community service project that I take on I do it with love and passion, because I believe that God has blessed me with so much. I have a strong passion for sports, working with the youth and helping so I feel that this program will allow me to utilize my strengths. Not only will this program give me the experience needed for future leadership roles, but also it will empower me to start my own program in the future. Building upon my knowledge and experience of this program, I would love to start a sports program for girls offering a variety of sports. I am extremely inspired by this program and I look forward to all of what it has to offer.

 

 

Chris Arvanites 

1st year mentor
School: Wesleyan University
Class of: 2009
Degree expected: Psychology
Sports played: Baseball
Hobbies: Film, Saxophone

 

 

A.R. Mateo

2nd year mentor
School: Undergraduate- UCLA; Graduate- CSULB
Class: 2007, 2010
Degrees held or expected: B.S in Poli-Sci International Relations; M.A. in Education- Urban Schools
Sports played: IM basketball
Hobbies: I enjoy being a college sports fan, and also collecting sports memorabilia. Making music, photography, and films are also large interests.  I also find that no matter where I go, or what I do, I cannot stop advocating for underprivileged and marginalized peoples.
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program:
NFL JPD is a dream opportunity and a major step on the way to achieving my dream job. Coupled with my passion working with kids, Youth Impact offers me the opportunity to grow as mentor, educator, teacher, advocate, coach, scholar, and a person as a whole.  Ironically, when Youth Impact sent out an email request earlier this year searching for mentors, I received a number of forwards of said email from my mentors, past and present.  If there were any doubts regarding the direction my path as an academic and practitioner would lead, the overwhelming support I received in matching academics and sport led me to stay on this track.  Basically, they all understood what drives me: It's all about the kids.

 

 

Phineas Palmer

2nd year mentor
School: Claremont McKenna College
Class: 2011
Degrees held or expected: B.A.
Sports played: Football (Currently playing at CMC), Lacrosse, Basketball, Hockey
Hobbies: Skateboarding, Snowboarding
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program: I love to read, and I love playing football, so I look forward to teaching and coaching things I enjoy doing so much.

 

 

Kiana Brede

2nd  year mentor
School: USC
Class: Senior
Expected degree:  BA in History
Sports: volleyball in high school and intramural volleyball for one year
Hobbies: beach volleyball and anything beach related, reading, and cooking
Favorite thing about working with the Youth Impact Program: I really look forward to being part of the program again because I loved having the opportunity to form relationships with the kids. I learned a lot from them and I hope that the kids were able to learn something from me. I admire the program for finding a way to combine academics with athletics and stressing the importance of both.

 

 

Sara Santana

1st year mentor