Edna Brewer Middle School

Jimmy has been with EBAYC since 2008, previously serving as the program coordinator for Roosevelt Middle School before launching our programming at Edna Brewer Middle School. A product of Oakland’s public schools, Jimmy is connected to the community and particularly recognizes the challenges of growing up in an English-learning family can pose for students without proper support. Jimmy graduated from Cal State Hayward in 2009 with a Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice.

Maria has been with EBAYC since 2016, working with kids of all ages. She has always worked in the Oakland community because she wants to give back to the place that helped her become the person she is today. Her favorite part about working with kids is being able to see how each child has a different personality and their own ways of learning new things. She learns a lot from each youth she works with, and they teach her something new as well. Maria’s favorite treat is eating In-N-Out with Hot Cheetos!

Billy, a student of EBAYC himself, has always had the goal of giving back to his Oakland community. He believes that his participation in the EBAYC after-school program as a child provided him with the building blocks necessary to graduate high school and eventually receive his degree in Communications from UC Davis. His personal experience with Oakland public schools allows him to empathize with his students and provide extra support to those who are in need. His favorite thing about working with kids, especially middle schoolers, is how charismatic they can be and how easily they make him laugh. In his free time, he enjoys DJing, watching sports, snowboarding, and staying active!

Daniela has been working with EBAYC since early 2021. Since working at EBAYC Daniela has learned so much. Along the way, she gained different strategies on how to help each individual student in their academics. Based on Daniela’s personal experience with school, she tries to provide the support that she felt she didn’t receive in her middle school and high school experience. One fun fact about Daniela is that she enjoys watching crime shows/ documentaries.

Fernanda recently joined EBAYC fall of 2021. Throughout high school Fernanda enjoyed working one on one with students of all ages. She took the opportunity to work at EBAYC to expand her experience with working alongside students. Her favorite thing about working at EBAYC is being able to help her students not only in their academics but also their personal lives. Fernanda feels as though her young age helped her connect with the 8th grade students who are transitioning from middle school to high school. In her spare time she enjoys playing soccer and the bass guitar.

Alison has been working with EBAYC since 2017, starting as a Mentor and now as the Program Assistant at Edna Brewer Middle School. She loves being able to listen to the students and connecting with them, and brings her patience to supporting youth through challenging situations. Her ability to connect with the students has let her build relationships where they are able to come to her for help. Her favorite part of working with youth is that they teach her something new every day. Knowing that she is able to make an impact on their lives and the decisions that they make is the reason that she continues to work with youth. Allison loves animals was able to pet tigers, elephants and a panda during a vacation to Chengdu, China!

Born and raised in Oakland, Alysia attended OUSD schools her entire adolescent life and knows firsthand what her surrounding communities need. Alysia is extremely proud and excited to be working as an After-School Teacher with the students here at Edna Brewer Middle. It’s her first year teaching, but she actually got her first real job as a tutor when she was still a sophomore in high school. While Alysia strives to achieve her own career goals of graduating from university and working hands-on in the medical field, she still dedicates much of herself and her time to her students. Building and cultivating relationships with each and every student takes time, patience, and the desire to get to know the students on a more personal level. Every child is unique, having different needs, interests, and more. Therefore, she works tirelessly to make sure that her students feel seen, heard, and learn the value behind using their individual voices. Part of the reason behind Alysia’s strong desire to be a positive role model for her students, is her own experience as an EBAYC student from 2006-2010. She still remembers her EBAYC mentors and how great of an impact they each had on her life, especially at such an impressionable age. Life came full circle when she learned she was going to be able to “give back” to her community and become an EBAYC mentor herself. Now, she wants to make sure that she can be just like her past mentors, and leave a lasting impact on her students. She even went through proper training to get certified to take a group of students camping outdoors. This was a meaningful achievement for her, because not only is it a way to provide an opportunity for students they might not otherwise have access to, but her first time ever camping was actually with EBAYC when she was 8 or 9 years old. Everyday, Alysia supports her students in every way she possibly can, whether it is academic, social, or struggles at home. But this relationship is not one-sided whatsoever. Alysia learns a lot from her own students everyday. Working as an After-School Teacher with EBAYC is very rewarding and fulfilling, particularly when students share their excitement to participate in fun enrichment activities like cooking class. Alysia’s favorite thing about EBAYC besides seeing the students enjoy the program and getting out of their comfort zones is having the opportunity to work with many students from varying backgrounds, cultures, and even countries. And Alysia’s favorite snack is either dried mango or boba milk tea mochi.