At the 2020 PASEsetter Awards on February 25, five educators were recognized for their vital work 'fostering the intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual growth' of the young people in their communities through after school programs. One of these outstanding educators was Mission Society's very own Carmen Rosario, who has been part of the Mission family for over 15 years.
Carmen joined us in 2004 as one of our Youth Workers, and quickly rose through the ranks to become Group Leader, Program Aide, and Assistant Program Manager at P.S. 28. In 2013, she was selected to begin a new after school program at P.S. 192, developing curriculum using her own unique vision and growing the program into a vital part of Mission Society's offerings.
“I believe that everyone is capable of doing whatever they want to do. My guiding principle is ‘how can I make this better?'" - Carmen Rosario
Over the years, Carmen has ensured that her students have the opportunity to explore and celebrate their passions. Through close attention and observation, she creates environments that emphasize student interests - facilitating projects that incorporate art, technology, creativity, lessons from the school day, and more. She has found a variety of ways to address the needs of staff and school leadership, and even helps parents gain the knowledge they need to continue to support students at home.
“The support and compassion Carmen has provided me in these two years have helped me grow in my professional and personal life”, explains Group Leader Ivelis Estrella, who also describes Carmen’s warmth, collaborative approach to problem solving, and willingness to help her staff improve.
We are so fortunate to have Carmen on the Mission Society team. She has furthered the field of after school programming, encouraged the academic, social-emotional, and creative development of all of her students, and served as a role-model for all of us - challenging us to consider “how can we make this better.”
We are thrilled to recognize Carmen, and hope you will join us in congratulating her and all of the extraordinary PASEsetter Award winners!
Thank you to Mission's Education Associate, Camille Roddey, who put together the incredible nomination presentation that provided the content for this post, and to Peter Dressel for the photos of Carmen and her students.
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