Artful Transformations Program

Manager

With USES since 2006

In your time at USES, what has been your greatest personal achievement?

I came in when the program was transitioning and seven months after I was brought in I became the manager.  You really couldn’t tell there was a change in management because I made sure everything was smooth, and if anything improved the program to make the staff happier and a better environment for them.  I made sure that became a priority so the staff would stick around.  The girls really couldn’t tell there was a change in how the activities flowed, how the program was, and how it still is today.  If alumni were to come in today, a lot would still be the same so they could even jump in and could say this isn’t that different.  There continuity in the programming.

On a day-to-day basis, who or what inspires you?

Professionally, the girls and their families—to see them come in and give us positive feedback or they’ve worked out something at home and they’re making little steps toward progress. That’s really good to see.  And after the pulling of the teeth that you do, you see the fruits of your labor.  So that’s awesome to see that.  That definitely keeps me coming back and wanting to work with them because you do see it over time.  I know Donna, Veronica, and I see it because we’ve been here for a while.

What is USES to you?

To the clients, it’s a resource, a place of them to come.  To me it’s like an extended family in terms of the staff who I interact with.  I would invite people to my son’s birthday party.  It’s that closeness.