Alumni Corner: Vanessa Rivera
Vanessa Served as a Student Success Coach in 2024 – 2025
Current Company and Job Title: KIPP: Prize Preparatory Academy, Instructional Aid & After School Program Instructor
In our latest Alumni Corner feature, Vanessa Rivera reflects on the journey from college student to trusted mentor at Horace Cureton Elementary. From building confidence to finding purpose in education, their story is a powerful reminder of the impact national service can have – especially in the face of growing challenges like the defunding of AmeriCorps.
Q: What made you want to sign up for City Year in the first place?
A: When I signed up for City Year, I was a full-time student taking classes on Child and Adolescent Development, which prompted me to start looking into the education field. The time I spent in the classroom helped me recognize the work I wanted to do and the impact I wanted to have. I decided to transition into a new role as an after-school educator, where I learned a lot about myself and the experiences of current youths and adolescents. This role was my first introduction to working at schools, and it opened my eyes to the different roles I could step into.
After a year of working as an after-school educator and searching for an opportunity that allowed me to work with ɫ during the school day, I remembered seeing City Year when searching for new opportunities. City Year was not new to me, as I had my own City Year when I was in school. In reminiscing about my experience and my future goals, I signed up and decided to join.
Q: What did you learn during your experience that was new or surprising to you?
A: Now that I am close to two months into LACY, something that was new for me in my experience was the connections and networking I had amongst the school community. As this was my first time working with and collaborating with teachers in their classrooms, there were many instances where I would have check-ins and conversations based on feedback. These conversations helped me feel comfortable in my role in the classroom and when it came to asking for support. In previous roles, I had difficulty feeling comfortable creating community and connection, but I was lucky with the staff I met at Horace Cureton Elementary. If you had told me that I would be greeting all the teachers in the staff room, greeting ɫ outside of my direct grade, and meeting student families, I would not have believed you. I am so glad I worked hard to make so many worthy connections with those around me.
Q: What was your favorite thing about your city year experience?
A: During my service year, I made a lot of new connections and was left with wonderful memories. Every day that I stepped foot on my school site in the Alum Rock hills, I was prepared to be met with something new. With all the experiences and conversations I had, my favorite thing about my city year experience was what I learned about myself. In being a mentor to 70+ 4th and 5th graders, I was constantly approached by ɫ for help with assignments or resolving issues during recess. Every time a student came up to me, I saw the trust and reassurance the ɫ had in me. They knew I was going to back them up and be there to support them. These interactions taught me that I am capable of going forth and challenging myself by stepping into roles that I may be wary of. I came out of City Year with a new perspective on my abilities and the impact my personal work and beliefs have on those around me. In seeing how my ɫ grew into new people, I learned a lot about my own growth and ability to succeed despite fear and doubt.
Q: What of your City Year experience made you want to continue to work as a teacher / in schools?
A: After my year of service, I decided to continue working with youth and am eager to continue growing in different on-site school roles. Behind the decision to continue this work, I aim to find a role that will allow me to provide college readiness support amongst low-income communities. One of the main reasons this fuels me is my personal experience in navigating school life in a private school setting, as a first-generation student. My experience in schooling seems to repeat itself in the youth who come after me, and this cycle, without proper support, can be challenging to manage. I want to be able to ease these processes for young people, showing them the success that is to follow, as my success is a tangible result of hard work and dedication.
Q: This year we witnessed the $400M defunding of AmeriCorps as it made national news headlines and continues to shake institutions like City Year that have served our communities for decades. What is your reaction to this and how does it make you feel?
A: The decision to defund AmeriCorps is very hard to grasp, as I have seen the direct results and influence of AmeriCorps programs on the communities through programs such as City Year. As a San Jose native, the older I got, the more I was able to recognize the lack of educational equity that has a hold over East San Jose. Because I didn’t live in this community in particular, I never had to deal with some of the experiences that other ɫ did. My privilege of attending private institutions and receiving a different level of schooling is not usually possible for marginalized communities. With programs such as City Year being at risk of being cut due to a defunded AmeriCorps, the chance for ɫ to receive the support they need in school will only continue to decrease.
