John H. Howell, CPA, is a retired partner from the multinational professional service firm of Ernst & Young. He has served on the AMBYESE Board of Directors since its inception. John believes that working with, and mentoring young people during their most impressionable years is one of the ways to make the world a better place for all. The AMBYESE mission of making a measurable educational difference in the lives of multicultural college-bound students from schools across Connecticut, and Metropolitan New York and exposing them to exciting careers that are the heart of our global economy is making a difference.
John is active in promoting the ideals of AMBYESE and serves as Chairman of the Board Directors of Black Spectrum Theatre Inc., based in Queens, NY. He is the Treasurer of The United Black Men of Queens Foundation, Inc. dedicated to mentoring young men of color, and he is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

I’m Barry Wright, a 1992 alum of AMBYESE’s programs. I participated in AMBYESE’s free of charge programs from my freshman to senior years of high school. I received my Bachelors degree from the College of William & Mary, and my MBA degree from the George Washington University. As one of the recipients of a higher educational institution scholarship, I wish to congratulate AMBYESE for its 40 years of successfully transitioning our multicultural youth from high school to college.

The experience and exposure I received at AMBYESE helped me become the successful real estate broker I am today. At Reliant Realty Advisors, based in Washington, DC. I lead the tenant representation group helping associations, corporations, educational groups, retailers, municipalities and government contractors lease or purchase their commercial space.

Oh, how time flies — I’m thrilled that my son Maxwell is enrolled in AMBYESE’s Summer of ‘24 YES, I Can Program. Maxwell’s enrollment marks the inauguration of AMBYESE’s first “second-generation program enrollee.” It speaks volumes of AMBYESE’s acclaimed 40 year-old history! Maxwell intends on focusing on STEM as he is particularly interested in math, chemistry, and computer engineering. I’m proud and honored that my son will benefit by participating in this highly renowned, pre-college program. I’m equally proud and honored that he’ll reap the same benefits that laid the foundation for my success!

Jayme Beckham is the Principal at JM Wright Technical High School in Stamford, CT. She attended Western CT State University and earned an undergraduate degree in Secondary Education with a specialization in English Language Arts in 2005. After that, she continued at WCSU to earn her master’s degree in Instructional Technology in 2008. She earned her 092/6thYear Administrator’s degree from Sacred Heart University in 2011. In 2014, Jayme left her teaching career to become an administrator with the CT Technical Education and Career System (CTECS). In 2020, Jayme earned her Doctoral degree in General Education from Northcentral University. Jayme has been involved with the AMBYESE organization since 2008 starting as the YES I Can program’s English Language Arts SAT prep instructor. Over the years, her role in AMYESE evolved to include being a business and educational consultant and the board secretary. Jayme lives in Sandy Hook, CT.

My name is Chris Shafer. I was a student in the YES, I Can program between 2003 and 2006. Since then, I have earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Economics from Lafayette College and am currently pursuing accreditation with the Casualty Actuarial Society. My time being a student within the AMBYESE/YES, I Can programs provided invaluable stepping stones for me to reach higher education and lay the groundwork for me to reach my career as an actuary. The summers I spent attending the YES, I Can sessions had two components, both equally as important to the success of the program. The first component, and the bulk of the program time-wise, was spent attending SAT prep classes. Normally, this is the last thing a high school student would want to do for three weeks in August, but it was invaluable in helping me achieve the scores necessary to attend Lafayette College. The second component is the field trips. These trips were designed to expose us to various industries to give an idea of the breadth of options available to us. The field trips impressed upon me the value of working hard throughout high school and college to ensure that I would be able to pursue my interests. My story with YES, I Can does not end there. After graduating high school, I was asked by Mr. Johnson to return as an instructor for the Math portion of the SAT prep class. After teaching the prep class, I went on to tutor calculus throughout college. Teaching the SAT prep gave me practice breaking down complex topics in simple ways. In my career, this is a valuable skill - numbers would be meaningless without someone to put context around them in a digestible manner. I’ll never forget my time with AMYESE/YES, I Can and all the life lessons gained.

Allan A. Quade is a 3L Day Student at the University of Connecticut School of Law in Hartford, CT. He is the current Assistant Managing Editor of the top-rated Connecticut Insurance Law Journal as well as the President of UConn’s Native American Law Student’s Association Chapter.

Allan graduated a semester early from the University of Connecticut in 2020 with an Individualized Major in Crime Law and Justice, as well as a Second major in Psychological Sciences and a minor in Sociology. While at UConn, he was the president of UConn’s Psi Chi Chapter, the national Psychology Honors Society, as well as the Vice President of the UConn Moot Court Competition Team.

Through the YES I Can Program and AMBYESE from 2013-2017, Allan had the opportunity to visit big industries such as PRAXAIR and PEPSICO at an early age, while also learning important test taking and writing skills. He also had the privilege to attend both the ASM Materials Camp and Notre Dame Summer Scholars Law Track on full scholarships which nurtured not only his desire for leadership roles, but also his future career track.

As an AMBYESE Alumni Association Student Ambassador, Allan continues to give back to the AMBYESE family by volunteering his time to donation drives such as the Popcorn Fundraiser.

Mohamed is the Senior Director of the Strategy & Portfolio Sector of Food & Beverage at PepsiCo. He partners with all international teams across food and beverage to set up the future R&D strategy as well as build the right people and program capabilities for the future.

Mohamed has 12 years of global industry experience in leading and shaping new platforms and strategies from ideation to launch. He is passionate about new innovation, trends, and understanding different generational consumer behaviors.

Mohamed believes that motivated, engaged, and empowered people drive exceptional results. He is passionate about building high-performing teams and mentoring high-potential talent.

Mohamed received his BS/MS from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon and his doctorate in food science from Rutgers University. He enjoys playing sports, exercise and fitness, the outdoors as well as experiencing new food & beverage innovation.

As the Associate Program Director and Compliance Program Manager, University of Notre Dame, Catalino is responsible for ensuring that all practices within pre-college are compliant so that student experiences are not only fruitful, but safe! Through a strange set of circumstances—and happy coincidences—he had the unique experience to manage the COVID-19 testing operations for the Orlando Magic, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Team USA Soccer to name a few. He is committed to bringing his experiences in managing compliance expectations to facilitate student growth and discernment as they prepare for new chapters in college. Catalino received his MTS from Boston College and his B.A. in Neuroscience and Behavior from The University of Notre Dame.

When not at the office, Catalino enjoys traversing the streets of Indiana on his bike or playing in friendly games of ultimate frisbee. He is also a guitar and tuba enthusiast. When the Indiana weather does not permit, he loves to play video games.

Spiro Milas was born in Yonkers, New York. He has a Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling from the College of New Rochelle. He has been a Guidance Counselor at Westhill High School since 2006 and has been a proud liaison between Westhill High School and AMBYESE since 2008.

"I decided to participate in Ambyese's Steering Committee because I have come across very few programs in my career which solely desire to provide education and educational experiences to students and not seek anything from them in return. Ambyese is a wonderful organization."

U.S. Navy Lieutenant Jaleesa T. Harrigan is a devoted, career-driven and outgoing young professional who has made a name for herself in the field of engineering. She is a native of Danbury, CT and a nuclear-trained Surface Warfare Officer (SWO-N) in the United States Navy. Jaleesa is a graduate of Bethel High School and participated in the Y.E.S I Can summer program for three consecutive years. She serves as a member of the fundraising team and was Mistress of Ceremony for the virtual 38th AMBYESE Conference held on November 13, 2021. She a proud alumna of AMBYESE and continues to contribute to the programs agenda. She is a Howard University Alumna with a Bachelor’s of Science in Applied Mathematics and a minor in Computer Science. While pursuing her degree, she was an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Bison Cheerleading, Math Club and Pi Mu Epsilon Math Honor Society.

Jaleesa earned her commission through the George Washington University Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps. She served aboard USS BUNKER HILL (CG-52), developing proficiency in leading teams through various navigation, combat systems, and tactical surface warfare scenarios. Jaleesa successfully matriculated the Navy’s post-graduate nuclear propulsion training pipeline, which focused on theory, design, operation and maintenance of naval nuclear propulsion plants.

Ms. Harrigan served aboard USS ABRAHAM LINCLON (CVN-72) as the production manager for the carrier’s reactor propulsion systems and led watch teams through her role as a Propulsion Plant Watch Officer. She provided ongoing expertise in unit-level nuclear energy, maintenance, repairs, planning, crew supervision, quality assurance and compliance. As a Department of Energy and Department of Defense qualified supervisor of Navy Nuclear Propulsion systems, she enforced effective reactor management, radiological controls, and environmental safety while fulfilling the role of a principal assistant to the ship’s Reactor Officer.

In February 2020, Jaleesa received the “Most Promising Engineer in Government” Award at the 2020 Black Engineer of the Year STEM Conference. Stationed in Millington, TN as a Nuclear Programs Manager, she prepares potential engineers for the Navy.

My name is Maame Efua Forson, and I go to Mount Vernon Steam Academy. I will be attending Harvard University in the fall to study Neuroscience with a concentration in African and African American Studies. I hope to become an OB-GYN in the future, working in an underprivileged community. My time in AMBYESE/YES I CAN gave me the tools I needed to get to where I am in my educational journey, because they were resources readily available at the time I needed them the most. Through AMBYESE, I got a scholarship to a Notre Dame summer program, where I worked with professors on the Cancer/Life Sciences track, learning about the reasons behind the disease and how far along research is. Then, I was part of a 3-week program learning about how to take the SAT and prepare for college applications. With the help of that teacher, I constructed my extensive college and scholarship list and started editing my college essays. With AMBYESE's help, I increased my SAT score by 130 points and got into 25/39 of my colleges. All the programs and help available made my college process much smoother.

Cecelia Lily Coleman is a rising senior at Smith College majoring in Biochemistry with a concentration in Museum Studies. She has just returned from a semester abroad in Geneva, Switzerland, where she studied at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and interned with the Energy team at the International Institute for Sustainable Development. At Smith, Cecelia is a chemistry tutor and lab teaching assistant. She also swims, coaches, and choreographs for Smith’s Sirens Synchronized Swimming club and will be its co-president starting next fall. This past academic year, she was co-president of Smith’s Global Medical Brigades (GMB@Smith) chapter and worked to raise over forty thousand dollars for a healthcare clinic pop-up in Honduras during January 2024. She will continue as a member of GMB@Smith’s executive board next year.

Cecelia joined AMBYESE's Y.E.S. I Can program the summer before her sophomore year of high school. Through the program, she fine tuned her standardized testing skills and received several amazing opportunities, including attending the ASM Materials Camp and the Summer Scholars program at University of Notre-Dame virtually in the summer of 2020. She looks back at her time with AMBYESE fondly and her family continues to support the program.

Crystal March Brinkley grew up in Simsbury, CT and enjoyed attending the yearly AMBYESE conferences since the young age of 12 since her mother, Gail March Williams, served as a role model each year. Her biggest highlight of all was meeting Les Brown who has been a strong motivational influence on her throughout her life. Crystal went on to graduate from Northwestern University and attend the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. While in school, she became an active member of the AMBYESE Alumni Association and later became a member of AMBYESE’s Board of Directors. After becoming an MD, focusing on psychiatry, she started working on her Masters in Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh while simultaneously completing a research fellowship exploring the impact of religion on mental health.

Following that season of her life, Crystal decided to explore more holistic health practices both as a career and as a person searching for greater healing for chronic health issues. After getting married and moving to the West Coast, Crystal immersed herself in the community mental health network of the California Bay Area. She became a certified mental health peer specialist, an awarded activist within local organizations, a teacher & mentor for consumers training for their certification, and a Wellness Recovery Action Plan facilitator.

Crystal and her family recently relocated to the Austin area where she works as a yoga teacher & full-time mom who loves the Lord and enjoys working alongside her husband, Greg Brinkley, within her new church community. She is very honored to receive this position as the Dean of the Y.E.S. I Can Institution.

Gail Williams is a retired aerospace executive with a very rewarding and interesting 39-year professional career (the payoff of heavy demands & stress and endless praying). She is the fifth of 13 children. She holds degrees in Physics/Mathematics (B.S. cum laude); Electrical Engineering (B.S. and M.S.) and Master of Business Administration (focus in international business). She is an accomplished, recognized and highly regarded businesswoman.

As one of the initial members of the AMBYESE family, I fully support and applaud the mission of AMBYESE. It was an opportunity and blessing to serve in any capacity that would foster the mission. AMBYESE afforded executives and professionals, as I, the opportunity to help shape the platform of students’ growth in business endeavors and in STEM careers

My name is Drew Aliyah Valentine and I’m a recent graduate of Cornell University. During my time as a student at Immaculate High School, I was given the opportunity to become part of the AMBYESE family. Through this program, I was given access to both skills and experiences. For example, I was able to spend one of my high school summers at Notre Dame studying science with a group of likeminded scholars. I am currently working for Latham & Watkins LLP. Additionally, I am constantly finding new ways to give back to my community.

My name is Hector M. Reyes-Perez. Since I was a freshman at Warren Harding High school, I have been part of the AMBYESE family. They have helped me grow and achieve my goals. I graduated from Fairfield University with a Finance Degree and currently working in creating, developing, and distributing wine brands, which include our biggest brand, Luscious Vines. Additionally, I'm also a mentor of the Bridgeport FIRST Robotic team 3634 "Spark City".

Shalini Shial is an Assistant Civil Engineer at Burns & McDonnell in Wallingford, CT. She graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering. While at UConn she was the President of the American Society of Civil Engineers as well as a dancer on Surya, UConn’s Premier Bollywood-Fusion Dance Team. Shalini had the privilege of attending the AMBYESE YES, I Can program from 2013-2017 and was able to attend both the ASM Materials Program and Notre Dame Summer Scholars on full scholarship through partnerships with AMBYESE.

Lynn Loya is a counselor and educator with 20+ years of experience on both the collegiate and secondary school levels. Most recently, Lynn was the Director of School Counseling at Immaculate High School (Danbury, CT) for 13 years until her retirement in June, 2017. During her tenure at Immaculate, Lynn was the liaison between Immaculate and the Ambyese Program. “It was a great pleasure and privilege to work with Wendell Johnson and the Ambyese Program. All of our Immaculate students who participated, benefited greatly from the tremendous career and professional support and guidance the program offered and from the dedicated and inspiring leadership of Mr. Johnson. All of these students have gone on to significant professional and personal achievements and certainly the Ambyese Program was instrumental in fostering their success.

Rachana Somaskandan is a junior at Stamford High School. She is a hardworking honors student who volunteers to help her school, community, and important causes to her. With the help of AMBYESE’s Y.E.S. I Can program, she has achieved a perfect score of 800 on the math portion of the SAT and a 1510 on the PSAT. Rachana is also member of the AMBYESE steering committee, she made a presentation at the 36th conference in November. She has been accepted to the world -renowned ASM Materials Camp through AMBYESE. She looks forward to continuing her assistance in moving the organization forward. She has a strong interest in the sciences, math, and visual arts. Rachana is interested in pursuing a chemical engineering degree and hopes to work in finding alternative energy solutions. 

My name is Lorena Curtis and I participated in the YES, I Can program the summers of 2014 and 2015. While a member of the program, I was also fortunate to be a recipient of the University of Notre Dame Summer Scholars scholarship in 2014. I graduated from Immaculate High School in 2016 and went on to attend Boston College, where I graduated with my BA in Applied Psychology and Human Development in 2020 and my Masters in Clinical Social Work in 2021. My goal is to work as a licensed social worker to support youth in achieving their educational and socioemotional goals. Starting the summer of 2020, I became a YES, I Can instructor and currently teach the College Transition Program portion of the curriculum.

My name is Ivans Esperance. I participated in the AMBYESE program in the Summer of 2015. As a rising senior, it was crucial for me to take effective steps towards planning for the college process. AMBYESE equipped me with the tools and confidence necessary to successfully undergo the college process. From SAT/ACT practice tests to college essay practice exams, this program ultimately prepared me for success.

As of right now, I am a current freshman enrolled at St. John's University. In the year 2020, I will graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Business Management. I can honestly say that without the help of AMBYESE, I would not be so confident in choosing my major or focusing on my academic and career goals. With that said, this program required me to make a commitment to excellence, and the benefits that I am reaping from this commitment have been phenomenal. 

Jenna Coladarci is a sophomore at Suffolk University in Boston, MA. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Biology. By being part of AMBYESE she was exposed to several different companies and career paths. While on a field trip at Stamford Hospital as part of the program, she realized she wanted to work as a Medical Speech-Language Pathologist in a hospital or nursing home setting. In the Spring she’ll intern at the Speech and Feeding Disorders Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions doing data analysis. She was very delighted to be a recipient of one of the University of Notre Dame‘s Pre-College Summer Scholars scholarships, earmarked for AMBYESE best and brightest students.

My name is William Phillips. I am a class of 2016 graduate from the AMBYESE YES I CAN Program, a class of 2017 graduate from Mount Vernon High School and I am currently a junior studying Computer Science at the University at Buffalo. Computer Science and engineering has always been a passion of mine and although I have gained a great deal of knowledge and experience throughout my coursework, outside the classroom is where I have been able to utilize this growing skillset to its full extent. At my university I have worked on an ongoing extensive research project targeted to assist patients diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease to be able to communicate utilizing Alternative & Augmentative Communication devices. The particular device we’re utilizing is Brain Computer Interface, a device that reads and records brainwave activity and the objective is to be able to transcribe a user’s thoughts into communicative text. During the summer of 2019, I had the opportunity to intern at Ford Motor Company as a Product Development Intern. I was tasked to confirm whether or not it is possible for smart watches to communicate to motor vehicles via Bluetooth Low Energy signals and execute commands. As productive as my college experience has been so far, all things stem from humble beginnings. If it wasn’t from my experience as a YES I CAN student, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Prior to my participation to the program, I had both low SAT and ACT scores, I wasn’t aware of what LinkedIn is and how it could be leveraged to network with professionals, as well as understand how to thoroughly research and select universities to apply to. The YES I CAN program allowed me to grow as in aspects that I would have never considered.

Ariel M. Vogel, MA Teaching, BA English is an Honorably discharged U.S. Army veteran. Following active duty Army, Ariel taught English and Hebrew, produced a Military Radar conference, and worked as university Territory Admissions Advisor. In 2019, Ariel conducted research and statistical analysis to determine the demand for outsourced IT and Cyber support services. This resulted in launching one of the United States’ first programs that trains, certifies, rates and performs job placement for new computer networking, and cybersecurity teleworkers from rural U.S. In 2019, Ariel started work as a U.S. Census Bureau Field Supervisor, and in 2020 was promoted to Census Field Manager. Ariel is most proud of having begun a weekly Friday night Jewish prayer service while deployed to Mosul, Iraq (2007 – 2009) and credited with bringing a Rabbi to Mosul to lead services in wartime.

Ariel believes every person learns through classroom, local, national and global engagement. In addition to standard disciplines, teachers should facilitate students’ embrace of empathy, aspiring, intellectualism, an appreciation for the Arts, spiritual balance, social justice, regular exercise.

Ariel is proud to lend his expertise as an English teaching mentor for AMBYESE’s college-bound students who are in need of his services, for he strongly feels that AMBYESE is an essential part of the firm foundation that will keep the United States viable among countries, and help Americans continually thrive, united, in every generation, as We The People persist and reach for the gleaming “City on a Hill”.