CalSAC is proud to highlight Adilene Delgadillo and Damian Reyna from CalSAC's 2018 Leadership Development Institute 360°/365 fellowship. Adilene and Damian are leaders who have demonstrated unrivaled commitment to the field and drive for advanced leadership in the out-of-school time and early learning field.
Adilene Delgadillo never imagined working in the educational field as a potential career. Ten years later, she has worked her way from impacting one school site to impacting whole communities. Adilene had been involved with the afterschool world since 2007. She started her early years as a PE instructor, then ASP tutor, and then summer instructor with the City of Santa Maria Afterschool Education and Safety program. In these roles, Adilene saw her ability to take initiative and lead program activities with little to no direction, opening the opportunity to run her own program.
Adilene Delgadillo, California Teaching Fellows Foundation - Fresno
Adilene has seen the value of afterschool and the impact it had on the children and their families from working directly with the students and making meaningful connections by working directly with parents and staff. Since then Adilene has been hooked on the afterschool world.
After moving to Fresno and graduating from Fresno State with a BA in Sociology, Adilene became a part of California Teaching Fellows Foundation (CTFF) in 2012. She started in Madera, where she immediately connected with the students and families, which became a home away from home. She had the opportunity to start and run Millview Elementary’s afterschool program for 3 years. While in Madera as a Program Lead, Adilene continued to see the impact that a quality afterschool program can do for youth back home.
Adilene’s fondest memories as Lead was the privilege to serve and train her program’s parents on the various parenting styles and the future opportunities that their children possess. Through various trainings and workshops Adilene gained the ability to help families restructure their parenting style, and invest and focus in the future of their children. Using herself as an example, she was allowed to use her own personal growing experience along with the struggles she faced growing up within her family. She is a firm believer that a strong foundation starts in the home of the child. Parents got to see the opportunities their children have, no matter the path of life they are coming from.
As of October 2015, Adilene has been a Site Liaison for CTFF, overseeing 14 after school programs in the Fresno Unified area. She is determined to make sure all students and families have the same access and equity for success, no matter who they are or where they come from.
“The ultimate reward is not the amount of lives I impact in my lifetime but rather how I impact those lives to continue to stand up for what’s right, that’s priceless.”
Damian Reyna, California Teaching Fellows Foundation - Fresno
Damian Reyna has been working with youth since 2009. He began his career in education as an afterschool tutor and a coach with the California Teaching Fellow Foundation where he quickly saw the impact and the value that a quality afterschool programs can have on improving the lives of young people. He is passionate about serving his community and views afterschool as the perfect catalyst to help improve the lives of others. He believes that every student deserves to have access to a high-quality education and that education is the key to improving communities.
Damian has had the opportunity to work in the afterschool field for almost 10 years. During this time, he has been a site lead at two ASES funded middle school after school programs, and helped coordinate one of the biggest summer programs in the state with After School University, based out of Fresno, which has reached over 1,000 students each summer. He has also worked as a Site Liaison with California Teaching Fellows. As a liaison, he has had the pleasure of serving the Tulare County and Madera Unified areas.
One of Damian’s fondest memories of working with afterschool programs has been coordinating field trips for students to have the opportunity to expand their horizons and to experience events that they may not have had without their afterschool programs. Among those field trips are trips to UCLA, Stanford, the San Jose Tech Museum, snowboarding at China Peak, in-depth tours of Fresno State University, and even coordinating a trip for a group of elementary students to attend a Summer Matters Rally in Sacramento.
Damian has a passion for being able to have students showcase their achievements and has been a part of coordinating many events that have allowed them to do so. Some events have included summer program culminating events at Fresno State, end of the year afterschool program showcases at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, and district showcases in Central Unified and Dinuba Unified school districts. Damian has also been in charge of a high school internship program in which the program provided valuable work experience and workshops for Fresno Unified high school students.
Damian hopes to continue his work and follow his passion of providing opportunities for the youth in his community.