Carlo Kriekels, Co-founder and Executive Director, JD, LLM.  
After completing an intensive four-year training program in personal development coaching, Carlo taught leadership and emotional intelligence skills to business leaders in Europe and the United States for many years. In 2001, he co-founded the YESS Institute in order to bring the benefits of emotional intelligence training to at-risk youth and the nonprofit agencies that serveyouth. Carlo, born in Belgium , holds two law degrees (a J.D. from Belgium and a LL.M from Germany ) and is fluent in six languages, including Spanish.   As Executive Director, Carlo oversees overall agency operations and the development of the YESS curriculum. His duties include: fiscal management and financial development; program operations and quality assurance; staffing and staff development; advocacy, public relations and training/coaching of adults and youth.    
       
Daniel Medina, Contracted Youth Program Specialist - Abraham Lincoln High School  
Daniel dropped out of Lincoln High School as a freshman, became gang-involved and ran away from home. He was married by age 18 and by 30 he had six children. He eventually turned his life around, completed his GED, started his own construction company and volunteered as a sports coach. In 1999, Lincoln High School, struggling to reduce gang activity, asked him become the school’s community liaison and a coach.   Daniel searched the streets to bring the non-attending kids back to school, placed negative peer leaders in small alternative schools and increased parent involvement. His hands-on model combined with the street-credibility earned as a result of his background has helped him connect with and help turn around many “lost kids”. Daniel is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the YESS peer-mentoring program at Lincoln High School.    
       
Angelina Rodriguez, Youth Program Specialist for Kepner Middle School Program  

Angelina graduated from the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) where she received her BS in International Business in 2010. She has volunteered with the YESS Institute for the past three years as a mentor and assistant in the Kepner Middle School program. While pursuing her undergrad education, she has been involved with mentoring programs within UCD and the Community College of Denver (CCD) at the Auraria Campus here in Downtown Denver. As a freshman, Angelina attended the Cuernavaca language school, located at the capital of Morelas, Mexico in Cuernavaca, where she was enrolled in an intense six week program to study the Spanish language.

 

With an extensive understanding in Diversity and Inclusion in an education and academic setting, she has had the opportunity to encounter the necessary experience needed to work within the Kepner Middle School program. Other extra curricular activities of Angelina include all types of Colorado summer and winter outdoor experiences, sewing, traveling, live music and all types of arts and crafts. Angelina will be the Program Specialist for the Kepner Middle School program for the duration of the 2010 school year. As a past mentor, she is looking forward to continuing on the program in her next level and is looking forward to working with the mentors to aid the Kepner students in making their future goals a reality.

    
       
Amanda Mausner , AmeriCorps Member-Program Specialist for West High School  

Amanda grew up in New Jersey having the beach and New York City in her back yard.  She left the east coast to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she received a BA in sociology. In Madison, Amanda volunteered at an elementary school, served in a domestic violence prevention organization, worked with the 2008 Presidential election, and gained tons of research experience from classes and professors.  Amanda also studied abroad in Paris, France where she took classes in sociology and French. After graduating with honors, Amanda caught the travel

  

bug and decided to spend several months exploring and traveling South America. After working for a few months in Uruguay, Amanda traveled extensively through Brazil and Argentina. That experience created a desire to serve the community back in the states, and after returning, applied for Americorps positions. Luckily, she found a great match for her year to serve and the Yess Institute is where Amanda will be for the 2010-2011 year. She will work with kids at West High School in Denver, CO.  Amanda looks forward to the challenges and excitement to come!