I Am JCYC text

I Am JCYC shares the voices of the youth, staff, and partners at the heart of our community. Through stories and portraits, the campaign celebrates resilience, brilliance, and possibility. From preschool to youth development, to college access, and to the workforce, I Am JCYC reminds us that JCYC is more than a nonprofit — it’s a Community built Community, Diversity, Integrity, Cooperation, Compassion, and Vision.

READ THE STORIES

Click to Read

Meet

SF YouthWorks Intern

“I am always grateful for the experience and mentorship provided, as it still stands to this day.”
— Zakiya P.

I participated in YouthWorks in the summer at City Hall under Rick Pearman. Once I completed that summer position, I was recruited to become a Youth Leader with Larry Berry.

I graduated high school from a homeless shelter; however, Jerome, Linda, Larry, and Camille attended my graduation. I am always grateful for the experience and mentorship provided, as it still stands to this day.

I currently live in Washington DC. I have my B.S in Aviation Science, Master’s in Transportation Engineering, and 1 year left of my PhD in Computational Data Science Engineering. (I am an) airline pilot, and I will continue to strive throughout the journey and move forward.

Meet

SF YouthWorks Intern, 2021-2022

“I am incredibly grateful for SF Youthworks as I would not be where I’m at or who I am today.”
— Evelyn R.

From my earliest workshop days, SF YouthWorks, equipped me with the essential life skills and confidence to be a mindful team player in any collaborative setting. Working alongside mentors, I learned to lead discussions, deliver clear messages, gather feedback, and truly engage my audience—both as a 1st year intern and YLT (Youth Leader in Training). Exposing me to topics like personal finance, resume-building, and social capital, the program was the pivotal foundation behind sparking my interest in Business Administration and one of the key reasons I was able to get admitted into the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. Most importantly, SF YouthWorks, granted me one of my first understandings of community, granting me a place where I felt understood and heard. It helped me become a forward-thinker, seeking out a career path and spaces where I can generate change and challenge myself to be a better person day by day. Nonetheless, I am incredibly grateful for SF Youthworks as I would not be where I'm at or who I am today.

Meet

Nikkei Community Internship (NCI), 2023

“I can proudly say that participating in NCI has been an impactful experience that has altered my life for the better”
— Hiro A.

I had some anxiety going into the Nikkei Community Internship; I didn’t grow up close with the Japanese American community nor had I ever done an internship before. However, through my time learning professional skills such as survey design and distribution with Kimochi Inc. to the connections made with and knowledge fostered from community figures of the three Japantowns, various Nikkei professionals, and of course my fellow interns, I can proudly say that participating in NCI has been an impactful experience that has altered my life for the better.

Meet

JCYC Upward Bound (UB) 2022-2024

“UB is one of those programs that I feel actually cares about each student.”
— Jessica Z.

JCYC UB…made me feel supported and valued throughout the college process. This program provided me (with) such great opportunities to connect with peers, get access to college tours, and weekly advising, all things that really reaffirmed to me that college was the right path for me. My advisor Alexis was such a gem and was so incredibly supportive and wonderful whenever I had a question about navigating college, the college application process, and tips and tricks to look out for during my journey.

I also had such amazing help from Jackie during my college essay writing process, where he gave some of the most real and helpful advice to help polish my essays into the best they could be. UB is one of those programs that I feel actually cares about each student, especially as every single resource was made to be accessible for all of us.