Anthony Phillips
Graduate Programmatic Coordinator

Anthony Phillips is from Philadelphia, PA and received his M.A. degree in Black Religion in the African Diaspora from Yale. In 2010, he graduated as a Benjamin Elijah Mays Scholar with a B.A. in African American Studies and Philosophy from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Anthony finds working for service, leadership, and college access programs gratifying. He is very passionate about observing the impact that student development programs like Student Bridges have on students of color. In 2003, Anthony co-founded Youth Action, a student-led non-profit that provides students of color with training and resources to provide leadership and service to their communities. He is a member of the Advisory Board for several civic-engagement non-profit organizations such as Spark The Wave and the Better Making Men Campaign.  He has interned with City Year and Africare, a philanthropic organization that gives aid to countries in Africa. Through the Smithsonian Institution Minority Awards program he interned with the Smithsonian Institution Anacostia Community Museum, where he worked on a Community Documentation Center project that focused in on researching Houses of Worship in Southeast D.C.. He has served as the Assistant Director of the Scholars program at the W.E.B. Du Bois Scholars Institute at Princeton University, Graduate Assistant to the Dean of the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale, Recruitment Coordinator for the educational non-profit management organization Scholar Academies and a literacy tutor at New Haven Reads.  Anthony is a proud alumni member of The Institute for Responsible Citizenship.

Currently, he is a PhD student in Afro-American Studies in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department here at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. His general research focuses on U.S.Protest movements and Blacks in higher education.

K.C. Nat Turner
Faculty Advisor

K.C. Nat Turner is Assistant Professor of Language, Literacy and Culture in Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies at the University of Massachusetts School of Education in Amherst, MA (umass.edu/education/llc/). Dr. Turner has published in peer review journals such as the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (JAAL), Multicultural Education & Technology Journal (METJ) and in The Handbook of Emergent Technologies in Social Research. New York: Oxford University Press. Dr. Turner teaches courses that span the areas of language and literacy practices of culturally and linguistically diverse urban adolescents (particularly African Americans) in school and non-school settings; racial justice/reparations in education; hip hop and studies of emergent technologies and community/school/university collaboration. In addition Dr. Turner works with middle and high school students in the Youth Action Coalition: Video Vanguards program in Amherst, MA, where he continues his research on the role of multimodal media production curriculum and pedagogy in the development of multiliteracies (especially critical media literacies). Before joining the faculty at UMass, Turner taught at schools in the U.S., Ghana and Japan for ten years, and completed his doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

Beth Mattison
Springfield Course Instructor

Beth Mattison is a master’s student in Social Justice Education. Her research interests include the leadership of young people in social change and media production, inter group dialogue, and the experiences of student mentors. For many years, she has worked with young people from the region through Youth Leadership in the Arts(YLA) and Help Increase the Peace Project (HIPP). When she’s not working or doing homework,she likes to go on road trips with her daughter Yasmina and to spend time with her friends and family, and is an amateur photographer. This is her third year working with Student Bridges and she couldn’t imagine a better assistantship.

Markeysha Davis
Holyoke Course Instructor

Markeysha is a Graduate Intern with Student Bridges and teaches the Holyoke service-learning course. She is a doctoral candidate in the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies and hails from Detroit, Michigan.

Lorena Holguin
MACC Vista

Lorena Holguin graduated from UMass and is now spending a year of service with MACC AmeriCorps*VISTA at her Alma Mater. As a VISTA she is building sustainability and capacity with Student Bridges and the Springfield/Holyoke community. She loves working on issues of access & success and hopes to be a resource to others by creating pathways to higher education for other underrepresented students. She has been involved with Student Bridges since 2008 and says it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of her undergraduate career.

Veronica Hernandez
Co-Undergraduate Coordinator

Being Veronica Hernandez’s third and final year with the agency, she aims to make this year Student Bridges’s most exciting and productive year yet.  Beginning as part of the Retention Team, then becoming Site Coordinator for the South End Community Center, she is entering her most challenging role yet.  As Student Bridges’s Undergraduate Programmatic Coordinator she intends on leading and supporting staff by developing best practices for sustainability, building lifelong relationships, and managing progress throughout the agency.  She wishes to continue exploring her passions for social justice, diversity in education, and youth development by giving back to the community in the form of a middle school guidance counselor who will advocate for and provide programs for youth and their families.

Veronica Quiles
Co-Undergraduate Programmatic Coordinator

Veronica Quiles is a Women, Gender, Sexuality major at UMASS Amherst. Her academic interests include critical pedagogies, alternative histories, educational access for youth of color, cultural media studies, and an array of academic theories (so much theory). She took the Student Bridges Service Learning course last year, and worked at Holyoke?s Peck Middle School. She is now one of Student Bridges Policy Advocacy Coordinators. She also works as a Co-Manager in the student run co-operative People?s Market, located in the Student Union. She?s excited to bring her academic knowledge, co-operative management experience, and passion to the Student Bridges team!

Phwe Main Tham
Site-Class Liasion

Main Main Tham is a currently a junior who has been with Student Bridges since Freshmen year. Born in Myanmar, he move to Quincy when he was six years old. He is the Site Class Liaison and supports all the site coordinators. He also works as an RA on southwest and interns at State Street Corporation. He is a finance major who wants to become an investment manager. His future goals consists of becoming a teacher, getting his masters and starting a loan company for underrepresented students who want to go to college.

Noelle Devoe
Webmistress

Noelle Devoe is a Communications major in her fourth year at UMass Amherst. She has been web designing since the age of 12 when she became obsessed with web development. She has enjoyed being able to use her skills to help keep the Student Bridges website updated. It is her fourth year working with Student Bridges and she is honored to be a part of such a wonderful organization.

Laurie Joseph
Retention Coordinator

Laurie is a Senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst studying Architecture. This is her second year working as one of our Retention Coordinators for Student Bridges. Along with working with Student Bridges, Laurie is currently the President of the Insanely Prestigious Step Team here at UMass. Laurie has always loved kids, meeting new people, and art, whether visual or musical. She hopes to be able to tie all of her interests together somehow and be the best that she can be!!

Jelani Clinton
Retention Coordinator

Jelani is a senior Accounting major in the Isenberg School of Management. She enjoys spending time on the beach and is very interested in theater.  This is Jelani’s first year involved with Student Bridges and she is working as a Retention Coordinator. Jelani in the past has been unable to be involved with Bridges but is excited for this upcoming year both with Retention as well as working at Peck Middle School. She ultimately hopes that she will inspire a child to do something great in the community.

Joane Theopile
Policy Advocacy Coordinator

Joane is a senior majoring in Political Science, minoring in Women Gender & Sexuality Studies with a certificate in International Relations.  A student of the class last year, Joane believes in the work Student Bridges is doing so much that she decided to join the team.  Although there are many injustices Joane wishes to see reformed, Bridged helped her decide that education equality is where she needs to start. Her dream is that one day, all kids will have access to a high quality education where higher education can be their reality.

Meron Makonnen
Policy Advocacy Coordinator

Meron is a senior at The University of Massachusetts. She is pursuing a degree in Accounting and minor in sociology. Meron got started with Bridges during her junior year and was a tutor mentor at Putnum Regional High School in Springfield as well as Peck Full Service Middle School in Holyoke. During her senior year she started working for Student Bridges as the Policy Advocacy Coordinator. She plans on opening a non profit organization geared towards college prep work for underrepresented students in the future. After graduating she plans on working at a Public Accounting Firm.

Camille Rivero
COCA Events

Camille is a senior Legal Studies major at UMASS. This is her second year with Student Bridges and she is thrilled to be part of the Bridges staff, working towards equal access in education. Camille is passionate about social justice and loves working with youth. She hopes to combine her work in Student Bridges as well as the Legal Studies department to advocate for underrepresented groups. After graduation, Camille hopes to work in a community-based organization and then decide whether to go to law school, grad school or…who knows, the possibilities are endless!

Missy Malone
COCA Tours

Born and raised in Attleboro, Massachusetts this rambunctious little lady is sure to put a smile on your face.  But if you’re not in the mood, no worries- she’ll keep a smile on her own face until you’re ready.  Missy initially became involved with Student Bridges her first year on campus when she signed up for the class after hearing about the tutoring and mentoring component.  She worked at Peck Full Service Community School for her site and continued to work in the school the following year as a site coordinator.  She fell in love with Student Bridges and its work.  This year she works closely with Camille as a Community Outreach and College Awareness coordinator.  A recently declared Public Health major, she has a strong preference for working with communities rather than at them.  Usually found adventuring with her majestic best friend otherwise known as a puppy, Otis, Missy enjoys long walks on the beach, gazing off into the sunset, and contemplating our existence.

Fredeline Thomson
Springfield Site Coordinator

Fredeline Daphney Thompson senior is a psychology major minoring in French. She transferred to UMass Amherst sophomore year and took the student bridges class. She was a tutor mentor her junior year for high school students in Springfield doing college prep work. She fell in love with the work that we did and she is now a site coordinator hoping to continue making a difference in students’ lives.

Patrick Michel
Holyoke CHOICES Site Coordinator

Patrick is a 5th year Senior here at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He majors in Biology and Psychology, and aspires to be a Surgeon one day. He’s been involved with Student Bridges for 4 years now and LOVES the core beliefs the organization holds. Student Bridges has given him the fire to fight for social justice on many different fronts. He looks at education as the biggest priority in the social justice field because every child deserves a good education and an opportunity to better themselves.

Angeramis Tejeda
Development & Evaluations Coordinator

Angeramis is a senior pursuing  a Legal Studies and Psychology double major with a minor in Spanish. She began her involvement with Bridges Fall 2009 when she took part in the Service Learning course as a tutor-mentor at Chestnut Middle School in Springfield, MA. Aside from her involvement with Bridges, she is an active member in the UMass community  currently serving as the president of Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority Inc. and member of the Gospel Choir.  She is passionate about social justice and immigration law. Upon graduating, she hopes to apply to Law school, practice immigration law and ultimately work for CSIS department of Homeland Security.

Elsa De Leon
Holyoke CHOICES Site Coordinator

Elsa De Leon is a senior here pursuing a degree in psychology. A student of the class last year, she was inspired by the work and passion of the Student Bridges organization and decided to join the Student Bridges staff this year as a site coordinator for Choices at Peck Full Service Community School. She hopes to become a social worker in the future and take with her the values and aspirations into her career that Student Bridges upholds.

Ramilkia Santiago
Springfield SECC Site Coordinator

Ramilkia Santiago is a senior majoring in public health with a minor in Spanish at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She aspires to a pediatric nurse one day. Her journey with student bridges started her sophomore year when she tutored at Kelly Middle School in Holyoke. She has passion with working with children and impacting each and every one of their lives to make a difference. She is currently a site coordinator in our 4H program in Springfield.

Carlito Weaver
Holyoke/Peck Site Coordinator

Carlito Weaver is a Senior Economics major at UMass hailing from Brockton, MA. He currently serves as a Site Coordinator at Peck Full Service Community school in Holyoke and hopes to one day create a non profit organization for student athletes in his hometown. Before becoming a staff member, Carlito volunteered with SB through panels and college tours. Carlito lives by Ghandi’s words “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”