Jobs for Youth 2022 Highlights: 40th Celebration

“What if every youth in San Mateo County received the support they needed to succeed in their careers?” 

This inspiring idea proposed by Daly City Mayor Al Teglia has led to the creation of Jobs for Youth and the mission to empower our youth as they embark on their professional journeys. Mayor Al Teglia has left behind an amazing legacy that Jobs for Youth is proud to carry on in our community. One of the most rewarding pillars of Jobs for Youth is our Al Teglia scholarship program, where we can recognize youth in San Mateo County and support their pursuit of higher education—however that may look! 

We are especially grateful to our wonderful community as our scholarship program would not be possible without your support! Thank you so much to everyone for being a part of our journey and for supporting our youth in their higher education dreams! 

Due to the pandemic, this past year has been another year filled with unpredictable circumstances and challenges. However, on May 19th of this year 2022, we still had the incredible honor of hosting our 40th JFY Al Teglia Scholar Shine Bright Celebration and recognizing our 2022 scholars! We greatly appreciate and thank all who made our virtual celebration possible! 

We would first like to highlight the Jobs for Youth Special Awards that we had the opportunity to present to four amazing recipients!  

The Mary Paskevich/Carolyn Livengood Award is a special award that honors the memory of two women—Mary Paskevich and Carolyn Livengood—who dedicated their lives to helping others. The award is given to someone who has contributed generously and positively to the San Mateo County youth. We are pleased to give the award this year to John Kevranian who has dedicated much of his time in mentoring youth aged 14-21 and worked across schools in the San Mateo County school district to help youth in their career development.  

Another special award is the Jobs for Youth Community Impact Award. This award was given to Star Vista which Dr. Daryl Tilghman, the Associate Director of Star Vista, accepted on behalf of the organization. Throughout the pandemic, Star Vista has empowered youth through impactful services that ensure youth are supported through their life challenges and have a safe space for them to heal and transform into their authentic self.  

Lasty, we are thrilled to have presented our Jobs for Youth Alumni Achievement Award to Ana Martinez-Gomez and Aloisa Reyes. The Jobs for Youth Alumni Acheievement Award is given to Jobs for Youth alumni who have contributed to our San Mateo County community and demonstrated professional achievement. Both Ana and Aloisa are founding members of the Jobs for Youth Alumni Association and we are so grateful to all of their hard work and dedication. They are such important members of the Jobs for Youth community and we are so impressed by their accomplishments! 

Now, we are pleased and honored to introduce our 2022 Al Teglia Scholars! Each scholar truly shines bright in their own light and we look forward to all of their future endeavors and know that they will continue to bring their unique brightness with them throughout their next chapter and beyond.  

The 2022 JFY Shine Bright Scholars were: 

Yesmeen Alazzeh – Mills High School/Skyline College 

Elicia Alonzo – Jefferson High School 

Day Castillo – Woodside High School 

Edgard Cervantes Meza – Pescadero High School 

Christina Cruz Pascacio – Woodside High School 

Azucena Duran – Carlmont High School/Pasadena Community College 

Diana Guardado – Menlo College 

Juliette Guevara – Woodside High School 

Amber Jaimes – Woodside High School 

Genesis Naomi Jimenez – Sequoia High School 

Mohammed Lashuel – South San Francisco High School/Skyline College 

Lilliana Katalina Magana – Woodside High School 

Raef Makrai – Capuchino High School/Skyline College 

Miriya Mayenkar – Carlmont High School/Canada Community College/College of San Mateo/Skyline Community College 

Miguel Angel Mendez – Pescadero High School/College of San Mateo 

Melissa Paz-Flores – Saint Francis High School 

Anahi Rueda-Perez – Woodside High School 

Kalea Sheung – Mills High School 

Karen Valdez – Woodside High School 

Anahi Vera – Woodside High School 

Meet the scholars and watch our virtual celebration here: 

2022 Scholar Celebration – Jobs for Youth 

Once again, thank you so very much to our community, sponsors and donors, and all who made this event possible! A final, huge congratulations to our 2022 Scholars! Continue to shine bright in your own light!