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Amanda Deering - Director of Operations and Strategy
 Hello, my name is Amanda! I grew up in the Bay Area and am excited to serve my community! I have been working with children for over 10 years and am inspired by their curiosity and creativity. My passion for working with children and understanding the learning process led me to study psychology at UCLA and complete my Masters in Education at the Teachers College at Columbia University. I have worked with children and their families as a behavioral therapist, art teacher, kids yoga teacher and Montessori teacher. I am excited to be a part of a community that allows kids to be kids! In my free time you can likely find me on a hiking trail, a yoga mat or a music venue. I am excited to see these beautiful souls grow!
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Taylor Vecchioni - Program Director
 Hello, my name is Taylor! I grew up in Michigan where I attended Central Michigan University and earned a degree in Online Journalism and Leadership. I truly found my passion working with kids when I was a recreation leader for the City of Dublin. I love working with youth and watching their creative spirits and minds grow!In addition, I have always had a passion for sports, especially soccer, and I recently was a coach for a youth soccer team back in Michigan. In my free time, you can find me on the soccer field, snowboarding in Tahoe, on a hike up in the mountains, camping, reading, writing, photography, creating art projects and spending time with family, friends, and my little blind dog named Lamar! I am also an avid adventurer and I love to travel all over the world. I can’t wait to begin working with these amazing kids!
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Megan Moore - Recreation Leader
Hello, my name is Megan Moore. I spent last summer in Italy working at the boys home for refugees and a refugee camp in Greece. I have volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club in North Beach. I enjoy working with kids a lot and plan to pursue a career working with youth. I am interested in pursuing a degree in Child Development and Sociology. I am excited to get to know the Mariposa Kids. I enjoy playing games and art projects. I am a kid a heart and love spontaneous adventures!
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Dalinda Taylor - Recreation Leader
Hi, I am DeeDee. I was practically raised in San Francisco. I'm currently a student at San Francisco State University. I've been working with kids at YMCA since I was in high school. This is my second school year working with Mariposa Kids. I am open to new adventures with children. Working with kids is my passion, so much so that I want my future career to be as a social worker. I am really excited for another magical year with Mariposa Kids and the team!
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JayCee Guevarra - Recreation Leader
Hello, my name is Jaycee and I grew up in San Francisco. I have had the amazing opportunity to be a part of United Playaz, an organization that focuses on restorative justice and attends to at-risk youths. I graduated from California State University Monterey Bay with a B.A. in Humanities and Communication with a concentration in Creative Writing and Social Action. During my free time I like to write, knit, paint, and read. I am trying to get back into roller skating, basketball, and fencing. I also have some experience working with film and animation. With my degree, I hope to become an English teacher or a guidance counselor for the youth. I am so excited to work with Mariposa Kids and inspire them to create!
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Norbert Elliott - Recreation Leader
Norbert has been building a skateboarding community by teaching lessons in the Bay Area since 2014. He empowers his students by bringing a positive attitude to every lesson. I feel it is helpful to have young people of color instructing skateboarding considering its core demographics. It's also an excellent opportunity to be able to learn to skateboard at such a young age. I try to teach the kids to make small adjustments in their body mechanics in order to find balance and land tricks, which builds self confidence. When the kids share what they have learned with their friends it builds bonds. "Helping the kids is my greatest achievement"- Norbert Elliott (Cultural Enrichment/ Skateboard Instructor)
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Joao Nunes- Substitute Recreation Leader
 Hello my name is Joao but I go by JV! I grew up in a small town outside Boston, Massachusetts and drawn by living and working at Camp Mather, a family summer camp in Yosemite, made San Francisco my home where I discovered a passion working with kids of all ages as a Recreation Leader! My experience and love for the outdoors, music, astronomy as well as photography is something I try to relay to all the children I work with in hopes of uncovering and helping them realize their own interests. Look forward to bringing my knowledge and experience to Mariposa Kids!
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