ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellows

Alexis Lawson

School Placement: Moore County Schools
Graduate of: Appalachian State University

Alexis Lawson is originally from Cleveland, Ohio and later moved to Charlotte, NC; she has had a passion for writing since she was in middle school. Her work and interest have focused on fiction prose and poetry, in the genre of romance. Alexis graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in criminology. She is an artist who uses writing to openly express emotions that most people feel, but seldom have the words to convey. She is actively writing through her blog and recently published her first book! She enjoys writing fiction through the black voice, incorporating her culture into narratives that often otherwise we do not see black representation in.

Alexis also has experience in photography, social media marketing, as well as youth mentorship through different service projects within her sorority and connections made with the youth, while attending Appalachian State University. She was also an intern for Queen V, where she was responsible for creating blog content regarding feminine wellness and creating social media content for promotion. She is very passionate about making arts more accessible to the youth no matter their background and experience. Alexis is looking forward to introducing a new sense of freedom and transparency through the young minds by way of writing through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Moore County, North Carolina!

Katie Mielens

School Placement: Moore County Schools
Graduate of: Central Michigan University

Katie Mielens is originally from Bay City, Michigan and has had a passion for art making since she could pick up a pencil. Katie graduated from Central Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in studio art, art history, and museum studies. She is a process-oriented mixed media artist who layers and collages papers, paint, photos, and ink to foster new relationships between these materials, as well as document the constant reinterpretation of self-identity and complex emotions. Katie has experience as a Museum Educator and Teaching Artist through her work at the Cranbrook Art Museum, Lansing Art Gallery, Tacoma Art Museum, as well as at other non-profits and schools. She also has served as an AmeriCorps member through City Year Milwaukee as a tutor and after school coordinator. Katie is looking forward to inspiring young people to use art as creative expression, empowerment, and community building through ArtistYear as an AmeriCorps Fellow in Moore County, NC!

Katie Rose Hand

School Placement: Moore County Schools
Graduate of: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Katie Rose Hand is originally from Chapel Hill, NC and has had a passion for music since before she can remember. Katie Rose graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in music with a concentration in Trombone Performance and a minor in Hispanic studies. She uses music to reach out to people of different backgrounds and bring them together through a shared experience.

Katie Rose also has experience teaching through her work at clinics in North Carolina and in New Mexico. Katie Rose is looking forward to growing as an educator and sharing her passion for music through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Moore County Schools!

Nia Johnson

School Placement: Moore County Schools
Graduate of: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Nia Johnson is originally from Pinehurst, NC and has had a passion for painting since she was 13 years old. Nia Graduated from UNC Charlotte with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a minor in art history. She is a visual artist who uses painting to explore self-identity and female representation.

Nia also has experience with community service projects for underrepresented youth through organizations such as College Mentors for Kids at UNCC and Wings for Kids in Charlotte, NC. She also started a visual arts club on her campus called Charlotte Art Academy to ensure that students could continue practicing art in college. Nia is looking forward to providing greater art opportunities to marginalized communities through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Moore County!

Patrice Haynes

School Placement: Moore County Schools
Graduate of: Spartanburg Methodist College

Patrice Haynes is originally from Alabama, but has lived in many places because of her parents’ service in the military. She has had a  passion for performance since the tender age of two. Patrice graduated from Spartanburg Methodist University with an Associate’s degree in performing arts. She continued her studies at Lander University where she was a music major, and will finish the year left of her program after the completion of ArtistYear. She is a performance artist who uses her love for theater and voice, to discover her inner voice and to encourage a positive outlet for others.

Patrice also has experience in mentorship in the field of drama, through her work at Ridge View High School, and at the collegiate levels at Lander University. Patrice is looking forward to being a new addition to the ArtistYear family, and is very excited about the upcoming year serving in Moore County Schools!

Spencer George

School Placement: Moore County Schools
Graduate of: Barnard College

Spencer George is a writer and recent graduate of Barnard College, where she received a dual degree in English Literature and Human Rights with a concentration in Creative Writing. Spencer grew up across the Carolinas and her work is interested in the intersection of storytelling, empathy, and folklore in the rural South, with a focus on the Appalachian region of North Carolina her family hails from. She discovered her love of writing at a young age, and has written across genres, including poetry, essays, journalism, and novels as a repeat participant of NaNoWriMo. Her work has been featured on platforms including The Adroit Journal, Medium, Girlology, Skirt! Magazine, The L’Éphémère Review, and Not Your Girl, an online art and literary platform for young girls that she founded in high school. Spencer was the 2019 recipient of the Peter S. Prescott prize for Prose Writing.

Spencer spent the past year working at Girls Write Now, New York City’s first and only creative writing and mentorship organization for teen girls and gender non-conforming youth. Previously, she was an intern with the Mobile Tour team at StoryCorps, a student researcher on the SIT International Honors Program in Human Rights, and a yoga instructor at a boy’s summer camp in Canada. She can usually be found trekking the woods, looking for coffee shops, or in an airport.

She believes that storytelling is the most powerful tool for connection and change that we have and seeks to use writing and documentary to expand the narrative of rural America. Spencer is thrilled to be returning to North Carolina as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow and looks forward to the year ahead!

Wylie Thornquist

School Placement: Moore County Schools
Graduate of: Williams College

Wylie Thornquist is from Garrison, New York, and has been working in sculpture, quilting, printmaking, drawing, and painting throughout his time as an undergraduate student at Williams College, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art history and studio art. He is a mixed media artist who uses textile art, book-binding, printmaking, watercolor, and drawing to reimagine visual image culture of the past, and explore its contemporary impacts upon embodiment, gender, and conceptions of history.

Wylie also has experience working with food pantries and farms in Berkshire County, through his volunteering work with the Berkshire Food Project. He is looking forward to gaining experience with teaching and maintaining an art practice outside of a college setting as an ArtistYear Fellow in North Carolina!

Aleda Kirstein

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: University of Vermont

Aleda Kirstein is originally from Schenectady, NY and has had a passion for the visual arts since she was a child. Aleda graduated from the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and studio art with concentrations in painting and photography. She uses the visual arts to explore contemporary issues of anxiety, identity and place.

Aleda also has experience teaching, leading art classes at the Fleming Museum in Burlington, VT and improv theatre classes at Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady. She completed a senior thesis in painting and photography for the UVM Honors College. Aleda has shown work in Burlington and in Boston.

Aleda is looking forward to addressing education inequity through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Queens, NY!

Caroline Shriver

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: Fordham University at Lincoln Center

Caroline Shriver is originally from Bethesda, Maryland where she began to develop her interests in dance and theatre at a young age. Caroline graduated from Fordham University at Lincoln Center with a bachelor of fine arts degree in dance and Latin American Studies. She is a performance artist who uses dance and theatre to explore the power of human connection.

Caroline also has experience in teaching dance and movement as a form of service through her work with JUNTOSCollective and in her research on the positive impacts of dance on youth development. Caroline is looking forward to exploring how dance and theatre can help build connections through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Queens, New York!

Conor Flynn

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Conor Flynn is a New York City based double bassist originally from the Chicagoland area. He is an alum of University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance where he studied under Max Dimoff. He has also studied with Orin O’Brien at Mannes School of Music. As a musician Conor seeks to facilitate experiences that allow people to better understand themselves. As a mentor, his goal is to create environments of exploration, emphasizing the validity and necessity of authentic forms of self-expression.

When not practicing or rehearsing you can usually find Conor trying out new recipes, searching for a new favorite bookstore, or walking for the sake of people watching. His playlist includes everything from Puccini to Led Zeppelin and Perotin to Thad Jones.

Conor knows that music represents an ability to take ownership of something larger than one’s-self and one’s past or present circumstances. He is thrilled to be serving Queens youth as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps  Fellow.

Elizabeth Wellington

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: Bates College

Elizabeth (Libby) Wellington is originally from Pound Ridge, New York and has had a passion for dance and embodied art forms since taking her first dance class at the age of two. Libby graduated from Bates College with a bachelor’s degree in dance and politics and a minor in anthropology. She is a dance artist who uses movement and the physical body to explore issues of identity and positionality, as well as how physical art forms can serve as sources of knowledge production.

Libby also has experience in community-engaged research through her politics thesis work as a Community Engaged Fellow with the Harward Center at Bates College. Libby is looking forward to combining her interdisciplinary passions to foster a learning space for emerging citizen-artists to express their voices through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear Fellow in Queens, New York!

Emily Dyrek

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: Indiana University Northwest

Emily Dyrek is originally from northwest Indiana. She has had a passion for painting for most of her life. Emily graduated from Indiana University Northwest with a bachelor’s degree in both K-12 secondary visual arts education, and a bachelor of fine arts, with a concentration in studio arts, and a minor in art history. She is a visual artist who uses painting, photography, and mixed-media to “to explore The Home, self-identity, and childhood representation and imagination”.

Emily also has experience in teaching, and service through her work as a student teacher at high school, and elementary school; she taught short-term at a high school in Indiana, and last year did a year of service through City Year, New York. Emily is looking forward to teaching and inspiring her students in the arts, to help show them how art is a part of our everyday lives, how art can be cross-curricular, and to demonstrate better inclusion in the classroom. Emily serves with passion, joy, and ambition, working to fill the arts education gap, through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Queens!

Erica Gibble

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: Williams College

Erica Gibble is originally from New York City and has had a passion for art, art history, and art accessibility since the beginning of her undergraduate studies. She graduated Williams College with a bachelor’s degree in art history and studio art. Erica is a printmaker, illustrator, and sculptor who uses a number of mediums to engage with themes of gender, environmentalism, and memory.

Erica also has experience in museum education and engagement through her work at The Williams College Museum of Art, MASS MoCA, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Erica is looking forward to sharing her love of art and is thrilled to devote her year to art accessibility and teaching as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Queens!

Jesse Richardson-Bull

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: Boston University

Jesse Richardson-Bull is a theatre artist and educator from Asheville, North Carolina. Jesse received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston University, with a focus in stage direction and dramatic literature. He is a collaborative artist who uses performance to build and deepen relationships within communities and foster our collective imagination. Jesse believes that making art together, gives us the tools to envision and shape a kinder world.

Jesse discovered his passion for working with students while a teaching assistant at a summer theatre program for high school students at Boston University. Upon graduation, he worked at the New School of Music, where he devised original musicals with elementary school students. For the past two years, Jesse has been teaching theatre to English language learners in Western Hungary, exploring the links between language and storytelling. Teaching allows Jesse to grow his commitment to expanding access to art to anyone who finds joy in it. Jesse is looking forward to providing space for creative expression as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Queens.

Joey Solomon

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: NYU’s Tisch School of The Arts

Joey Solomon is originally from Forest Hills, New York and has had a passion for image making since 2014. Joey graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in photography. He is a queer cancer-survivor and disabled Photographer, Painter and Mental Health Advocate. In his photographs, Joey Solomon uses repetition and psychological documentation to better understand his own mental illnesses. Solomon’s medium is often black and white 120 analog film photography. Each of his photographs within this lifelong, ongoing portrait project are grasps at visual examples of hereditary gene passing and symptoms of mental illnesses that are shared by blood. Self-portraits, portraits of his family, and portraits of emptied alien-like landscapes further obscure binary lines between the artist and his mother, stability and psychosis.

Joey also has experience in digitizing and archiving photographs through his work for NYTimes staff photographer and NYU photo professor, Jeffrey Henson Scales. Joey Solomon also has contributed his photographs to The New Yorker magazine and Samsung Electronics America. Joey is looking forward to inspire new generations of visual art expression through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Queens!

Leah Woodbridge

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: Amherst College

Leah Woodbridge is originally from Brooklyn, NY and has been incredibly passionate about performance since elementary school. Their interest in creative writing was piqued at age sixteen. Leah graduated from Amherst College, Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s degree in English and theater & dance. At Amherst, they also won the Raymond Keith Bryant Prize for best performance. They are a performance artist and writer who uses theater, dance, and writing to excavate truths about the self, as well as to engage with and fight back against the harsh political environment of this country and of this world.

Leah also has experience in political organizing through their work with Amherst College’s Direct Action Coordinating Committee. Leah is looking forward to bringing art to students, to help illuminate their lives through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Queens, NY!

Matthew Rotker-Lynn

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: City College of New York

Matthew Rotker-Lynn is originally from Milwaukee, WI, and has had a passion for music performance his whole life. Matthew graduated from The City College of New York with a Bachelor’s degree in jazz performance (with honors). He is a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who seeks to express himself through the improvisatory language of jazz/Black American Music.

Matthew also has experience in teaching and community outreach, through his work at the Milwaukee Highschool of the Arts and PS 145 in Manhattan. Matthew is looking forward to teaching music with eager children through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Queens!

Mayele Alognon

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: Bates College

Mayele Alognon is originally from Benin, but lived most of her life in South Portland, Maine before moving to Louisville, Kentucky. Through all of this moving, one consistent aspect of her life has been the passion she has had for drawing since as far back as she can remember. Mayele is graduate from Bates College with a bachelor’s degree in studio art and a minor in anthropology. She is a visual artist who uses drawing and painting to explore concepts like identity and authenticity as she experiences the world in a black body.

Mayele also has experience in community arts organizing through her work at LA Arts as an intern. As a volunteer with ArtVan, an after-school art program, she got the opportunity to work alongside youth as they honed their various skills in craft-making. Through both of these involvements, she gained a greater appreciation for art outside of process of making. Mayele is looking forward to using art as a tool to build community and to hopefully empower the students she works with through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Queens!

Sam Mackey

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: St. John’s University

Sam Mackey is originally from Troy, NY  and has had an interest in photography and art since she was a young child, where she’d constantly have some sort of project going on. Sam graduated from St. John’s University in Queens, NY with a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism, where she practiced various forms of photography, learned elements of design, and studied writing. She is a meticulous visual artist who uses photography to document the world around her through various styles, and seeks to reveal allure in the mundane. Often going for long walks with her camera and no set path. She likes to photographically explore the area she is inhabiting to establish themes about the place. She shoots both digital and film, often experimenting with new styles and techniques.

Sam also has experience in concert photography and music review writing as a contributor to Pure Nowhere Magazine. She practiced her film photography skills through her internship at Bushwick Community Darkroom, where she developed and processed film leading up to her exhibition. In her free time she enjoys drawing as well, typically flocking towards realism. She has been involved with community projects through her university such as Relay for Life and NYC’s Midnight Runs. Sam is looking forward to showing students that you don’t need fancy equipment to be an artist. She is determined to help others find a creative interest that they were unaware they had through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Queens, NY!

Stephanie Mayer

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: Ball State University

Stephanie Mayer (she/her) is a native Hoosier from Greenfield, Indiana. Primarily a clarinetist, she began playing saxophone and flute to further her development as a music educator, making her a more versatile musician. Stephanie graduated with a bachelors of music education as well as a bachelors of music performance from Ball State University. As a woodwind player, Stephanie played in countless ensembles while at Ball State including the first and second Jazz Bands, Jazz Combos, the Ball State Wind Ensemble, the Pride of Mid-America Marching Band and several pit orchestras. As a clarinetist, Stephanie has performed throughout the United States and internationally. She loves being a multi-faceted artist who uses music as a platform to connect with others and bring people together from all walks of life.

As an educator, Stephanie has taught privately at more than half a dozen Indiana schools. She has experience working with private students as well as with Chamber groups, Wind Ensembles, Concert Bands, Jazz Bands, Marching Bands, and a semester long student teaching experience in New Castle Elementary Schools. Stephanie is looking forward to impacting students through an exciting and well-rounded approach to music education as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Queens!

Walker Zupan

School Placement: NYC Department of Education – Borough of Queens
Graduate of: Northwestern University

Walker Zupan is a recent college graduate passionate about theater, community, and transformative climate justice. As a teenager, he was fortunate to participate in multiple summer programs at Rochester New York’s own GeVa Theatre Center. Here, he discovered a deep love of performance as communication, play, freedom, and self-affirmation. Most importantly, he witnessed first-hand the kinds of enduring friendships and nurturing communities that can be forged through collaborative, artistic processes. He is thrilled to be serving as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Queens and hopes to facilitate theater activities that enable his students to experience the very same joy, connectedness and unshakeable belief in themselves and the stories they have to share.

When not teaching, Walker loves to read, be outdoors, cook alongside his mom, spend time with close friends, and work hand in hand with others in the Sunrise Movement to organize for a more just and humane world. He is immensely grateful for the many educators and mentors who have lifted him up along the way and who continue to shape so much of his work both in and outside the classroom—namely Gloria Biegler, Lynn Kelso, Brandi Lee, Khanisha Foster, Amanda Delheimer, Tony Sancho, and Airos Sung-En Medill.  Walker looks forward to serving students in the Borough of Queens as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Fellow!

Alex Spragens

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Centre College

Alex Spragens is originally from southeastern Kentucky and has had a love for drawing and painting since preschool. Alex graduated from Centre College with a bachelor’s degree in studio art. He is an oil painter who focuses primarily on portraiture.

Alex also has experience teaching through his work at both Centre College and the University of Kentucky. Alex is looking forward to growing artistically with his peers and students through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Alex Wasalinko

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: University of Scranton; University of Strathclyde

Alex Wasalinko, originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania,  has had a deep love for poetry and the arts for as long as she can remember. Alex graduated from The University of Scranton with a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy and minors in French and art history.  She went on to receive her master’s in creative writing with a concentration in feminist ekphrastic poetry from the University of Strathcylde in Glasgow, UK. She is a poet who uses the written word, found poetry, and visual arts as a platform to explore the elements that create identity–with an emphasis on place and interpersonal relationships.

Alex also has experience in community arts development and programming through her work with The University of Scranton’s The Porches Project as a guest playwright and research assistant, teaching children’s art classes in Scranton, PA, and volunteering with the Barnes Foundation.  Her writing has most recently appeared in The Ekphrastic Review, Sixfold, Certain Circuits, Writers Room’s Anthology 6, and First Draft Friction.  For her second year of service, Alex is excited to continue deepening the connections to her communities and students via an interdisciplinary arts practice.  She looks forward to building creative spaces for students’ voices through ArtistYear as  an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Allison Jasne

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Drexel University

Allison Jasne is originally from White Plains, New York and has had a passion for writing and theater since 2010. Allison graduated from Drexel University with a bachelor’s degree in screenwriting & playwriting and a master’s degree in secondary English education with (TESOL) certification to Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages. She is an artist who uses writing and theater to explore issues of social commentary with a critical lens on gender roles and sexuality. Whether in the audience or behind the scenes, she loves to guide her audience to examine their own expectations and inspire them to create change in their community and the world at large.

Allison also has experience in arts administration and theatre production through her work with Philadelphia theater companies especially with Drexel’s Co-Op Theatre Company, Theatre Exile, and Inis Nua Theatre Company along with her hands-on experience in the classroom for her master’s in education. Allison has been looking forward to combine her skills, experience and passions for education, creative writing, theater, and arts administration through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in her home-away-from-home of Philadelphia!

Amanda Nichols

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: University of Pittsburgh

Amanda Nichols is originally from Matawan, New Jersey and has had a love for drawing, painting, and visual arts since early childhood. Amanda graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and minors in neuroscience and studio arts. She is primarily an abstract artist who uses painting/drawing to explore issues and experiences related to trauma/mental health, identity, and personal/public empowerment.

Amanda also has experience in utilizing art in community projects through her work at the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, Pittsburgh Jewish Community Center, and more. Amanda is looking forward to sharing her passions for self-expression and community engagement through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Anna Sudderth

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Yale University

Anna Sudderth is originally from Fort Worth, Texas. She graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in English and a concentration in Creative Writing. Anna is primarily a poet, and recently devoted a year to poetry writing through a post-graduate fellowship. In her own creative work as well as in the environment of writing classrooms, Anna is excited by how play and attention in language can empower people within their own voices and shift the way we relate to our communities and world.

Anna has experience teaching creative writing through facilitating workshops for kids with her college literary magazine, tutoring for New Haven Reads, and volunteering for 826 Valencia in San Francisco. Anna also worked in education and community-building more broadly through her job as a Communication and Consent Educator at Yale, where she worked with various community members and groups to foster a more positive sexual and social culture on campus.
Anna can’t wait to make discoveries about language, identity, and community alongside her students and fellow teachers as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Blair Orndorf

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Lebanon Valley College

Blair Orndorf is originally from Chambersburg, PA, and has had a passion for creating since childhood. Blair graduated from Lebanon Valley College with a bachelor’s degree in Art/Visual Culture and Psychology with a concentration in Art Therapy. She is a multimedia artist who uses process painting and textile weaving to manage emotions and promote self-discovery.

Blair also has experience in serving the community through her work at Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. Blair is looking forward to helping students find new outlets of self-expression and empowering them to find a voice through ArtistYear as an AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

CoCo Allred

School Placement: The School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Carnegie Mellon University

CoCo Allred is originally from Seattle, Washington and has had an interest in visual art since the third grade. CoCo graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a bachelor’s degree in art and a minor in human computer interaction. CoCo is a project based artist who uses sculpture and drawings that propose absurd functionality to question how time and labor are valued and signified by design.

Coco also has experience in arts administration, volunteering at TeenTix as the president of the teen leadership board. CoCo has taught children’s art classes, interned at several galleries and directed The Frame, a student run art gallery. CoCo is looking forward to collaborating with students and encouraging them to bring empathy, curiosity, and humor into the classroom and their community through ArtistYear as an AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Darya Geary

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Iowa State University

Darya Geary was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but spent most of her formative years in Evanston, Illinois. She has had a strong passion for visual arts as early as she can remember. Darya graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in integrated studio arts with a focus in painting and textiles. While in school Darya had the opportunity to study visual arts abroad in Italy. Her work primarily explores the dimensions of the personality and identity of herself as well as of others. Darya has shown her work as an Emerging Iowa Artist at the Des Moines Art Festival and as well as in different shows at Iowa State University. She also worked at the Design on Main Art Gallery in Ames where she helped curate, install and promote exhibits. Darya is looking forward to serving as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Devin Welsh

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Drexel University

Devin Welsh is originally from Lansdale, PA and has had a passion for telling stories since he could hold a pencil. Devin graduated from Drexel University with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in writing. He is a creative writer and photographer who uses creative non-fiction and photography to explore his sense of self and his community.

Devin also has experience in teaching and researching methods of restorative justice through his work at Writers Room and at Drexel’s Writing Center. Devin is looking forward to building relationships with the students and helping them to tell their stories through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Diamond Durant

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Morgan State University

Diamond A. Durant  is originally from Philadelphia and has carried a first love of art and design since the age of ten. Diamond graduated from Morgan State University  with a bachelor’s degree in global journalism and communications, concentrating on how different mediums of media intersect with one another.  She is a digital artist and creative director who uses themes of culture, color and collage to visualize projects in spaces like music, fashion and lifestyle.

Diamond also has experience in community engagement through her work in organizations such as The National Council of Negro Women and College Possible. Diamond  is looking forward to connecting and impacting  students with passion and purpose through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Gabrielle Bing

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Kenyon College

Gabrielle Bing is a writer and performing artist from the Philly-Jersey area. Gabrielle is a graduate of Kenyon College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in religious studies with concentrations in cultural anthropology and visual culture. In her writing and movement practices, Gabrielle explores the surreal in everyday language, experiences, and environments. In the classroom, she considers visual art, literature, music, and popular culture as social and emotional archives from which students can build connection through poetry and dance.

Gabrielle also has experience in community organization and contemporary art curation. She has served as a curatorial associate leader at the Gund Gallery in Ohio, and an intern at The Village of Arts and Humanities in Philadelphia, focusing on their SPACES Artist-in-Residence Program and PhillyEarth teaching farm. Gabrielle has also organized numerous community programs as the founder of Lighthouse Arts Collective in Ohio, an organization which functioned variously as a cinema, café, revolving meeting house and gallery space. In both her organizing practice and creative practice, she aspires to create collaborative pathways for joy and connection.

During her second year of service as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps fellow in Philadelphia, Gabrielle is excited to work with students to create daily creative practices that reveal possibilities for greater connection to the self, community and environment.

Grace Wong

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Carnegie Mellon University

Grace is originally from Queens, New York and has had an excitement for visual art since the age of five. Grace graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with an interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree in fine art and global systems & management, and an additional major in human computer interaction. She is a visual artist who uses participatory interventions, photography, creative writing and new media to document ephemera and investigate how human activity exists across fluid networks in the context of lived experiences, collective histories, and the sociocultural fabric of the post-Internet era.

Grace also has experience in digital marketing and research through her work at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Carnegie Mellon Center for Machine Learning and Health and volunteer work at the Mattress Factory, Hello Neighbor, and Book’em Books-to-Prisoners program. Grace is looking forward to building artistic roots within communities through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Heather Leiby

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Kutztown University

Heather Leiby is originally from Lancaster, PA and has been drawing since she was nine years old. Heather graduated from Kutztown University in May, 2020 with a BFA in communication design with a concentrations in graphic and web design, and a minor in Spanish. She is a graphic designer who utilizes custom typography, hand-lettering, photography, textures, and illustrations to create unique designs and to promote sustainability. She believes that design is a powerful tool that can be used to promote positivity, acceptance, kindness, and to strengthen communities.

Heather has volunteered and collaborated with other designers as a part of Kutztown University Communication Design Department’s Annual Designathon, where students create print designs, illustrations, and web designs for local non-profit organizations. Throughout her time at Kutztown, she has worked as a student graphic designer for the university and gained experience as a graphic design intern for Fig Industries and Infantree, both located in Lancaster, PA. Aside from design, she is passionate about spending time in nature, trying new artistic mediums, experimenting with new recipes, as well as finding and repairing vintage clothing.

Heather is looking forward to inspiring students to express their individuality through art and design and to become confident in their creativity through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia.

Isabella Mojares

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Kenyon College

Originally from Miami, Florida, Isabella Mojares graduated from Kenyon College with a double major in dance and art history. Though primarily a movement artist, much of her work deals with exploring how self-representation can manifest in a way that is both confessional and light-hearted, whether it be through dance, zine-making, or ridiculous journal entries. Research-wise, she is interested in the overlap of the dance world and the art world, specifically looking at the incorporation of live performance in museums and galleries.

Isa also has experience in radio-broadcasting, having served as music director and general manager for her college radio station, WKCO. Her senior thesis, an original choreographic work entitled Pressssing, was presented for adjudication at the 2020 American College Dance Association Eastern-Central conference, and she is proficient in Labanotation, a written system for recording and analyzing movement. Isa is very much looking forward to helping her students find their creative voices through various media as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Jackie Rosenzweig

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Temple University

Jackie Rosenzweig is a visual artist born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. After seeing the impact education and the arts can make in even one student’s life through her own education, she has wanted to be a teaching artist. She received her bachelor of fine arts in painting with a minor in art history from Temple University. Her medium of choice is painting, but she also has a strong passion for graphic design, and integrates fiber arts into her work, working with natural dyes in order to encourage new and innovative ways of creating.

Jackie has been a teaching artist for 6+ years, working with students of various age groups and backgrounds, helping to integrate the arts into their everyday lives and see the utility of art as a safe and healthy outlet to express their emotions. She has also worked with various groups of people in different walks of life and adults with learning differences, specializing her craft to fit every student’s specific needs and personalities. Jackie is looking forward to becoming an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow this coming year and hopes to promote art-making as a way into accessible, adaptable, creative scenarios that are molded for each student, whether it be literal or interpretive. She hopes to use her experience living, teaching, and learning in Philadelphia to promote relationships in which her work will encourage students to reflect upon themselves and their surroundings. Jackie is most looking forward to learning from her students and growing as a teacher, helping her students and learning from them as well.

Jamie Gray Gillette

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Bard College

Jamie Gray Gillette grew up in Jamestown, Rhode Island, where she was lucky to have teachers who encouraged her love for language and storytelling from a young age. In 2020, she graduated from Bard College with a bachelor of arts in creative writing. Her senior thesis was a nonfiction hybrid-form project written in oscillating narrative prose and poetry. In her work she often probes bodily and matrilineal memory, modes of physical record keeping, food and hunger. Her poetry has recently appeared in Bard Papers and Aster(ix) Journal.

While studying at Bard, Jamie Gray served as a trained crisis counselor with BRAVE, a campus organization that provides on-call support to students and leads school-wide mental health and sexual assault awareness programming. She has also interned with Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), an anti-mass incarceration nonprofit based in New Orleans. There, she assisted with legislative research and performed voter education and outreach in communities with high incarceration rates. She has worked as an Editorial Assistant for the literary journal Conjunctions and as a development intern at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. She feels honored to serve as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia.

Janeé Smith

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Janeé Smith is originally from West Philadelphia and has had a zeal for theater and dance since she was 4 years old. Janeé graduated from West Chester University with a bachelor’s degree in theatre with a musical theater concentration and a minor in psychology. She is a performing artist who uses theater and dance to show self-expression and highlight social issues in her community, and dive into the developmental growth of children.

Janeé also has experience in photography, community service and event planning through her work as president for almost two years of West Chester University Gospel Ministries, and as Outreach Coordinator for West Chester Resource Pantry. Janeé is looking forward to sharing her passion with the younger generation just like many have done for her before, through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Jillian Lacey

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Viterbo University

Jillian is originally from Southeastern Minnesota and has been drawing, painting, and mark-making from an early age. Jillian graduated from Viterbo University in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts with a concentration in photography. She is a visual artist who uses photography, printmaking, and ceramics to meaningful layer reflections on past experiences and observations from her physical surroundings to better understand the connections that exist between the past and the present.

Jillian also has experience teaching children and teenagers through her work as an SCI AmeriCorps member at an after-school Makerspace program located in a subsidized housing development in East Boston. Jillian is looking forward to using her art and experiences to advocate for and make meaningful impacts on her students and community through a second year of service as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Joanna Vodola

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Stonehill College

Joanna Vodola is originally from Connecticut and has had a passion for the visual arts since elementary school. Joanna graduated from Stonehill College with a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies and political science with a concentration in international relations. She is a visual artist who uses drawing and painting to explore and bring awareness to social issues.

Joanna also has experience in community outreach through her work with the Stonehill College HOPE Service and Immersion Program. Joanna is looking forward to serving the community through arts education through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Karenna Versalovic

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: University of San Francisco

Karenna Versalovic is originally from Houston, TX and has had a passion for dance since middle school. Just over a year ago she found the sport of Martial Arts Tricking and her passion has now grown from solely dance focused to a broader movement exploration of exploring the kinds of movement that can be done on solid ground from dance to movement improvisation to flipping, kicking, and twisting. Karenna graduated from University of San Francisco with a bachelor’s degree in performing arts and social justice with a concentration in dance. She is a movement artist who aims to make movement accessible to people from all backgrounds and with all kinds of bodies.

Karenna also has experience in teaching musical theater to people with disabilities through her work at the River, worked with movement in the San Bruno County Jail, and has experience in arts non-profit work through her year of service with the Art District on Santa Fe through AmeriCorps VISTA. Karenna is looking forward to continuing to explore the power of movement to empower, heal, and unite through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Kate Tinney

Service Location: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: UC Berkley

Kate Tinney is a writer and performance artist originally from Salinas, California. She has participated in performance in the past as an actress, archivist, writer, director, stage manager, will call-er, shadow puppeteer and, more often than not, audience member.

Kate graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in English with a focus in film. Her writing often focuses on the evolution of self performance and the artistic merit of various early-2000s romantic comedies.

Kate has worked as an arts columnist and theater critic for The Daily Californian with her essays receiving accolades from several publications including The New York Times. She is looking forward to growing as a teacher and writer through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Kathryn Foley

Service Location: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Temple University, Class of 2020

Kathryn Foley is originally from Doylestown, Pennsylvania and has had a passion for film and television since she was 12 years old. Kathryn graduated from Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in film and media arts. In her studies, she has focused on screenwriting and film producing, however she also has interest in directing and animation. She is a filmmaker who uses storytelling as a way of empowering individuals and connecting with others.

Kathryn also has experience teaching through her work as a lead instructor at Black Rocket, a summer program with multiple offerings for children ages 6 to 14 years old, specializing in game design and STEM. Kathryn is looking forward to collaborating and creating unique and exciting projects with students through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorp Fellow in Philadelphia.

Kathryn Schweingruber

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Drexel University

Kathryn Schweingruber is originally from Philadephia, PA and has had a passion for dance since she was 4 years old. Kathryn graduated from Drexel University with a bachelor’s degree in dance. She is a dedicated artist who uses dance to connect with herself, others and to explore humanity.

Kathryn also has experience in teaching and choreographing through her work at Gwendolyn Bye Dance Center, The Dornsife Center, Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia and Drexel Dance Ensemble. Kathryn is looking forward to deepening her understanding of how dance and other art forms can be integrated into the current education system and seeing the positive benefits access to an arts education has on students through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Kelly Vinett

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Vassar College

Kelly Vinett is originally from New Paltz, NY, and has had a passion for visual arts since she was in the 4th grade. Kelly graduated from Vassar College with a bachelor’s degree in political science with a concentration in studio art. She is a visual artist who uses drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and video to explore societal and biological elements often made invisible to the human eye.

Kelly also has experience in arts education as the Visual Arts Instructor for Camp Waziyatah and working as a studio assistant for Vassar College. Kelly is looking forward to developing community-based, collaborative artworks as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia.

Kylie West

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Drexel University

Kylie West is originally from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and has had a passion for photography since she was 10 years old. Kylie graduated from Drexel University with a bachelor’s degree in photography. She is a photographer who uses film and chemical processes to tell stories and document places and people in her life and community.

Kylie also has experience in teaching and service through her work with ArtistYear during her first service year. Kylie is looking forward to continuing her work with students and communities through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Louisa Belk

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Williams College

Louisa Belk is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. Since she was a kid, she has been exploring different visual arts mediums, including painting, drawing, photography and collage, which provided her the space to process the world around her and connect with herself and others. Louisa graduated from Williams College with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, focusing on issues of social injustice nationally and internationally. She is a visual artist who uses mixed media (and creative writing!) to explore her own identities of race, gender, sexuality, and socio-economic status. Through this personal lens, she also questions human society’s complacency in its oppressive relationships to people and the environment. Furthermore, creating art has become a source of healing, and an opportunity to imagine new ways of being.

Louisa also has experience teaching, mentoring, and in community engagement, through her time as an intern at Freedom School Partners, a mentorship program for youth at EOS alternative high school, and an assistant to mural artist and community advocate, Rosalia Torres Weiner. Louisa is looking forward creating a space where kids can feel safe and celebrated in being themselves through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Lucas Gisonti

Service Location: Philadelphia
School Placement: Frankford High School
Graduate of: The College of New Jersey; Mannes School of Music at The New School

Lucas Gisonti is a classical guitarist from Northern New Jersey. He grew up listening to and playing mostly rock music. As he became inspired by classical music he decided to study music in college where he received a bachelor’s degree from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree from Mannes School of Music. At these schools, Lucas studied under Dr. James Day and Michael Newman.

Throughout his college career, Lucas has performed classical, Jazz, Rock, R&B, and hip-hop genres as a soloist and in ensembles. During the summer of 2017, he was privileged to perform in Italy at the Lanciano International Guitar Seminar. The following summer, Lucas was honored to take part in a masterclass with Maestro Leo Brouwer.

Lucas has over eight years of experience teaching guitar, music theory, and aural skills. Music pedagogy has become a passion for Lucas. He hopes he can help people through teaching music the way he was helped through learning music. He is excited to serve as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Fellow in Philadelphia!

Maggie Phillips

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Middlebury College

Maggie Phillips is originally from Eau Claire, WI and has been interested in dance and performance since she was a competitive figure skater at age 9. She shifted her artistry to dance and music in high school. Maggie graduated from Middlebury College with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and dance. She is an artist who uses movement and performance to explore science and experimentation.

Maggie also has experience in scientific research, performing computational and experimental procedures with the Vasiliou Lab at Middlebury College. Maggie is looking forward to further exploring arts integration in her second year as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Fellow in Philadelphia, PA.

Matthew Evans

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Millersville University

Matthew Evans is originally from Philadelphia and has had a lifelong passion for music. Matthew graduated from Millersville University with a bachelor’s degree in Music Production. As a musician, he utilizes digital composition and songwriting to offer an honest exploration of self and his life experiences.

In addition to coursework and independent production, Matthew has also gained a deeper understanding of the studio recording process through his internships with Samurai Hotel in Queens and Milkboy The Studio in Philadelphia. He is looking forward to applying his knowledge and love for music to encourage the growth of a creative community through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Max Temescu

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Washington University in St. Louis

Max Temescu is originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia and has had a passion for drawing and painting since the fifth grade. Max graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in communication design, with a focus in illustration. He is an illustrator and writer who uses drawing and comics to tell interesting stories that encourage social empathy.

Max also has experience in book publishing and stationery design through his work at Abrams Books and Paperless Post. Max is looking forward to sharing his artistic experience and expertise with students while engaging with his community through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philly!

Mia Lisette Herring-Sampong

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia

Graduate of: Williams College

Mia Lisette is originally from Cincinnati, OH and has fostered a love for music since she was cast in her first musical at nine years old. Mia graduated from Williams College with a bachelor’s degree in art history with a concentration in Black representation in photography. She is a classically trained vocalist who uses singing and songwriting to explore ideas of love while centering the healing capabilities of music.

Mia also has experience teaching through her work as an English-speaking museum guide for children at the National Gallery of Umbria during her time living in Perugia, Italy. Mia is looking forward to creating a safe and loving environment for students to experiment with self-expression through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Michnari Robinson

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Samford University

Michnari Robinson, from Joliet, Illinois, is a low brass performer. In 2020, he earned a master’s degree in euphonium performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in 2018, a bachelor’s degree in euphonium performance from Samford University. Michnari is the recipient of many scholarships, most notably the AOP fellowship, from UW-Madison and the Northrup Scholarship, from Samford University. He also has extensive experience as an electro-acoustic performer and composer.

Michnari has worked with many non-profit organizations and schools as an educator, adjudicator, and performer. He has had the pleasure of being a soloist with UW-Madison Wind Ensemble (euphonium) for their 2019 tour through Minnesota and a soloist with the Samford University Jazz Ensemble during their 2017 mission trip to the Dominican Republic (trombone). He has also performed with the Capitol City Band as euphoniumist. He has served as an adjudicator for the Madison Conservatory and the Winds of Wisconsin.

Michnari is honored to share music and to be a part of the Philadelphia community as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow!

Morgan Downing

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Drexel University

Morgan Downing is originally from Columbia, Maryland and has had a passion for making and design from a young age. Morgan graduated from Drexel University with a bachelor’s degree in product design. She is a maker who uses design thinking to explore new ways of communicating and of interacting.

Morgan also has experience teaching, making, and wood working, through her work as a shop monitor at Drexel. Morgan is looking forward to spreading the joy of creating through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Nina Samaan

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Kenyon College

Nina Samaan is originally from Indianapolis and has had a passion for theatre since she was 11 years old. Nina graduated from Kenyon College with a bachelor’s degree in drama with a minor in philosophy. She is a theatre artist whose aim is to create the space for an ensemble to express themselves theatrically without fear of judgment.

Nina also has experience in theatre education through her work at the Indiana Repertory Theatre and Indy Convergence. Nina is looking forward to creating meaningful theatrical experiences and relationships with her new community through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia.

Noelia Uriarte

Service Location: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Rutgers University – New Brunswick

Noelia Uriarte is originally from Cliffwood, New Jersey and has had a passion for Music since 2007, aka 4^th grade band class! Noelia graduated from Rutgers University: Mason Gross School of the Arts with a bachelor’s degree in Music, concentrated in Saxophone and Education. She is a performing artist who uses music to invite people of all ages in engaging with it as an outlet for pure, creative, self-expression, as Claude Debussy once stated, “of all the art forms, music is the most susceptible to magic.”

Noelia also has an excitement for teaching, having a background using responsive classroom and restorative justice practices, through her work at City Year Boston, and other fruitful teaching experiences in Title I schools from pre-k through 8^th grade. Noelia is greatly looking forward to empowering youth, especially those of color, and nurturing their artistic hopes and dreams through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Ross Layton

School Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Graduate of: Swarthmore College

Originally from Manhattan, Ross Layton has enjoyed a personal attachment to creative writing for almost ten years. In 2020, he graduated from Swarthmore College with a bachelor’s degree in English literature (with an emphasis on creative writing and a minor in cognitive science). He most often uses lyric poetry to explore tensions among past, present and future—and to confront illnesses both literal and figurative.

Ross also has notable experience in theater—and in journalism through his work with the Swarthmore student organization War News Radio. He’s looking forward to supporting emerging writers as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Philadelphia!

Delaney Meyers

School Placement: Roaring Fork School District
Graduate of: Oberlin Conservatory and East Carolina University

Delaney Meyers is originally from Columbus, OH and has had a passion for music since she began playing violin at age 4 through the Suzuki method. Delaney graduated from Oberlin Conservatory with a bachelor’s in violin performance, and from East Carolina University with her master’s in the same field, with emphasis on studies in viola and conducting. She is a musician who uses performance in both traditional and non-traditional venues to create spaces for connection, growth, and understanding.

Delaney also has experience in music journalism through her work writing for the publication ClevelandClassical.com. Delaney is looking forward to continuing to help foster access to and expand the scope of music education through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in the Roaring Fork Valley!

Emily Acri

School Placement: Roaring Fork School District
Graduate of: Indiana University, University of Michigan, University of Washington

Dr. Emily Acri is originally from Winnetka, Illinois and has loved playing the violin since the age of 7. Emily received Violin Performance degrees from Indiana University, University of Michigan, and the University of Washington. She is a devoted performer and teacher who believes in the power and importance of musical and human collaboration.

During her doctoral studies, Emily co-founded a piano trio and cultivated a passion for creating programs to be shared in traditional concert venues, educational spaces, and outreach events. Emily is looking forward to learning and growing with her new students as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado.

Gwen Snyder

School Placement: Roaring Fork School District
Graduate of: Tulane University

Gwen Snyder is originally from San Diego, California and has had an interest in photography and drawing since freshman year of high school. Gwen graduated from Tulane University with a bachelor’s degree in studio art, focus in photography, and another degree in sociology. She is a visual artist who uses photography to explore social hierarchies and social norms within society.

Gwen also has experience working within communities through her volunteer experience with the art-based nonprofits such as the Clay Center of New Orleans, ReFOCUS NOLA, and Outside the Lens. Gwen is looking forward to helping students find their visual voice through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado!

Jeanette Adams

School Placement: Roaring Fork School District
Graduate of: Lawrence University

Jeanette Adams is originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and has had a passion for music since age 10 when she first started playing the double bass. Jeanette graduated from Lawrence University and Conservatory with a bachelor’s degree in Double Bass Performance. She is a multi-instrumental artist who uses music to help engage and inspire
others to find their passion.

Jeanette also has experience in teaching, cultivating her own private studio of music students.Jeanette is looking forward to continuing her service to the community through ArtistYear as a ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Fellow in the Roaring Fork Valley!

Julia Foran

School Placement: Roaring Fork School District
Graduate of: University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance

Julia Foran is originally from Aspen, Colorado and has had an interest in playing instruments since she was eight years old. Julia graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in music performance and a minor in gender and health. She is a viola and violin player who enjoys working with other musicians and artists to create art that is accessible and fun.

Julia also has experience teaching through her work with the Sphinx Organization in Flint, Michigan. Julia is looking forward to moving back home, and contributing to the communities that nurtured her own musical education through ArtistYear, as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in the Roaring Fork Valley!

Leila Milanfar

School Placement: Roaring Fork School District
Graduate of: Duke University

Leila Milanfar is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and has had a passion for theater since childhood. Leila graduated from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in evolutionary anthropology and a minor in theater studies. She is a theater artist who uses narrative storytelling to support social change!

Leila is looking forward to empowering students to find their voice through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow in Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado!