Stories of Transformation

Antoine Bennett
1996 graduate, YouthBuild Sandtown, Baltimore, MD
2006 Hall of Achievement
YouthBuild USA Board Member

When asked what initially motivated him to achieve his goal of owning a home, Antoine Bennett said it was a powerful conversation he had with his older cousin in 1996. She thought that he would be an excellent candidate for the Habitat for Humanity home ownership program. In June 1996, Antoine applied to become a Habitat for Humanity homeowner and by December 1997, moved into his first home

Brooke Marfield
2005 Graduate YouthBuild North Central West Virginia
2005 Stoneman Scholar

My name is Brooke Elizabeth Marfield and I'm a 21 year old. I was born and raised in the small rural community of Elkins, West Virginia. There I grew up in a single parent household with my 3 brothers, which one of them is my fraternal twin.

Eimy Santiago
2001 Graduate, YouthBuild Springfield, Springfield, Massachusetts
Attending Holyoke Community College
YouthBuild USA Board Member

My name is Eimy Santiago.  I am 21 years old and a single parent.  My daughter’s name is Alexandria and she is 4 years old.  My daughter is my life and my motivation.

I’ve had a hard life growing up, I‘ve put my family through a lot of stress and lived in a shelter. I’d dropped out of high school and I was five months pregnant when I heard about YouthBuild from a cousin of mine. I wasn’t doing anything but I wanted to better my life.

Erika Garnett-Wootsen
1996 graduate, YouthBuild Chester, PA
2006 Hall of Achievement

Ms. Erika Garnett-Wootsen has pursued leadership skill building through higher education and community work.  With a Bachelors and Masters degree in African American Studies already under her belt, she is pursuing a second Masters degree in the field of Special Education. This degree will enhance the work she currently does as a special education teacher for the school district of Philadelphia. Erika is not going to stop with her graduate education after she has received her second Masters degree. In fact, after she receives her education degree, she plans to pursue a doctoral degree, focusing on GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-gendered) issues

Francisco Medrano
1998 graduate, MAAC Project YouthBuild, San Diego, CA; AmeriCorps member
2006 YouthBuild Hall of Achievement
YouthBuild USA Board Member

Since graduating from YouthBuild, Francisco Medrano has been giving back to his community. For the past four years, Medrano has been working for Breaking Cycles as an Alcohol and Drug Specialist, visiting youth in their homes and in jail to provide drug and alcohol counseling services to them and their families. Most of the young people he works with are reentering school after long absences and are academically challenged. Medrano says that, as a YouthBuild graduate, he wants to help under-represented young people reach their goals.

Greg Griffin
1998 Graduate, YouthBuild Detroit, Detroit, Michigan

I dropped out in the 9th grade. I’d left home at 13 so it wasn’t like I’d had any parents or parental guidance. My older sister would look out for me whenever possible, but it was my responsibility to take care of myself.

Isa Aziz
1997 graduate, YouthBuild St. Louis, MO (sponsored by Youth Education and Health in Soulard); AmeriCorps member
2006 Hall of Achievement

Isa Aziz is a journeyman carpenter who was recently promoted to the job of foreman for BAM Construction, where he now supervises a crew of four carpenters. Isa joined Youth- Build St. Louis because he wanted to get his GED and learn the construction trades.

Jahi Davis
1996 graduate,YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School, PA; AmeriCorps member
2006 Hall of Achievement

Jahi Davis earned a master’s in business administration from the University of Phoenix in 2005 after earning his high school diploma at the YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School and his bachelor’s degree from Temple University. For Davis, the decision to get his MBA was an easy one because he knew it would help him compete in the economic world, develop skills that are in demand, and provide financial security for his family.

Jamie Turner
1997 graduate, YouthBuild Indianapolis, IN
2005 Hall of Achievement

Jamie and her husband, Anthony, bought their first home in 2002. In 2005, they decided to build a new house, which was completed in August 2005. They decided to rent their first home for investment purposes rather than selling it.

Jason Phillips
2001 Graduate from Crispus Attucks YouthBuild, York, Pennsylvania
AmeriCorps Member
Full-time Staff at Crispus Attucks YouthBuild
Part-time Student at Penn State University
July 2004 IDA Program Participant: Homeownership
April 2005 Homeowner

Before joining the Crispus Attucks program, I was incarcerated. I joined YouthBuild, because Crispus Attucks came to my location and gave a presentation on what YouthBuild had to offer – I was sold. They left pamphlets, I did some research, and it was what I was looking for.

Manny Negron
2003 Graduate, YouthBuild New Britain, New Britain, Connecticut

I left school when I was a sophomore in 1998. I was having a lot of trouble around that time and some personal problems at home. I see now that I was making a lot of wrong decisions, but I didn’t see that at the time. My girlfriend got pregnant, and I dropped out. I started selling drugs and going on the streets- really going down the wrong path.

Michelle Casto
2002 graduate, Project Rebuild, Canton, OH
2006 Hall of Achievement

When Michelle Casto began renovating her first house through Project Rebuild, little did she know that, upon graduating and entering the workforce, she would purchase the very house she helped build.Casto joined YouthBuild at Project Rebuild because she was interested in construction and needed a career to support herself and her two children. As a single mother, she was responsible for getting her two young daughters to child care each day before arriving at the YouthBuild site by 7:30 a.m. Throughout her time at Project Rebuild, Casto was always punctual and maintained excellent attendance.

Natalia Diaz
2001 Graduate, Columbia Heights YouthBuild, Washington, DC

I got involved in YouthBuild January of 2001. I heard about YouthBuild because they have a very large sign on the outside of the school. Since I already dropped out of high school I figured I would go check it out.

Robert Clark
1992 graduate,YouthBuild Boston, MA; AmeriCorps member
2006 Hall of Achievement

Robert Clark is the founding director of YouthBuild Newark. He is the first YouthBuild graduate to start up a YouthBuild program. After completing the YouthBuild Boston AmeriCorps program, Clark joined Public Allies, an AmeriCorps community service program for emerging community leaders. At Public Allies, Clark continued to develop his natural gifts as a leader and public speaker.

Sikina Lee
1994 Graduate, YouthBuild St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
2005 Stoneman Scholar
YouthBuild USA Board Member

Sikina Ann Lee was born and reared in St. Louis, MO. She was a member of the YouthBuild St. Louis' 2nd graduating class in 1993, and was the recipient of the "Outstanding Student Award," for being the only female in her class and becoming the Foreman of her crew.

Trevor Daniels
2003 Graduate, Youth Action YouthBuild, East Harlem, New York
Attending Herkimer County Community College
YouthBuild National IDA Program Participant
YouthBuild Asset Trust Gift Recipient
AmeriCorps Education Award Recipient

By the age of 19, I had watched my father get carried out of our apartment in a body bag; one of my closest friends had been murdered; I was smoking marijuana daily; I had been arrested a few times; and I was having suicidal thoughts.