Elmer was born in San Salvador, El Salvador and raised in Richmond, VA. He is a 1.5 immigrant and proud first generation college graduate, earning his B.S. in Community Health from George Mason University and his M.Ed. in Counselor Education emphasis in Student Affairs from Clemson University. Elmer is a hope dealer, bridge builder and healing agent, serving on the DCPS Persists team. Prior to DCPS he worked with racially and ethnically minoritized students and first-generation students in the Center for Multicultural Affairs at Duke University. The best part of college is “seizing the opportunities your university offers from identity exploration, study abroad, internships, extracurriculars and your alumni network.”

Griselda was raised in California and is a proud 1st generation CSU Monterey Bay alumna. She previously worked in Stockton, CA as the Manager of College Access for a scholarship program that provides financial and support resources to students in high school. Griselda is passionate about providing opportunities and resources to access and complete higher education within underrepresented communities. Being the first in her family to receive a college degree, the best part about college was knowing there was a support system dedicated to her success. Having the opportunity now to give that same support to current college students is what fuels her purpose to serve in DCPS Persists program!

Prior to coming to DCPS, Jan worked with first generation and undocumented students through the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural Education at George Mason University. Originally from the Philippines, Jan is fluent in Visayan, Tagalog and English. When not advocating for student equity and immigration reform, you can find pre-quarantine Jan at your local milk tea cafe or at the next anime convention. “The best part of college was getting to explore my identity as an immigrant and an Asian American, either through taking ethnic studies classes or dancing (badly) at Filipino culture nights.”

Jessica previously served as an Analyst on the DCPS Strategic School Operations Team where she built the Incident Reporting Tool. Prior to joining DCPS, Jessica worked for a federal consulting firm, supporting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. She is a proud alumna of Education Pioneers and The College Advising Corps. “The best part of college for me was learning how to go outside my comfort zone – from making new friends, to taking challenging classes, to studying abroad, to protesting unjust campus policies – all of these experiences helped me to become more confident in myself and my abilities!”

Lindsay is a New England transplant and a first gen student who believes in the power of lifelong awareness, knowledge, and skills that come with a college experience. She previously worked at universities in DC, the Midwest, and New England, building early alert systems to create a campus culture of just-in-time outreach and help for students. In addition to her retention work, she spent 7 years in residence life and another 5 years as the mentor for GWU’s District Scholars program. “As a chemistry major in college, I researched catalysts – the ways in which we can make it just a little bit easier to get from Point A to Point B.  Persists is here to do just that: helping students transition through college to graduation!”

Maché was born and raised in Southeast Washington, DC and is a proud first generation college student. She has worked in various universities, starting with the TRiO Programs and then residence life. One of her goals is to help bridge the achievement gap for underrepresented students. “As a first-generation student living in another city besides DC, college was the time to ask questions, get out of my comfort zone, build additional support systems, and take advantage of opportunities that were afforded to me. I learned so much about myself, how much my voice matters, and how to empower others. Once doors opened for me, I made it a mission to hold the door open for others.”

Before joining the DCPS Persists team, Monica lived and worked in New York where she was a College Advisor with NYU College Advising Corps. As a College Advisor, she managed a caseload of 11th and 12th grade students, working with them to develop and reach their post-secondary goals. Originally from DC, Monica is a proud DCPS alumna, and is excited to be back home working with DCPS alumni. “The best part of college for me was exploring several identities I hold including being a Salvadoran-American, first-generation college student from a low-income background. Another part of college I enjoyed was majoring in sociology because it enabled me to put words to my lived experiences and understand many of those experiences as not just individual issues, but community issues.”

Shawn came to DC to do a year of service with Americorps, where she served as a volunteer coordinator for two years at Reading Partners. She then transitioned to For Love of Children where she led programming for middle and high school students, in addition to building out post-secondary and scholarship support for the program’s alums who were in college. “The best part of college for me was being able to get to know so many people. From being a tour guide to participating on the Campus Activities Board, I was able to meet a lot of different people that I still have connections with now!”