TEAM

Kim Mesa, MBA, President of Alliance for Youth Achievement and Arts Program Director
Kim is a former Alum Rock School District Board Trustee and has been on the AYA Board since 2002. She is excited about expanding the breadth of this summer’s Art & Design Thinking Camp. The camp will have multiple Artists/Arts Educators leading each week’s instruction in order to expand the themes and projects presented each week. “We continue to be excited about providing students with the opportunity to experience art in a very engaging, dynamic, and innovative way. The camp introduces technology tools that further expand the creativity of students, while also providing exposure to hardware and software that are necessary for the future employees of Silicon Valley. This year we are providing our Youth Leaders the opportunity to be Guest Presenters and gain valuable pre-employment skills as volunteer assistants. We are proud to bring this innovative art and technology driven program to the Alum Rock community.”

Alba Cardenas, Program Coordinator and Instructor
Alba Cardenas is a graduate of San Jose State University and and an experienced youth educator in Alum Rock San Jose. For the past six years, she has worked with middle school students at the STEM Workshop at the Joseph George Community Center after school program. She enjoys guiding students in STEM journeys and loves seeing students become inspired to work with their hands and learn new concepts. She is excited to guide the campers for a fifth year this summer as the new Program Coordinator and an instructor.

Corinne Takara, Instructor/ Artist and Arts Education Specialist
Corinne is a Bay Area artist and arts education specialist. Her technology infused youth and public art projects engage students as makers and designers. She has collaborated with Alum Rock youth on art projects since 2006, (both in the classroom and in informal learning spaces). A collection of these projects have received state and national recognition for community impact and innovation. Corinne designed and brought this camp to life in 2013 in collaboration with AYA. Corinne received her B.A. in Design from Stanford University. She is currently on the instructional team for the Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College (KCI) and conducts teacher professional development workshops at the Tech Museum. Throughout the year she mentors youth in 3D print design challenges.

Alyssa Winans, Instructor/ Illustrator and Google Doodler
Alyssa is a SF Bay artist working on the Google Doodle Team. She earned her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2012. She specializes in imaginative illustration, and has also worked as a visual developer, concept, and background artist. In her free time, she attempts to garden and make pastries. Alyssa has been a guest speaker in the camp since its pilot program in the summer of 2013. She also has attended every end of week showcase critique and contributed valued feedback to the campers. Alyssa is a returning instructor from last year and is returning to co-instruct the very popular Fantasy Character Design Week.

Dennis Chan, Instructor/ Toy Industry Model Maker
Dennis Chan studied sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design, earning his BFA in Illustration in 2012. He currently is employed as a freelance sculptor, most regularly with Rhode-Island based toy company Hasbro. His work includes both traditional and digital sculpture. In his spare time, Dennis also coaches the wrestling team at his alma mater, Gunn High School. Dennis works out of his home in Sunnyvale, California. He has also been a guest speaker in the camp and a vital part of the end of week showcase critiques. Dennis is a returning instructor from last year and is returning to co-instruct the very popular Fantasy Character Design Week.

Michele Guieu, Instructor/ Artist and Arts Education Specialist
Michele Guieu is a Bay Area artist and an Arts Education Specialist. Her art projects for youth and her participatory installations are oriented towards a better understanding of our surroundings and the consequences of human activity on our watershed and the ocean. She develops “across the curriculum” projects, like the Water Project, a series of exercises about our waterscapes, our water consumption, how to protect our watershed, the consequences of our plastic addiction on the ocean and the marine species endangered by the plastic pollution. She creates art integrated projects for specific units, like Rocks and Soil and Forces and Motion. Michele is a teaching artist for Montalvo Arts Center’s “Teaching Artists in the school program” in Campbell and a member of the Montalvo Arts Center Education Committee. Originally from Marseille, France, Michele lived in Senegal, Africa and Paris, before moving to the US. She received a MA in graphic design from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris (ENSAD).

Lauren Cage, Instructor/ Museum Program Developer and Arts Educator
Lauren is a Gallery Programs Manager for The Tech Museum of Innovation, where she develops and facilitates daily maker-style STEAM programming and workshops. She is also a co-founder of Tinker Belles, where she develops and teaches project-based learning workshops designed to teach interdisciplinary curriculum and help kids develop creative confidence through self-expression. Lauren an AYA board member and recently started her own venture - Magical Thinking. She holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology.

Erin Slater, Instructor/ Science Writer and Co-Founder of Tinker Belles

Erin Salter is a science writer and co-founder of Tinker Belles. Tinker Belles runs workshops in which kids work with simple circuits as well as traditional craft media (e.g. paper, felt, glitter) to bring their visions to life. As a science writer, Erin worked at Owen Software, writing about STEM events, careers, and education for the educational tool Pathevo. Erin holds a Masters in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Eunice Almira, Camp Assistant

Eunice is a former camper and enjoyed it so much that she came back during ninth grade and became a Youth Leader in April 2017. While everyone else was busy during tinker time Eunice was messing around with the fabric left over from the day's project. She made her first flower that lit up and the rest is history.

Shakira Lopez, Camp Assistant

More info coming soon

Youth Leader Assistants

Leonard Morales, Youth Leader since April 2017, Camper from 2014 - 2017

Leonard Morales is a former camper in the Art and Design Thinking Camp program. During his five years of experience in the camp he had a interest during his first year with pipe cleaners and building/ creating creatures and such ( check out his Wire Dinosaur on the Week 4 page and Pirate Ship on the week 5 page). Leonard also has experience with all types of circuits, including sewing circuitry.

Samantha Herrera, Youth Leader since May 2015, Camper from 2014 - 2017

Samantha Herrera is a Youth Leader for Alliance for Youth Achievement and is local like most of the campers. She started as a camper when she was in 5th grade and will be a sophomore in high school in the Fall. She attended this camp for the past 4 summers as a camper and for her 5th summer she is a Youth Leader Assistant. As an assistant. she helps out the campers when they need help, and since she has been in the camp before, she has knowledge of the projects that they are doing and may have some helpful tips. This camp helps campers create useful skills that regular schools would train you to have. For example, one thing that this camp teaches that are not on a regular school's agenda is coding. "I learned to code and now when I do projects in high school that involve coding I already have the basic knowledge." This camp also brings your creative juices to life, they help you on your journey to find your inner artist. As a Youth Leader I also go help with the Pop-Ups Workshops that this AYA has had at the Tech Museum, Japan Town, The San Jose Mini Maker Fair and Barnes & Noble.

Joon Luther, Youth Leader since September 2016, Camper from 2013 - 2016

Joon Luther is a high school student and is passionate about art, coding, and robotics. In her free time, she likes to play the piano, work on her games, and practice the guitar. She became interested in Computer Science when she was a camper in the Art and Design Thinking Camp. She is returning as Youth Leader Assistant and to teach JavaScript game design as a Guest presenter.

Emily Takara, Youth Leader since September 2015, Camper from 2013 - 2017

Emily Takara is a rising freshman at Pinewood School in Los Altos Hills, California. She likes to draw, run, and create 3D print designs. Emily has volunteered at Makerfaire, Mini Makerfaire booths, and at community pop-up maker events for the past four years. She has been a finalist and two time national winner of the NASA sponsored Future Engineer Design Challenge in the Junior strand. This year she was a national finalist in the teen category of the Future Engineers Design Challenge.