TEAM

Kim Mesa, MBA, President of Alliance for Youth Achievement and Program Director
Instructor/Arts Educator
Kim is a former Alum Rock School District Board Trustee and has been on the AYA Board since 2002. She is excited about engaging youth and sharing their journeys as an instructor this summer. “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 opportunities for youth to express themselves through personalized visual arts projects. We will also provide our Youth Leaders the opportunity to support the summer program and gain valuable employment skills as paid Summer Interns. We are proud to bring this innovative art and technology driven program to the Alum Rock community.”

Josue Cruz, Instructor/Cartoonist
Josue (pronounced ho-sweh) Cruz is a cartoonist based in San Francisco currently working on their second all ages book, Puppy Knights: Quest for the Golden Bones. Their work is heavily inspired by 90s video games, French comics, and manga. Josue hopes to keep creating comics that will make friends, family, and fans say: “Oh that’s Rad”.

Joon Luther, Instructor/Youth Leader September 2016-2020, Camper from 2013-2016
Joon Luther is a student at Bryn Mawr College studying computer science. She is passionate about art and coding, and in her free time likes to crochet and practice the guitar. She first became interested in computer science when she was a camper at the Art and Design Thinking Camp in 2014. This exposure to tech and creativity inspired her to compete in hackathons, robotics, and co-found her STEM nonprofit. She is returning as a Camp Instructor to teach Java game design.

Michele Guieu, Instructor/ Artist and Arts Education Specialist
Michele Guieu is an SF Bay eco-artist/teaching artist. Her participatory installations and art projects for youth raise awareness about the current ecological crisis and the urgent necessity to reconnect with nature. Many of her projects are inspired by the ocean, including a series of installations about plankton. Michele has been an instructor in the AYA summer camp program since 2015 and is returning in 2022 to co-instruct during the STEAM Smorgasbord week. Originally from France, Michele lived in Senegal, Africa, and Paris, before moving to the US. She received an MA in graphic design from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris (ENSAD).

Lauren Cage, Instructor/Content Specialist and Arts Educator
Lauren is an informal educator living in San Jose. She develops educational content and professional development for The Tech Interactive. During non-COVID times, Lauren taught project-based learning workshops at libraries around the Bay Area under the name Magical Thinking. She holds an M.A. in cultural anthropology.

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 previous years and is returning to co-instruct during the STEAM Smorgasbord 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 previous years and is returning to co-instruct during the STEAM Smorgasbord week.

Danielle Martin, Instructor/Maker Educator
As co-author of the book Start Making! A Guide to Engaging Young People in Maker Activities, I have 20+ years of experience in instructional design, youth & workforce development, tech & media education, and community organizing. Since the fall of 2018, I'm on a journey as a formal educator, as a Career Technical Ed / Makerspace teacher now at East Palo Alto Academy Dream Lab, starting two new makerspace classrooms and elective courses, aligned to STEM standards and CTE pathways. Before that, I infused making with informal education and instructional design, as a learner and facilitator with programs like Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, global Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, Krause Center for Innovation @ Foothill College Makerspace, Maker Ed, Team4Tech, Fab Foundation SCOPES-df, and Ravenswood Makerspace Collaborative. I hold a BA in Communication Studies from URI, and a Master in City Planning from MIT, as well as completing the 2018 EnCorps STEM Teaching fellowship and the KCI UniDiversity Makerspace Coordinator Certificate in 2019. More on me at http://bit.ly/mizzd43flavors.

Amy Brown, Instructor/Artist and Sewist
Amy Brown wants to teach the world to sew- we all benefit from the joy and utility of fabric arts. She is a self-taught artist and sewist, with 15 years of experience in learning by doing. Sewing, pattern-making, surface design, embroidery, needle-felting, manufacturing and materials sourcing are a few skills she brings to the table. Speaking of tables, her current hobby is beginning woodworking!

When she's not teaching, Amy is designing new plush for her Jumbo Jibbles business or creating fabric sculptures, quilts and 3D paintings in her studio at a defunct skating rink in San Jose. Amy has taught sewing to all ages since 2011 and is always interested in learning something new from her students.

Eliane Bauer, Program Coordinator
Eliane received a Bachelors degree from San Jose State University and is interested in environmental and social science education. In her free time she likes to do arts and crafts projects and values the intersection of different disciplines in learning. Eliane will be responsible for providing instructional support, staff supervision, classroom & camper support, and overall documentation and reporting.

Leonard Morales, Classroom Program Assistant/Youth Leader April 2017-2021, Camper from 2014-2017
As a former camper what feels like eons ago, during my seven years here I learned to develop skills for both asserting myself as an individual and being more expansive. During my first year I grew from pipe cleaner monsters to complex wire structures. To even game design (thanks to Joon).

Alyssa Alaiafune, Administrative Program Assistant
Alyssa is studying Computer Science and Studio Art at Cornell College. She grew up in the Bay Area and has moved back for the summer to be part of the camp. She has an interest in video game design and in her free time she makes art.

Youth Leader Summer Interns

Penny Medina-Sanchez, Youth Leader Summer Intern/Youth Leader since 2018, Camper from 2016-2019
Penny will be a Junior at Abraham Lincoln High School in the fall. Her experience with Art and Design Thinking Camp has been a 7-year journey, starting the summer after 4th grade. She loves working with circuits and biomaterials. On the side, she loves to thrift shop and read.

Adam Fay, Youth Leader Summer Intern/ Youth Leader since 2017, Camper from 2015-2019
Adam Fay has been involved with the Art and Design Thinking Camp program for almost eight years now. His favorite things to do are character design, storytelling, and creating plushies and puppets. He also likes to design and write stories in his free time. He hopes to help this newest generation of campers find their passions through the camp, just like he has.