If you had told a little girl from the Bronx in New York City, “You will be part of something greater one day,” she would not have believed it. That little girl was me growing up.

The odds were stacked against me in many ways. We lived in poverty in a single-parent household, sometimes struggling to have food on the table, with almost no resources available, and certainly no access to quality after-school programs or services. My mother was an immigrant—she didn’t speak English, she found it challenging to help us with our schoolwork or offer guidance in a country that she did not understand.

Now, as the Director of Human Resources at ASAS, I’m learning about the impact we make every day, and I am in awe. When looking at all the young people we serve—young people who in many ways mirror my early experiences—I can see firsthand how they are changed by the services provided by ASAS.

I wish that all young people could have access to the services we offer and to the caring staff we work with. I am so grateful that we can give first-time experiences to students across the country, exploration of alternative career paths, academic support, and so much more that they would not otherwise have access to if it were not for our programs.

During a recent visit to the Los Angeles chapter, I witnessed the amazing activities provided for students—everything from homework support to martial arts, acting, sports, and STEM.

There was a special tour guide who helped show us around. His name was Max, a fourth grader. He was so proud of everything he had accomplished through ASAS, and he spoke about these opportunities with such enthusiasm and joy. During a break in the martial arts demonstration, Max ran over to his younger sister to give her a big embrace.

I thought to myself, They will share these lifelong memories together. They have each other, they have support, they have ASAS. This is the legacy being created by ASAS. These will be our future leaders thanks to the dedication of our amazing staff.

Our employees are mission-driven and live our organizational values every day. They’re entrepreneurial, creating new training for teammates, and transparent, providing open feedback and communication. At our LA headquarters, I saw this camaraderie firsthand, with staff across departments recognizing each other for embodying ASAS values and serving as role models for our young people.

As the Director of HR for After-School All-Stars, I look forward to continuing to bring the right people into the organization and ensuring we keep this values- and mission-driven work going for generations to come. And like that little girl from the Bronx, we’ll strive to help young people everywhere be part of something greater!

Best,
Mary Sánchez-Alarcón

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