Newsletter  |  February 2023

JVL Wildcat Newsletter


February 2023

The following Wildcats attended classes at least 80% of school days in January:


Abreu,Cristian
Almonte, Chemely
Antoine, Shani
Bah, Kadiatou
Bing, Blair
Brown, Michael
Coleman, Shanyia
Cuevas, Anabel
Deida, Ethan
Diaz, Aaliyah
Dorsey, Damya
Dotel, Christopher
Frederick, Augustine
Garcia,Nikaury
Gaspar, Roberto
Goldsmith, Tatiani



Gomez Romero, Jiancarlo
Gonzalez, Nixael
Gonzalez Diaz, Yelfri
Gooden Santiago, Zhane
Hinds, Marcquese
Lindo, Carlos
Lopez-Tovar, Jhovany
McBeth, Jonathan
McCoy, Davae
Merchinson, Neema
Morrison, Paris
Niack, Sokhna
Nuñez, Alondra
Outram, Jashua
Pierre-Louis, Shamar
Reyes, Lea



Reyes, Alianna
Reyes, Malean
Rivas Garcia, Dionis
Robinson, Omari
Rodriguez, Daisy
Sharrock, Khary
Tejeda Flores, Joel
Thomas, Shar
Thompson, Miguel
Toledo, Destiny
Velez, Jaidean 
West, Sakaiia


Check out our Honor Roll students! 

1st Honor

Nikaury Garcia, Roberto Gaspar, Sokhna Niack, Engel Perez, Alianna Reyes, Kenneth Stewart, Shar Thomas

2nd Honors

Chemely Almonte, Shani Antoine, Francisco Araiza, Kadiatou Bah, Nyla Donovan, Jiancarlo Gomez Romero, Marcquese Hinds, Tashai Huntley, Kayla Jean, Carlos Lindo, Dianel Luna Rodriguez, Alondra Nuñez, Khary Sharrock, Mariam Traore, Sakaiia West

Honorable Mention

Cristian Abreu, Ally Aguilar, Blair Bing, Jahmari Cato, Shirleen Gutierrez, Willianie Marmolejos, Samantha Mendoza, Brandon Millingen, Lea Reyes, Malean Reyes, Kayla Vallejo


Wildcat Alumni Spotlight:
John Gomez

John Gomez (he/she/they) has explored various fields since graduating in 2017. They worked for two years as a Substitute Teacher in a Group Family Daycare. The next two years they learned how to work as a Dental Assistant, and now they are working as a Direct Support Professional with individuals who are disabled or developmentally delayed. In Spring 2023, John decided to go back to school for an Associate’s Degree in Computer Science at Borough of Manhattan Community College. In the past few years, John has also explored the world, including Montreal and Paris, with their bestfriend from JVL Wildcat. They’re in a band together that you can check out on Instagram: @kahunaband

John is proud of: “Returning to school for a degree in Computer Science since I’ve finally decided to work in computer programming when I graduate.” 

John’s best Wildcat memory: “Interning as a teacher’s assistant with Darah Kasten and Luba Koziokolwski. It was a very thorough learning experience and I had tons of fun given the cheery atmosphere.”

John’s advice for current Wildcats: “Try and figure out where you see yourself in 5-10 years and work towards it once you graduate. It took me 6 years of traveling and working once I graduated to figure out what I wanted to do, but still don’t forget to live in the present while working towards the future. Varied experiences will help you in the long run. Also make sure to surround yourself with people who care and grow with you.” 

If you know of or are, yourself a Wildcat Superstar Alum who would like to share an inspiring story with our community, we would love to hear from you! Email counseling@jvlwildcat.org


Instagram Post Highlight

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Mindfulness can help ease anxiety 

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center found that a guided mindfulness-based stress reduction program can be as effective as medication in helping individuals with anxiety (read about the study here). The types of anxiety include social anxiety, panic disorder and fear of certain places or situations. 

What does mindfulness do? Mindfulness helps us become more aware of our thoughts and feelings right as they are happening. This increased awareness allows us to have more control over how we will respond to the feeling. 

A participant in the study shared their experience: "Once you have awareness of an anxious reaction, then you can make a choice for how to deal with it. It’s not like a magic cure, but it was a lifelong kind of training. Instead of my anxiety progressing, it went in the other direction, and I’m very grateful for that.” 

Meditation is a common mindfulness technique but there are also other ways to practice, including mindful eating, mindful walking and deep breathing.

Learn more

Resource of the Month


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Year Up

Year Up is a free job training program that takes about 1 year to complete. Industries include Business, Finance, Information Technology and Software Development. After training, Year Up will place you in an internship and then help you with the job search once you complete the program. You may also receive an Education Stipend to earn a college degree. Student support services are also available to help with housing, food, transportation and/or childcare. 

There are various training locations across the country, including a Wall Street campus. Once you graduate from high school you may be eligible to apply.  

In order to be featured in the monthly newsletter, be sure to attend classes at least 80% of school days during the month.