Meet Nayeli: A Local Change Maker
Meet Nayeli Sedano.
Mother, San Jose resident, community leader, program facilitator, and most recently: one of the newest additions to the SOMOS Mayfair team.
Not too long ago, Nayeli was a stay-at-home mom taking care of her two young children. She thought any choices or dreams she’d once had were things of the past, and felt isolated.
She soon noticed that her oldest son was having trouble socializing, and realized that she needed to lead by example. At the invitation of a friend, she joined a FIRST 5 parent workshop at SOMOS Mayfair, and was instantly hooked. “I’d always felt held back because I thought you had to pay to get an education, or join any programs…but then they told me there was no cost. I didn’t believe it. But it motivated me even more.”
She continued to attend as many programs as possible, and quickly recognized positive changes taking place within her own family. “One of the most important things was having my kids see me. They could see how our life had changed since being involved with SOMOS. My hope now is that if they see me as a leader, my kids will also grow up to be leaders in their community.”
Soon enough, Nayeli herself began facilitating some of these workshops for other parents in the community. “I noticed my confidence and courage rising. I learned to acknowledge my strengths, which is not something I did before—I used to only focus on my flaws.”
“I was learning from the staff, and also from the other parents. We all had common hopes and dreams of a better future for our children, and that feeling of unity and strength motivated me. I would leave each workshop believing in it more.” From parenting workshops to early education programming and more, Nayeli reached many other parents in the Mayfair neighborhood and encouraged them to be leaders, just as others had done for her.
We are proud to announce that Nayeli has now joined our staff as an FRC Coordinator, and are thankful for her experience, willingness, and enthusiasm to work with others. “I want to share what I’ve learned and support the community that opened its doors to me. I enjoy what I’m doing--- I genuinely care about the families I work with, and want the best for them.”
She admits that the world can feel overwhelming with all of the bad news we hear, but remains hopeful. “Change starts here. It’s a process, but what we learn here is motivation to start making changes, and that eventually leads to changes in our community, and then changes in future generations.”
