As a new school year begins, R CITY would like to thank the many interns and staff who blessed our community this summer. Bryanna, Jesus, Sanrenity and Zarriona all brought dedication and expertise that built up our programs and inspired our youth!

Bryanna Mckreith began with us last fall as an intern from the Crown School of Social Work, Policy and Practice. Her ability to teach lessons in social-emotional learning for our Dreambuilders students and compile resources for R CITY families quickly proved invaluable. We were thrilled to hire her as a Dreambuilders mentor in January 2025! Bryanna continued to excel there, leading a popular “running club” for students of all ages this spring and keeping students engaged, growing and active all summer. This fall Bryanna will move on from R CITY as she continues her education in social work—but not before she assists us welcoming our new Crown School intern, Natalie!

We are also grateful for the work of Jesus Caraballo this summer. As a PKG Center intern from MIT, he did incredible behind-the-scenes work to improve our ability to track metrics and analyze program data migrating data from a legacy platform into our current platform to be able to analyze program impact since R CITY’s first year of programming. Working remotely is no easy feat, but we were delighted he joined us in-person in June to meet our team and see R CITY in action- even helping welcome community members during our Juneteenth Celebration.

Sanrenity and Zarrjona—both former R CITY apprentices—contributed greatly to summer programs this year as full-time staff members. Sanrenity used her experience as a Dreambuilders apprentice to serve as a Dreambuilders mentor, and her patience and good-natured attitude made her popular with the mentees. Zarriona, former Harambee apprentice and current Successbuilders scholarship student, brought her personal experience and education in construction management to the Harambee team.

Both of these young women also participated in the MCC’s Summer Service program, in which they practiced leadership skills and networked with community workers from around the country. This fall, Sanrenity continues her education as a scholarship student at Howard University and Zarriona begins training in the Carpenter’s Union.

Their hard work and commitment to community service will be missed at R CITY, but we are excited for their future success!