Teen Specialists assist BCNY’s Teen Directors and play a key role as mentors and college and career resources for teen members. Our Teen Specialists manage teen programs including BCNY internships, external internship placements, and career workshops for members. They’re already working hard, so let’s be sure to welcome them to the BCNY family!
Dionys Jimenez, Abbe Clubhouse
“As a Teen Specialist I get to help teens become the best version of themselves by providing access to resources unbeknown to them.”
A Boys’ Club member since he was 12, Dionys calls himself a “product of BCNY”. Dionys first worked at BCNY as a lifeguard – and then continued to work as a tutor and a swim coach as an alumnus. After graduating from Binghamton University with a BA in Mathematics, Dionys wants to continue giving back to his community by helping to build its future leaders. He hopes to motivate our teen members to help themselves get into their dream college or high schools, find employment, and prepare them for adulthood.
“As a Teen Specialist I get to help teens become the best version of themselves by providing access to resources unbeknown to them.”
This Teen Specialist is more than qualified to be an awesome BCNY role model – in any language! Dionys was born in the Dominican Republic and arrived in NYC when he was three. A lover of math, basketball, baseball, cultures and languages, he’s fluent in Latin and Spanish, and is learning Mandarin, Russian, and Korean. He also won the BCNY Student of the Year Award, the E. Roland Boy of the Year Award and Scholarship, and formerly worked as a transfer advisor for LAGCC students where he helped provide the opportunity for them to earn a four-year secondary education.
Alexander “Lex” Williams, Harriman Clubhouse
“I’m here to provide boys with knowledge, exposure, and life shaping metrics to help develop them into innovative gentlemen of the new world.”
After working at an adult rehabilitation center facilitating life skills classes, Lex gained insight into how adults fall into certain life altering situations and the impact it has on their lives, “Most fell into these situations at a young age due to lack of guidance, exposure, and mentorship.” Lex realized that if the adults in his classes faced such situations in their youth, then there were teens struggling with the same life altering situations today.
“I want to help [today’s youth] build character-rich identities by providing resources they need and being a role model for them so they can avoid the situations my adult learners experienced.”
At BCNY, Lex hopes to increase the number of teen members over the age of 16 and wants be sure that all of our teens benefit from the resources available at the Boys’ Club, “I’m here to provide boys with knowledge, exposure, and life shaping metrics to help develop them into innovative gentlemen of the new world.”
A boxing and sneaker enthusiast, and native of Chicago, Lex earned a B.A. in Communications from Virginia Union University and has a Master’s of Business Administration from the Metropolitan College of New York. Degrees aren’t the only thing he collects: “I have 165 pairs of sneakers, and 55 pairs of those have not been worn.” Wow!
Carmela Rubio, Gerry Clubhouse
“My role as a Teen Specialist is to be a nurturing and empowering educator and role model for these young men.”
A New York native, Carmela’s love for the East Harlem community brought her to Gerry Clubhouse’s Teen Center. The fluent Spanish speaker graduated from the Warner School of Education where she received an M.S. in Teaching and Curriculum after earning a B.A. from the University of Rochester.
Carmela is ready to face the challenges of youth development and is working diligently to overcome obstacles like finding opportunities outside of the clubhouse for teens to build cultural and social capital.
“My role as a Teen Specialist is to be a nurturing and empowering educator and role model for these young men.”
Carmela is definitely a role model. She’s had a lifetime of experience working hard for what she believes in – during her elementary and middle school years she challenged gender-bias by petitioning coaches and all-male sports organizations to let her play on their teams. Carmela’s hobbies go beyond breaking down barriers: this self-described “tech and nerd enthusiast” enjoys everything from Harry Potter to video and PC gaming. She’s also ready to listen, “Feedback is always welcome. I’m more than happy to lend an ear for any questions, comments, concerns, or complaints from my teens or their parents.”