Tomiko Abreu, Director of Programs
Tomiko Abreu, CYD’s new Director of Programs, has already made a great impact on CYD over the past 10 years, serving as College & Career Advisor, Site Director, and Director of Student Support at City-As-School. She is now bringing her expertise in innovative, informed postsecondary advising to supervising CYD’s program staff and ensuring that our services are cutting-edge, consistent across sites, and responsive to students’ needs.
How long have you been with CYD and what motivates you in your work here?
Being with CYD for 10 years in several capacities as well as visiting different sites has allowed me to develop a deep appreciation and understanding for the work that happens at CYD.
The main thing motivating my work is the ability to serve and make a lasting impact on the future of BIPOC students in NYC so they too have access to the depth and breadth of what NYC has to offer young people. Some of these young people would not otherwise have access to individualized and informed college and career counseling in order to achieve their post-secondary goals.
Diversity shows up in many different ways in our work and requires me to test the boundaries of my thinking, innovation, and problem-solving. In doing so, there is an immense satisfaction derived from creative problem-solving. I don’t do this work in a silo, and my best advising wouldn’t be possible without my colleagues. Being part of a community of like-minded individuals within the organization that has a wealth of experience to learn from and build upon has motivated me to continuously improve by keeping abreast of the college and career landscape changes and new technology, and to continuously develop my skill sets.
What are your responsibilities as the Director of Programs?
My responsibilities as Director of Programs are first and foremost to make sure that we have access to all of the tools and resources for our work, that we are delivering the most up-to-date information, and that we are finding solutions for our young people. Since CYD has multiple sites serving different populations under one umbrella, my role is to ensure that everyone is receiving the same training and messaging, and consistently expanding their skill sets. My other responsibilities include utilizing my own school-based knowledge to respond to challenges with sound solutions; generating strategies for improvement; fostering a gratifying workplace culture; creating additional opportunities for students; and potentially expanding programming to additional sites.
What are you looking forward to most in your role?
Utilizing my background in operations, I am looking forward to working with everyone in a different capacity and continuing to build upon the “CYD way.”
How have you seen CYD change from when you first started working here to now?
CYD has changed by adapting to technological advances, infusing technology training into academic experiences, looking into expanding programming, working with new organizations in workforce development, and hiring a younger generation of staff who have added new and creative ways of delivering information and advising to students. All of these changes have strengthened already supportive postsecondary programming as the college and career pathways have expanded and thinking has shifted around what a college-going culture can mean.
What goals or vision do you have for CYD in the future?
To continue to develop a more robust college and career advising training program, create development opportunities for staff, expand CYD’s impact in postsecondary education, open additional sites, keep up with rapidly changing employment sectors and technology, and empower counselors and directors to think creatively about solutions that respond to changes in postsecondary education.
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