Spotlight
on Staff:

Gerardo Mungaray

Creative. Pragmatic. Non-judgmental. Gerardo Mungaray, EduCare's Afterschool Senior Manager, has a passion for music. Like many kids, he loved playing guitar. Unlike many kids, after high school he attended the Berklee College of Music to study jazz composition and theory.

From there, he went to The Juilliard School in New York City for a semester. It was a rich experience, but as a wise young adult, he had a sense that the music scene might not be for him; and he returned to Los Angeles. Music stayed part of his life, then as now; but he always loved learning, and ended up graduating from Cal State LA with a multi-subject teaching credential.

He landed shortly thereafter at Bell High School, in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), teaching English to English language learners. It was at Bell HS where he was approached by the school's social worker about a student, Tommy, who was considered to be a suicide threat. He was shy, quiet, and he loved guitar. Gerardo put together an informal group of five or six students, including Tommy, who got together after school just to play music. The group grew to 30 students, and Gerardo realized that as much fun as they were having, they would benefit from setting a bigger goal – holding a concert! The group chose to play the entire Beatles' Abbey Road album. There were requirements: the young musicians had to play (and sing) every part from memory. And they were responsible for attending rehearsals. Students held one another accountable for knowing their parts, and for showing up on time. Their hard work and dedication paid off, and the concert was a huge success for the students. Stu Semigran, as well as staff members from EduCare and Beyond the Bell (BTB), attended the concert and soon after, EduCare (who had just started managing afterschool programs for Bell) invited Gerardo to be the first Bell HS Afterschool Site Coordinator.

There was no model for an afterschool program at the school – but that meant that there was no wrong way or right way to create one, either. "Try it!" became the watchword.

The fledgling venture quickly developed into a robust program, with sports, dance team, theater, homework support, special one-day events all quickly joining the ongoing music program. An assistant site coordinator joined in its second year. BTB's Take Action Committee (TAC) arrived on campus, with its rich opportunities for students to take leadership on issues affecting their peers and communities.

Gerardo's pragmatic, creative, non-judgmental approach to working with students continues to make him an inspiring mentor for young people and educators alike. In 2016, Gerardo became one of EduCare's regional managers, responsible for supervising afterschool programs at multiple LAUSD campuses. And just a few weeks ago, he took on the role of Afterschool Senior Manager, where he is responsible for working with not only EduCare's four regional managers, but site coordinators across all 23 campuses!

Gerardo readily gives students the leeway to be themselves – and also understands that when young people are held accountable, they will figure things out for themselves. He encourages them to make their own choices, as well as to understand the consequences of those choices.

We are so grateful that you are part of EduCare's team, Gerardo, and look forward to continuing to benefit from your wisdom, your leadership, and your enormous heart!

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