The Green Team is a paid job program for Yonkers high school students, providing hands-on experience in community improvement projects. Participants take on real work—building gardens, restoring trails, and enhancing public spaces—while developing valuable job skills, teamwork, and leadership experience.
With guidance from experienced team members, Green Team participants learn by doing, gaining practical skills that prepare them for future opportunities. Whether it's a first job or a step toward a career, Green Team members earn while they learn and make a lasting impact in their communities.
Raymond Foster — Youth Crew Leader
Raymond Foster has returned to Groundwork Hudson Valley for his second time as a Crew Leader. He recently finished his undergraduate degree at SUNY Binghamton with a B.S. in Environmental Ecosystems. In his free time, you could catch him playing basketball at a local park, going for a swim at the beach, and going for hikes all around New York. He has returned because of his love for community building and implementing sustainable practices to better the community.
Brianna Rodriguez — Youth Crew Leader
Brianna graduated from SUNY New Paltz (2025) with her Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies with a double minor in Urban Planning and Black Studies. She enjoys hiking, taking walks with her dogs, listening to music, and horror movies. She found her passion for the environment after spending nearly three years on the Green Team as a Yonkers High School student. She hopes to create greater access to nature for people in disadvantaged communities and shape a world where everyone’s voices are not only acknowledged and heard, but they are also valued and respected.
Nasim Sarder — Youth Crew Leader
Nasim Sarder is a rising senior at the City College of New York. He currently is studying to be a civil engineer with a specialization in water resources and hydraulics. He began as a Green Teamer in 2021 and became a Crew Leader in 2023. His hobbies include hiking, rock climbing, sketching, and working on cars. Nasim became a Crew Leader to pursue his goals of project managment based on green infrastructure. He hopes to pass on his experience and knowledge to the next generation of Green Team Members. Nasim's advice is to continue pushing as the path to one's success is lined with their greatest failures.
Alexander Hall — Green Team Leader
Alexander is a rising senior at Lincoln High School, and his favorite subjects are science and math. In his free time, you can catch him playing video games or going to the gym with his friends. This is Alexander’s third year on the Green Team, and he has now taken on a leadership role. He’s eager to put his leadership skills to use and help guide future Green Teamers.
Christina Hernandez — Green Team Leader
Christina is a third-year Green Teamer who now has the privilege of serving as a Green Team leader. She is a recent graduate of Saunders Trades and Technical High School and will be attending the University at Albany this fall. In her free time, Christina loves to work out, hike, create art, hang out with friends, and play sports. She hopes to accomplish big projects this year and learn as much as possible!
Melissa Monje — Green Team Leader
Melissa Monje is a rising senior at Saunders Trades and Technical High School. Her favorite subjects are math and science. In her free time, she loves going on walks or simply spending time in nature. Sometimes, you will find her practicing lacrosse, as she plays girls’ lacrosse as a sport. Melissa is in her second year on the Green Team and is returning as a Green Team Leader. She is interested in improving her leadership and communication skills, as well as learning more ways to care for the community and the environment. This summer, she is looking forward to being part of a successful team, making memories, and experiencing new things.
Princess Allen
Princess is a first year Green Teamer and an upcoming senior at Riverside High School. She likes to write poems, shop, go for drives, and spend time with friends. She is excited to learn new things, meet new people and go on fun adventures. She can’t wait to make many new experiences and memories!
Fiza Ali
Fiza Ali is an upcoming senior at Yonkers High School and is looking forward to a great summer with the Green Team. This is her first year on the team, and she hopes to build new friendships and connect with people from different backgrounds. Fiza loves science, cats, and the color purple. She is known for her kindness, compassion, and care for the community, and she hopes to help create a better environment for everyone!
David Benitez
David is an incoming junior at Saunders High School, majoring in fashion. This is his first year as a Green Team member. He is currently the president of their crochet club. His favorite subjects are English and social studies. He loves playing volleyball with his friends after school on the field. In his free time, he enjoys playing with his cats and upcycling/sewing clothes. After learning about textile waste, David wanted to join the Green Team to help the environment in any way he can. As this is his first year on the team, he hopes to make good memories while improving his leadership and communication skills.
Justin Carrion
Justin Carrion is a first-year Green Teamer and a student at Riverside High School. He’s excited to begin his journey with Groundwork Hudson Valley. In his free time, Justin enjoys skateboarding, kayaking with a local club in Yonkers, and studying languages like Italian—while also expanding his English and Spanish vocabulary. He’s a naturally social person who loves making connections wherever he goes. This summer, Justin is looking forward to creating new experiences that will help him grow as a person and find meaning in the activities and opportunities that Groundwork has to offer.
Justin believes that everything is a win if the goal is experience.
Samuel Chukwumeze
Hi, my name is Samuel. I’m 16 years old, and my birthday is November 18th. I like to joke around with people I’m comfortable with, and I enjoy playing video games. I’m pretty easygoing and try to live life as peacefully as I can. I work out and consider myself fairly strong. I’m looking forward to the rest of the summer with you all, and I hope to get along well with everyone!
Liam Damon
Liam Damon is a rising senior at Yonkers Montessori Academy. In his free time, he enjoys discovering new music, spending time outdoors with friends, and writing symbolic poems. He has been passionate about writing for nearly three years, using poetry to explore often-overlooked connections between humanity and nature. Along with his long-standing interest in nature itself, this perspective is a major reason why he wanted to join the Green Team. Liam hopes to share his ideas and insights through what has always been right in front of us: Nature.
Christine Flores
Christine is a rising senior at Riverside High School and in her second year as a Green Teamer. Her favorite subjects are English and History. In her free time you can find her reading, drawing and spending time outdoors. She is a horror movie enthusiast and that's probably what you'll find her watching most of the time. Christine's first year as a Green Teamer inspired her to continue and she wants to use her new knowledge and skills to further improve her community around her. She's looking forward to spending time at her favorite sights and improving her skills.
Evelin Garcia
Evelin Garcia is a first-year Green Teamer and a student at Riverside High School. She’s excited to start her journey with Groundwork Hudson Valley. In her free time, Evelin enjoys listening to music, doing henna, editing, cooking, playing volleyball, and driving. While she can be a bit shy, she loves making new friends wherever she goes. Evelin is looking forward to creating new experiences that will help her grow as a person and make lasting memories through the opportunities Groundwork has to offer.
Jayce Gurciullo
Jayce Gurciullo is a rising senior at Yonkers High School, now joining Green Team for his first year. He spends his free time working on circuits, developing 3D models for engineering projects, and occasionally rollerblading. As a new member of the team, Jayce looks forward to contributing to environments in the Hudson River Valley and elsewhere. With a wealth of experience studying bacteria in the Hudson River, Jayce plans to use Green Team to expand his impact to other subsections of his local community.
Annalese Guzman
Annalese is an upcoming senior at the Barack Obama School for Social Justice. She enjoys spending time with animals—especially her cat, Macaroni, and her dog, Ace. She spends most of her time drawing and listening to music. Annalese is very excited to be working with the Green Team this summer!
Keyla Hernandez
Keyla is a rising junior at Saunders High School, and this is her first year as a Green Team member. Her favorite subjects are math and history. She is involved in the robotics club, Youth to Youth club, and crochet club. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, playing with her cat, and playing badminton. Keyla joined the Green Team because she loves helping and giving back to the community, as well as caring for the Earth, just as the Earth provides for us. She hopes to make amazing memories during the summer of 2025, experience new things, and learn more about our environment. Since this is her first year on the Green Team, she looks forward to strengthening her leadership, communication, and teamwork skills and is eager to work alongside her peers.
Hamima Hossain
Hamima Hossain is a second year Green Teamer and rising freshman at Manhattan University. She plans to study mechanical engineering. Her favorite subjects are math and science. She likes playing badminton and riding her bike. She also likes reading books and hanging out with friends. Hamima joined and continues to be a part of the Green Team program because she enjoys being outdoors and helping out her community.
Sergio Lopez
Sergio is a very chill, calm, and kind guy. He currently attends Lincoln High School and will be a senior for the 2025–2026 school year. He likes to stay active; after school, you might find him doing homework, playing basketball or soccer outside, or helping his mom with chores around the house. He joined the Green Team to gain new skills and experience. He is also hoping to make new friends while working at Groundwork. Sergio is hardworking and will be a great member of the Green Team. He looks forward to having fun, working hard, and learning new things.
Paul Montero
Paul Montero is a rising junior at Yonkers High School. He is 15 years old and beginning his first year as a member of the Green Team. In his free time, you can find Paul playing basketball with his friends or younger brother in his front yard or playing guitar at home. Paul joined the Green Team because of his passion for cleaning up the environment and serving his community. He is looking forward to making a positive impact and gaining new experiences to carry with him for the rest of his life.
Ali Nadeem
Ali is a rising junior at Saunders Trades and Technical High School. His hobbies include going to the gym, sketching, and running. This is his first year on the Green Team. He joined to gain knowledge and information about the world around him. Eager to open himself up to new experiences, Ali hopes to strengthen his teamwork and job skills. He is excited to learn more about nature and the environment and is looking forward to making a positive impact in his community this summer.
Kelvin Osei
Kelvin is a graduating senior expecting to attend City College in the fall. His hobbies include listening to and playing music, playing games, watching shows/movies and reading manga. He also enjoys outdoor activities like camping, sports (soccer, badminton), and hiking.
Yohance Parchmant
Yohance Parchment moved from Jamaica to the United States at age 15 to pursue a better life. Now 16, he attends Riverside High School. He chose to join the Green Team instead of working at a place like Walmart because the work reminds him of home in Jamaica. Back in Jamaica, Yohance had a farm and enjoyed planting and working outdoors.
Some of his favorite things to do include working out, playing sports, sleeping, watching movies, listening to music, and making money.
Xxania Perry-Rosado
Xxania is a first year green teamer from Riverside High School. She is working on becoming a future interior designer. Her hobbies include digital/traditional art, cooking, baking and gardening. She enjoys listening to music while she works.
Keila Pivalo
Keila is a rising senior at Roosevelt Early College Studies and a first-year Green Teamer. Her favorite subjects are history and science. In her free time, you might find her reading books, watching campy horror movies, listening to Björk, and connecting with nature. Keila hopes to become an environmental scientist in the future—so be sure to cheer her on!
Afsara Rahman
Afsara (Afsu or Afs) is a first-year Green Teamer from Roosevelt High School. She’s excited to spend the summer working hard, bonding with her closest friends, and building strong new connections with her Green Team crew. In her free time, Afsara enjoys going on walks, cooking, watching her favorite shows, and hanging out with friends. She’s looking forward to a fun, meaningful summer full of growth and good vibes!
Abigail Reyes De Jesus
Abigail Reyes De Jesus recently graduated from Yonkers' Barack Obama School for Social Justice (Class of 2025) and will be attending Lehman College this fall. Nature brings her a great deal of joy and peace—whether she’s tending plants at home, walking in local parks, or admiring the beautiful natural scenery in her favorite video games (even if she sometimes can only watch playthroughs!). Being part of the Green Team feels like a dream come true for Abigail. As a first-year member, she’s excited to meet fellow nature lovers and make a difference together.
Shennaiya Rose
Shennaiya is a rising senior at Lincoln High School with a strong passion for Science and History. After some thoughtful exploration, she discovered her interest in electrical engineering and is now pursuing that path with excitement. She’s thrilled to be returning to the Green Team for her second year, eager to continue learning about the environment and how things work around her. In her free time, Shennaiya loves reading, watching shows, playing video games, and shooting hoops. This summer, she looks forward to exploring local parks and discovering new ways to stay curious and engaged with the world around her.
Daniel Santiago
Daniel Santiago is a rising junior at Saunders High School majoring in graphic design. This is his first year on the Green Team and he hopes to make it an impactful one. He is seeking to gain knowledge and work experience that he can apply later on in life. He is also looking forward to making positive changes in his community. When he’s not designing or studying, you can find him going to the gym, listening to music, or spending time with friends.
Ana Schoeffler
Ana Schoeffler is a rising senior at Yonkers High School. This is her first year on the Green Team, and she hopes to help take care of the environment and help others do the same. Ana likes to draw, crochet, journal, and walk in her free time. This summer, she looks foward to learning new things and making new friends.
Jack Shi
Jack is a rising senior in Yonkers High School. As part of clubs in his school that focuses on giving back to the community, he found a passion to preserve and protect his environment of his beautiful city of Yonkers, New York. Being a second year Green Teamer, he hopes to enrich his knowledge and experience about environmental sustainability. In his free time, Jack enjoys drawing and going to the gym with friends.
Lucas Soto
Lucas Soto is a rising junior at Saunders Trades and Technical High School. This is his first year on the Green Team. He’s excited to meet new people who also care about protecting the environment and is looking forward to making new friends while working toward a shared goal. In his free time, Lucas enjoys running, going to the gym, and listening to music. He’s ready to learn more about sustainability and contribute to positive change in his community this summer.
Aaden Valencia
Aaden is a hard working 16 year-old who is now an 11th grader at Gorton High School. His hobbies are exploring new places, sleeping and playing video games.