Global Teens - Meet our Staff & Trip Leaders

Hikaru Kozuma - Thailand #2 Trip 2010
	Hikaru Kozuma, who goes by Karu, is originally from New York City. This will be his first year as a leader for the Global Teens and he is very excited to learn more about the world, the people he meets through this program, and himself. He attended Middlebury College for his undergrad, majoring in English and minoring in American History. He graduated in 1998 and worked for Middlebury for three years afterwards, serving various role as a resident director and housing director. He then went to complete his Master of Education in Higher Education Administration at Harvard's Graduate School of Education. Karu returned to New York and began working at Columbia University in the Office of Residential Programs in 2002. He initially served as an Assistant Director, and after one year, he was promoted to oversee training and selection of the student staff as well as advise the fraternities and sororities at Columbia. He currently is the Director for Residential Programs. When he is not working, he takes care of his dog, plays basketball and soccer, and enjoys all that New York City has to offer. He is looking forward to Thailand 2010!
Cassandra St. Vil - South Africa Trip 2010
	Cassandra is the Teen Director at the West Side YMCA of Greater New York, overseeing 9 teen-focused programs, many of which she was involved in herself as a teen participant at the Vanderbilt YMCA. She holds her Master's in Social Work from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in African Studies from HowardUniversity. She is a volunteer advisor to the International YMCA Leaders Club, past Go Global participant working with the YMCA of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and has led two previous Global Teens trips to both Mexico and Thailand, in addition to being a Global Teen alumna herself (Estonia 1999). She will lead another Global Teens trip, returning to South Africa in summer 2010. She will also serve as a US delegate to the 17th World Council of YMCAs conference in Hong Kong in July 2010. Meanwhile, she is also an active member of the YMCA Alumni Association planning team. Outside of the YMCA, she enjoys dancing, reading, writing, and dining with friends.
Sylvia Sanchez - Senegal Trip 2010
	Sylvia was born in Colombia and raised in Flushing, Queens, New York. Sylvia has had the opportunity in working with youth and adolescents for over fifteen years and wouldn’t trade this type of work for the world. She started her career as a youth volunteer for the Flushing YMCA at the age of sixteen where her journey as a youth practitioner began. She held multiple roles throughout her years at the Flushing, Bayside and Vanderbilt YMCA where she provided her services for over ten years. By the end of her career at the YMCA, she was the School Age Child Care Director where she supervised camps and after school programs servicing hundreds of participants. This is her third year working with Global Teens. Having led trips to Thailand Peru, Sylvia is excited to lead the first ever Global Teens group to Senegal, where she knows teens will have an outstanding time engaging and immersing themselves in this community. She is looking forward to meeting all the teens, working as a team and getting the job done. Senegal, here we come!!
John Cruz - Assistant Director, Teen & Outbound Programs
	John A. Cruz is Assistand Director for Teen & Outbound Programs with the International YMCA. Prior to joining the YMCA, he served as assistant to the President of the University. John has his undergraduate degree in Business Management from Pace University. His Masters Degree is in Non-Profit Management from Pace University as well. John has led three Global Teens trips and volunteered with the International YMCA since 2007. He has had ten years experience dealing with leadership development while working for a number of charitable organizations such as ASPIRA of New York, Inc., Riverside Park Fund and Legion of Good Will, United States. John is an empowering, inspirational and visionary youth worker who will help provide an engaging environment for young people to grow, learn and become. John can be reached at +1-212-875-4334 or cruzj@ymcanyc.org
Chad Nico Hiu - Director, Teen & Outbound Programs
	Welcome to the adventure of a lifetime!!! As program Director since August of 2008, Chad brings 10 years of experience working with youth and teens, and is a life-long international traveler. Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, Chad served two years as Director of Teen Programs for the YMCA of Honolulu’s Nu’uanu Branch and has led international service trips for young people to Thailand, South Africa and Mexico. A strong, meticulous and passionate youth worker, Chad received his Bachelors of Science in Youth Development from Springfield College (MA) and has traveled to 23 countries on every continent of the world (excluding Antarctica), and lived in Hong Kong for two years. Working to empower and inspire young people to affect positive change in our world through international travel and service is Chad’s life mission and he looks forward to leading the superb Global Teens staff & volunteer team through another inspiring and life changing year!! Let the journey begin... If you need to reach Chad at anytime, please call +1-212-875-4328 or Email:chiu@ymcanyc.org