Meet the Fellows

2010-2011 Fellow Snapshots:


Jill Bradley, Board of Child Care

"After spending [a] year as a Direct Child Care Worker, I am currently working as a Unit Supervisor at the Board of Child Care. The fellowship has been a crash course in the ins and outs of the human service field. Being a part of the fellowship, I have been able to explore several different programs within the Board of Child Care in order to fully understand the services that are offered by the agency. We have also worked closely with our counterparts in Pittsburg to understand their agency and to provide support for one another during our term with Public Allies. This support has been invaluable. To me, service means giving back to individuals or communities in need. Working with Turning the Tide has helped me to take a step back with a critical eye in order to see the bigger picture of human services and to evaluate the effectiveness of programs in order to make improvements."

Jonathan Szolna, Pressley Ridge

"Becoming a member of Turning the Tide has provided me with many unique and valuable opportunities to explore the human services field.  As a Teacher/Counselor for Pressley Ridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I have worked directly with a very diverse population of special needs youth.  At the same time, I have been able to look at the program I work in and the organization as a whole to see how each part works.  Through the fellowship's training sessions, I have gained a better understanding of how the human services field operates, and how to navigate some of the hard personal challenges this field can present.  The fellowship has also provided opportunities to network with many leaders at Pressley Ridge and other organizations, who have become mentors and shared their vast knowledge of the field.  For me, service is the ability to provide support to those who face challenges in their lives, and may not be able to conquer those challenges on their own.  Through Pressley Ridge and Turning the Tide, I have not only been able to enhance the support I provide to individuals, but also enhance the organization’s programs to maximize the services they provide to their communities."

Brent Cook, Pressley Ridge

"I work at the Pressley Ridge Day School Pittsburgh.  [W]e take students who have been removed from their home school district for one reason or another.  Most of the students in our room have problems with aggression and handling frustrations.  I am the Mental Health Specialist for 9 male students ages 8-12.  I work with the special education teacher, family liaison specialist, and special education aides to help our students as they try to improve their behavior and academic performance.  I lead our students in experiential education games, problem solving meetings, and social skills curriculum and help run the classroom and makes sure that expectations are clear and followed by the students.  The most important part of my job is building positive relationships with my students.  These relationships let our students know that there are people who care about them and want them to succeed.  Our main goal is to transition our students back into their home school districts and over the past 1 and a half years in my position we have seen 3 students start this transition process and I hope to see more students start this transition in the future."

Akirah Wyatt, Pressley Ridge

"I am currently a Master Teacher/Counselor for the Home Places program at Pressley Ridge in Pittsburgh, PA. I started working at Pressley Ridge in August 2009 as a Teacher/Counselor, directly facilitating the daily routines of special needs kids living in our residential group homes.  As a Master Teacher/Counselor, I still have ample opportunities to directly care for our youth, while also supporting the staff who are facilitating the youth’s routines.  The experience I have gained through Turning the Tide has solidified my desire to pursue a career in social work, motivating me to begin graduate coursework in social work at the University of Pittsburgh last fall.  Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself working with special needs kids – I studied public relations in college! – but I am grateful for the skills I have refined through this fellowship.  In fact, I’m not sure I could imagine myself doing anything but serving vulnerable populations in the City of Champions.  For this reason, I am eager to continue my career in social work after the fellowship concludes, perhaps working with other populations such as survivors of domestic violence or aging adults."

Download to read about the 2008-2010 Fellows:

Meet the TTT Fellows (.pdf)