Career Pathways Navigator

Career Pathways Navigators

The Career Pathways Navigators (CPNs) partner with Case Managers to support youth in pursuing their academic and career development goals. CPNs focus on connecting youth to education and career resources, with a secondary focus on basic needs such as housing and security. They facilitate communication with school administrators, teachers, college admissions counselors, and job training program coordinators, and they connect youth to career opportunities, education resources, and other self-sufficiency tools.

How Youth Benefit

CPNs strive to serve as an additional asset to FLY’s case management programs. While programs provide case management, coaching, and mentoring, CPNs can be utilized as career and education resources as well as provide specific coaching, referrals, and connections. CPNs apply a Design Thinking in Career Coaching approach, in which youth are acknowledged as experts in their own lives. The approach also encompasses Motivational Interviewing techniques, Strengths-Based approaches, and Trauma-Informed approaches, with particular awareness of Educational Trauma. CPNs are meant to be coaches, not teachers, and coaching is approached from an orientation of holistic discovery rather than solving or fixing. CPNs meet youth where they are at and provide individualized perspective and support.

“Working with our youth is what keeps me going through this pandemic. Educational advocacy has always been important, but now more than ever I have been the “go-to” person to keep our team updated on the school changes and policies regarding remote learning. Through this pandemic, schools are still finding ways to penalize kids and our youth have been targeted because of this even more so. It has been my job as a CPN to ensure that our youth are getting their needs met from the school and that the school is not unfairly punishing our youth through this difficult time.” – Brianna (Career Pathways Navigator in San Mateo County)

CPNs were pivotal to FLY’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They tracked local housing, food, and other resources so that all programs could connect youth and their families to available community tools. They also helped provide care packages to youth and get kids access to distance learning after the closure of school sites. In addition, each Navigator is helping FLY develop expert knowledge in local education laws as well as forming partnerships with supportive organizations in the areas of career, education, and basic needs.

How to Make a Referral

Referrals are made from FLY staff. This is an additional support available to all youth in case management programs with educational outcomes (Middle School, Leadership, Reentry, and STAY FLY).

Contacts for More Information

• Elissa Espinoza (Santa Clara County Career Pathways Navigator)
  • Cell: (408) 263-2630
  • Email: eespinoza@flyprogram.org
• Alondra Tejeda (Alameda County Career Pathways Manager)
  • Cell: (510) 447-3057
  • Email: alondra@flyprogram.org

• Kit Waffle (San Mateo County Career Pathways Navigator)
  • Cell: (650) 770-5905
  • Email: kwaffle@flyprogram.org

“The FLY group is not just there to give us lectures…They really do care so they help us choose our paths, they help us choose anything of our interests, and they really want us to pursue and be successful.” – Arturo P. (Hayward Community School Youth, AC Law Program)