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As a child Sal, along with his brother Felipe, participated in the Children's Aid Society
Head Start Program. It wasn't until junior high school when Sal was introduced to the Carrera
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. In fact, it was his brother who introduced him. At first,
Sal would attend program meetings and outings. It wasn't long before he was fully engaged
in the program.
At twelve years old, the Ayala brother's mother had left their home and Sal was headed
in the wrong direction. Feeling uninspired and unable to foresee a future, it took some
time for Sal to realize that his mother's departure was not his fault. Sal's initial involvement
with CAS and Dr. Carrera's program was working to establish sound mental health and positive
self expression. This enabled him to make progress almost instantly. He soon realized that
he hadn't
reached
his full potential and his options for the future were unlimited.
Sal was enjoying opportunities he had never imagined. He obtained an internship on
Wall Street and with Knight Ridder Financial, had the privilege of meeting President
Clinton and was able to prepare for the SAT's. With high scores and good grades, he
attended
Binghamton University and graduated in 2002 with a BA in History.
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Currently, Sal is working as Coordinator for Mentoring Services at Catholic Big Sisters And Big Brothers. He reaches out through schools to parents and the community to get kids involved
with the program.
Sal works
directly with kids ages 7-17, he matches them with mentors and tracks the progress of the match. "I really
enjoy seeing kids
that were in my position, and giving back to them what I learned; while learning how
to better the work within it." His future goal is to be an Academic Advisor or
Guidance Counselor.
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