Interns
Amelia Barones
Education Intern - Term: 01/2022 to 08/2022
Amelia Barone is attending Aurora University to obtain her Master's in Social Work with a concentration in Child Welfare. Amelia enjoys working with children and families and aspires to work for the Department of Children and Family Services upon completion of her degree.
Alexandra Berkman
Education Intern - Term: 08/2021 to 05/2022
Alexandra Berkman is current student at Aurora University pursuing her Master of Social Work degree with a forensic concentration. Even though Alexandra’s concentration is forensic, she is interested in different concentrations and specialties in social work. She recognizes that a forensic concertation can be beneficial in numerous situations. Alexandra likes working with children, adolescents, and adults and hopes to work with our incarcerated population. A main goal of Alexandra’s is to reduce our recidivism rates. In her free time she likes to spend time with her friends and family, read, and go on walks. She is very excited to begin this chapter at CCWF!
Veena Bijo
Administrative & Graphic Design Intern - Term: 02/2022 to 08/2022
Veena is currently attending the College of DuPage, and planning to achieve her Bachelors in Graphic Design at the University of Illinois at Chicago. During her time at Changing Children's Worlds Foundation, she hopes to help the team raise money for a greater cause and create visuals to advocate for a safer environment for all families. In her free time, she enjoys singing and playing guitar.
Jennifer Carrera
Education Intern
Jennifer has been pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal justice, with a specialization in Psychology at National Louis University since 2019. She has always been passionate about helping children and families within her community and has been inspired by CCWF's mission to help children grow in all aspects by providing the necessary support to help them grow socially and emotionally. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys reading and traveling.
Cagla Celik
Social Media / Marketing Intern - Term : 01/2022 to 05/2022
Cagla (Chala) is a junior at Lake Forest College double majoring in Business with concetration of Marketing and Psychology, minoring in Digital Media Design. She is playing ice hockey for the Turkish National Ice Hockey Team where she participated Olympic Qualifications and several World Championships with. She is also playing for Lake Forest College Women's Ice Hockey Team. She is currently a TA for Web Development class at Lake Forest College as well as Social Media/Marketing intern at CCWF. In her free time Cagla likes to spend time with her friends and family, go to gym, and learn more about psychology and computer science. She is very excited to begin her chapter at CCWF!
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Sara Donis
Graphic Design Intern - Term: 12/2021 to 05/2022
Sara Donis is currently a Junior at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. She is pursuing a B.F.A. in Graphic Design with a minor in Marketing and Professional Spanish. She views graphic design as a storytelling medium and is passionate about utilizing her skills in order to narrate a company or organization’s story and mission. She believes that as a designer, she also has a social responsibility to use her skills to make a positive impact in the world. Family is something very important to her and she hopes she’s able to help CCWF in telling their organization’s story through various print and digital media that will carry on to various communities. In her free time Sara enjoys reading, spending time with her family and her dog, and listening to her latest podcast.
Marisela Garcia
Education Intern - Term: 08/2021 to 05/2022
My name is Marisela Garcia. I was born and raised in Elgin, IL. I am married and have two children.
My undergraduate degree is from DeVry University in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. Currently, I am pursuing my Master’s degree in Social Work from Aurora University.
I enjoy working and helping the community in which I grew up in. I have been at DREAM Academy since August, 2015.
Mallory Gross
Education Intern - Term: 01/2022 to 05/2022
Mallory Gross is a Senior at Elmhurst University. She is majoring in Sociology with a minor in Social Work. Mallory is very passionate about working with children. Her primary goal is to maximize a child's potential by improving their social psychological functioning. In her free time, Mallory loves to bake, shop, and spend time with her dog. She is excited to work at CCWF and hopes to gain a deeper understanding of how parental actions affect children.
Jamia Michelle Jackson
Intern
Jamia Jackson is attending Aurora University to obtain her Masters in Social Work with a specialization in Child Welfare. Jamia loves working with children and doing her part to help in the community. She hopes to work for Department of Child and Family Services after graduation.
Mike Meyer
Web Design / Development Intern - Term: 01/2022 to 05/2022
Mike is a currently enrolled student at Elmhurst University in pursuit of a Computer Science degree in Computer Game and Entertainment Technology. Mike also has an Associate of Science degree from Harper College. He specializes in the end-user aspect of programming and tech development. He has experience in web development going as far back as 2007. He hopes to apply his experience to benefitting CCWF and gain more experience in the process. He enjoys video games and science fiction.
Steven Paulson
Social Media / Marketing Intern - Term: 03/2022 to 06/2022
Steven is an undergraduate student at DePaul University receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Digital Marketing. He is very passionate about volunteer work and wants to use his marketing skills to raise awareness of CCWF, and ultimately better the lives of children. In his free time Steven enjoys listening to music, watching films, outdoor activities, and playing with his dog. He is looking forward to beginning his journey with CCWF and helping out his local community!
Maricela Perez
Intern
Maricela Perez is a current student at Aurora University pursuing her Bachelor’s in Social Work with an emphasis on Child Welfare.
Maricela’s Enjoys working with children, adolescents and adults and hopes to serve in surrounding communities by providing support to children and families through difficult times and ensuring that children are safeguarded from abuse and neglect.
Maricela’s dream is that her dedication, communication, attention to detail and strong leadership skills will open a world of opportunities where she has no limit to the children and families, she is able to serve and support.
By being provided with the wonderful opportunity to work with CCWF Maricela believes she will be able to expand her experience and gain further knowledge to achieve her goals in the future.
Dominic Smith
Intern
My name is Dominic Smith and I am currently finishing my bachelor's degree in Human Services Leadership. I want to work with children to better them for the future. I enjoy playing basketball, doing yoga, and hanging out with my friends.
Natalie Renee Zander
Intern
Natalie is a junior at Illinois State University, where is obtaining a bachelors degree in social work. She has an ambition to pursue in the field of child welfare. Natalie has been a member of numerous clubs and organizations at her campus. She is the social chair of service sorority EΣA and the Vice President of Social Work Club. Natalie is excited to further her passion for helping others with interning and raising awareness for CCWF. In her free time you can find her reading, attending music festivals, or spending time with family and friends.
Volunteers
Amy Eccher
SPSS
Amy Eccher came to CCWF as a volunteer looking to match her analytical skills and business background with her desire to add value to a great cause. Amy brings passion for analysis, and an enthusiasm to be involved with CCWF. She enjoys providing data insights and new learning that demonstrate the positive impact that CCWF is having in the community.
Amy is the founder of StatCAT Consulting, a company specializing in advanced analytics and market research. She provides insights on many household brands such as Harley Davidson, Callaway and McDonalds. She designs surveys, conducts analyses, and interprets complex statistical and data issues. Her consulting and insights provide strong, analytically founded solutions in many areas of research. Amy has taught in the area of quantitative psychology and conducted numerous statistical training courses.
Amy and her husband live in Geneva with their 3 shih tzu puppies. She has 2 adult daughters and appreciates when they are home and the house is full. In her spare time, Amy loves going to plays and concerts. She enjoys cooking, and therefore also running.
Sudha Ganapathy
Salesforce
Hi I am Sudha Ganapathy, certified Salesforce Administrator with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from India. I would take this opportunity to work on NonProfit Success Pack from Salesforce so CCWF can benefit from it. I am excited to be part of the Changing Children’s World Foundation through which I can contribute to the community. I love travel, photography and painting.
Christina Padilla
Event Planning / Fundraiser
Christina Padilla is a senior at National Louis University studying psychology. She wants to continue her education through the Master’s level with a focus on clinical mental health counseling. She loves watching movies, drinking coffee and creative writing. She’s very excited to join the CCWF family to reach her educational and career goals.
Jigisha Patel
Salesforce
My name is Jigisha Patel and I am 3x certified Salesforce Professional who is passionate about giving back to society. Being a mother of two kids, I was inspired by your values and mission. I hope my education and previous experience will be helpful and I will make a difference to your organization. I am grateful for this opportunity to work with changing children’s worlds foundation. In my free time, I like to spend time with my kids and family.
Patricia Reardon
Spanish Translator
Patricia Reardon is a retired teacher from the Dominican Republic. She moved to the United States to attend college, where she received her PhD in chemistry and later her elementary teaching degree. She worked as a research chemist and then moved on to teaching. She taught middle school science and more recently Spanish bilingual kindergarten before retiring in 2019. As an educator, she’s an advocate for children and their families. She is excited for the opportunity to work with CCWF. She raised three children and now has three grandchildren. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family, read, sew, attend theater performances, and go for walks.
Chirag Shah
Technology Advisor
Chirag Shah is the President of his own IT Consulting Firm CSAS Enterprises Inc and has 20+ years of experience working in the Fintech Industry. Chirag has a double Masters Degree in Computer Science & Chemical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL. Chirag is also a professional photographer and loves to capture memories through his camera lens. Chirag is a believer giving back to the Community and working with Changing Children’s World gives the perfect opportunity to fulfill that desire. Chirag would like to use his passion for photography and volunteer his time at Changing Children’s World. In his free time Chirag likes to play football, travel and experience different cultures.
Mallory Woods
Spanish Translator
Mallory Woods is an undergraduate student at Kent State University, where she studies Spanish translation, economics, and teaching English as a foreign language. She has studied abroad in Costa Rica, Spain, and the Czech Republic and has experience interning with an Ecuador-based non-profit. Upon graduation, Mallory aspires to teach English abroad before attending a graduate program for interpreting. At CCWF, she is excited to grow as a translator and learn more about language services in the non-profit sector. Mallory is grateful for the opportunity to be involved with CCWF and looks forward to learning more about its goal of promoting empathy and creating peaceful communities.
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