Job Shadow Day Brings Out Some of the Island's Brightest

This past Thursday, Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative (MVYLI) youth were matched with Vineyard businesses and received first-hand experience in jobs in their fields of interest. These young people aspire to become architects, economists, engineers, doctors, nurses, small farm lobbyists, environmental scientists, financial services and international relations. The goal is to give youth a positive experience of the world of work, promote a good work ethic, and develop longer-lasting relationships that contribute to the Island’s economy.

Here is a list of the participants and their mentors:

Isabella El-Diery, Future: International Relations

Isabella El-Diery is a junior at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS). She served as a youth delegate to MVYLI’s 2011 Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development. She has been actively involved with MVYLI’s College Prep & Field Trip Program visiting Brandeis University and Babson College. 

El-Diery is President of Young Sisters Mentoring Group and helped organize a food drive at Thanksgiving and a winter coat drive. She is also a member of MVRHS Model UN, a club that holds mock trials of the United Nations and travels annually to New York City. She was in the UNICEF Committee studying children and AIDS and children tracking. She was matched with the countries of Angola, Africa (2011) and Côte d’Ivoire, Africa (2012). El-Diery’s dream is to have a position in a company or organization working with developing nations.

El-Diery was paired with Rose Styron - poet, journalist and human rights activist. In 1970, following an Afro- Asian writers conference in the Soviet Union and Tashkent, Styron joined the founding group of Amnesty International USA and has since served on the boards of NGOs including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, The Reebok Human Rights Foundation, Human Rights First, Equality Now and the Project on Justice. Styron has chaired PEN’s Freedom-to-Write Committee, Amnesty International USA’s National Advisory Council, and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial’s Human Rights Awards. She is an overseer for New York University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and a long-time member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2009 and 2010, Styron was a teaching fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School.

Cerina Gordon, Future: Green Engineer

Cerina Gordon is a National Honor Society senior at MVRHS. She served as a youth delegate to the 2011 Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development. She participated in the MVYLI Bioneers-by-the-Bay Conference and as part of MVYLI’s College Prep & Field Trip Program, Gordon traveled to the University of Massachusetts and met with sustainable building leader Professor Dave Demry. Gordon has worked with the Trustees of the Reservation on the Island Bee Survey and volunteered
for the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group. As a member of MVYLI’s 2020 Sustainable Vineyard Team, Gordon is developing the section on sustainable building for the report that will be presented to the Town of Tisbury Selectmen and the All Island Selectmen. Her dream is to attend CalTech.

Gordon was paired with Brian Nelson, a Master Plumber and Sheet metal Master licensed in Massachusetts. He has a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University and is a resident of Martha's Vineyard.

Nelson Mechanical Design, Inc. is the Vineyard’s “green” mechanical contractor. Started in 2005 by Brian Nelson and David Sprague, Nelson Mechanical Design (NMD) has been a leader in the installation of "green" systems - geothermal, solar, heat pumps, plumbing, and advanced control systems. NMD designed and installed the "green" heating and cooling systems for first two LEED for homes projects here on the Vineyard. NMD was awarded 1st place in “Most Innovative Green Design” and 2nd place in “Best Residential Green Design” in the 2009 Green Mechanical Awards. Their solar hot water systems include the Island’s largest residential solar hot water system (20 panels) and the first and only commercial solar hot water installation (Atria Restaurant). They introduced the revolutionary air to water heat pump for radiant and domestic hot water heating to the Vineyard in 2011 and they received the 2010 Contractor of the Year from Contractor Magazine.

Emma HallBilsback,
 Future: Farmer and Small Farm Lobbyist

Emma HallBilsback is a National Honor Society senior at MVRHS and a founding member of the MVYLI. She served as a youth delegate to MVYLI’s 2010 and 2011 Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development and in 2011 she was the youth coordinator of MVYLI’s Job Shadow Day.  HallBilsback has mentored with The FARM Institute and is now doing her senior project there. She also helped organize a Martha’s Vineyard Farmers’ Roundtable with the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation. HallBilsback was selected to represent MVYLI as the Dukes County representative for the Governor Patrick’s Statewide Youth Council and she just co-led the Black-Out Anti-Bullying Campaign at MVRHS. HallBilsback was on the Field Hockey team for four years and won their Sportsmanship Award. She is co- president of Safe Rides. As a member of MVYLI’s 2020 Sustainable Vineyard Team, HallBilsback is developing the section on sustainable agriculture for the report that will be presented to the Town of Tisbury Selectmen and the All Island Selectmen.

HallBilsback was paired with Brad Mitchell, Director of Government Affairs for the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF). His duties include advising and working with members to develop policy, lobbying at the local, state and federal level, and assisting members with various issues. He has worked in agriculture in the private, public and non-profit sectors.  

The MFBF is the largest farming organization in the Commonwealth with more than 6000 farmer and consumer members. Known as the “voice of Massachusetts Agriculture,” MFBF is a private, volunteer organization that is funded and controlled by members.  MFBF is affiliated with 11 county Farm Bureaus throughout Massachusetts and they hold a number of events during the year that serve as social events, networking opportunities and forums through which to engage policy makers. The MFBF also coordinates Agriculture Day at the State House where farmers from all over the state come to the State House to showcase local foods and speak with legislators.

Andrew Randall, Future: Farmer and Eva Faber, Future: Environmental Scientist

Eva Faber is a National Honors Society senior at MVRHS ranking in the top six percent of her class. Faber served as a youth delegate to MVYLI’s 2011 Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development and she participated in the MVYLI’s Bioneers-by-the-Bay Conference. Faber is a Safe Rides board member, winner of the 2010 MVRHS Science Fair, founder of the MVRHS for Haiti Relief Group and a journalist for the MVRHS High School View. She organized a yearlong research project on blue claw crabs funded by the Marjot Foundation. As member of MVYLI’s 2020 Sustainable Vineyard Team, Faber is developing the section on sustainable energy for the report that will be presented to the Town of Tisbury Selectmen and the All Island Selectmen.

Andrew Randall is an honors senior at MVRHS specializing in horticulture. He participated in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program and served as a youth delegate to MVYLI’s 2011 Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development. He participated in the MVYLI Bioneers-by-the-Bay Conference. Randall is a member of Safe Rides and the Model UN. He is OSHA certified, has worked on Woodbe Farm and Pond View Farm and has his own successful landscaping business. As a member of MVYLI’s 2020 Sustainable Vineyard Team, Randall is developing the section on sustainable cultures for the report for the Town of Tisbury Selectmen and the All Island Selectmen.

Randall and Faber were paired with Molly and Eric Glasgow of Grey Barn Farm.  The Glasgows decided to relocate to Martha's Vineyard in 2009 with the goal of returning a historic Chilmark property back into active agricultural use. Molly is a former Art Director and holds a degree in Sculpture from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Eric had a career as an international oil trader following his graduation from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics. Now, Molly and Eric own the Grey Barn Farm in Chilmark where they live with their two boys.

The Grey Barn Farm is dedicated to the cultivation, production and preparation of local food seasonally and organically. They are a small scale New England farm that includes a herd of Dutch Belted heritage breed dairy cows, Gloucestershire Old Spot heritage breed pigs and several hundred pastured laying hens.

Jacob Lawrence
: Future Finance Management Consultant

Jacob Lawrence is a National Honor Society junior at MVRHS. Lawrence is actively involved in the MVYLI College Prep & Field Trip Program and is a member of the Eastern Athletic Conference champion soccer team and MVRHS Track and Field Team. He is a member of the Minnesingers, the Young Brothers to Men Program, the Model UN Club and he is a photographer. His dreams are to one day become a management consultant for a finance firm.

Lawrence was paired with Brian Bilsback, Management Consulting Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) who focuses his efforts on performance improvement, cost reduction, and supply chain management. Bilsback is recognized within PwC as a leading expert in operations and continuous improvement practices.

PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms. PwC has offices in 757 cities across 154 countries and employs over 175,000 people. The firm was formed in 1998 by a merger between Coopers & Lybrand and Price Waterhouse. The trading name was shortened to PwC in September 2010 with a major rebranding exercise. PwC has been named one of Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For" in 2005-2011; ranked #2 on BusinessWeek's "Best Places to Intern" list in 2008; ranked #3 on BusinessWeek's "Best Places to Launch a Career" list in 2008 and 2009; ranked "Top 10 Companies for Working Mothers" by “Working Mother magazine,” 2004-2011
; ranked #3 on DiversityInc's2011 "Top 50 Companies for Diversity" list.

Je’Vaughn Crooks, Future: Physical Therapist

Je’Vaughn Crooks is a senior at MVRHS. He served as a youth delegate to MVYLI’s 2010 and 2011 Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development. Crooks has been actively involved with MVYLI’s College Prep & Field Trip Program. Crooks is the Vice President of the Young Brothers to Men Program where he volunteered for the Living Local Harvest Festival and helped organize a food drive at Thanksgiving and a winter coat drive and this year, he was voted as King of the Junior Prom. Crooks is a member of MVRHS Varsity Football team and having experienced several injuries during the football season, he learned to appreciate the importance of physical therapy first hand.

Crooks was paired with Judy Athearn, a graduate of the University of Connecticut, with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy. She worked in the Boston area for several years before returning to Martha's Vineyard where she worked at another clinic for eight years. Athearn now works at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital in outpatient as her primary responsibility in acute care. She has also had experience in Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation.

The Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Rehabilitation & Wellness Department provides physical, occupational and speech therapy services to both inpatients and outpatients. Our therapists give individual and group care that includes patient education, home exercise programs and self- management strategies.

Julia Cooper, Future: Green Architect

Julia Cooper is a National Honor Society junior at MVRHS. She is a Varsity Tennis player and a member of the Minnesingers. Cooper served as a youth delegate to MVYLI’s 2011 Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development. From a young age, Julia has dreamed of becoming an architect, mathematician or psychologist, and is looking forward to furthering her education and achieving success.

Cooper was paired with Ryan Bushey, AIA SMC Owner, Project Architect. Bushey came to Martha’s Vineyard where, after three years with Breese Architects and some thoughtful wandering, he joined South Mountain Company as a project architect. He was heavily recruited to become an owner in 2009 due to such notable qualities as his visionary design prowess, CAD wizardry, dapper dress, melodic voice, cat-like reflexes, breathtaking Halloween costumes, and lack of sarcasm (among others). He is a registered architect licensed in Massachusetts, and occasionally a guest faculty member at the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School.

South Mountain Company is a multi-faceted firm offering architecture, engineering, building, interiors, woodworking, and energy services to residential, commercial and institutional clients founded in 1975. South Mountain believes that engaging as many participants as possible in their work consistently produces rewarding results.

Shavanae Anderson, Future: Pediatrician

Shavanae Anderson is an honors junior at MVRHS. She is the youngest founding member of MVYLI. She served as a youth delegate to MVYLI’s 2010 and 2011 Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development. Anderson is a Junior Member of the NAACP on Martha’s Vineyard. As a concerned future doctor, Anderson and two others created an inspiring presentation on Cultural Health for the NAACP Juneteenth conference. Anderson was a part of the group that filmed and co-produced the video Passing the Torch in honor of Amnesty International’s 50th Anniversary with Harry Belafonte, Dr. Henry Gates Jr., Rose Styron and others. The video was premiered at the Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival. Anderson is a member of the Model UN Club and the Young Sisters Mentoring Program.

Anderson was paired with Dr. Melanie Miller MD, a board certified pediatric and adolescent doctor who received her medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her pediatric internship and residency training were at the University of Chicago (U of C) where she came on as a clinical instructor in pediatrics and later as an assistant professor of pediatrics. What she enjoyed most was taking care of the infants, children and adolescents in her clinics and getting to know them and their families so when a position was advertised for a pediatrician on Martha’s Vineyard, Dr. Miller readily applied as she had visited many times and loved the island. Now, almost 12 years later, she still enjoys helping care for the island babies, children and teens.

Vineyard Pediatrics offers primary care to children from infancy throughout adolescence. They offer physicals, routine well visits, vaccinations, diagnostic services and more. A long-term personal relationship between family and pediatric professional is encouraged to foster confidence in the ability to assess illness and promote wellness within the child. Services provided include: well-child check-ups, preventative care, immunizations, hearing & vision assessments, and referrals.

Shelby Ferry, Future: Nurse

Shelby Ferry is National Honor Society senior at MVRHS and a founding member of MVYLI. She served as a youth delegate to MVYLI’s 2010 and 2011 Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development. Ferry is co-president of Safe Rides, a member of the Lacrosse and Cross Country teams for four years, where she served as captain of both teams this year. She has been a member of Model UN for 3 years where she is currently a co-president. Ferry dreams of going into the Nursing/PA profession because she loves helping people and trying to make them laugh especially when they have gotten hurt or are sad.

Ferry was paired with Elizabeth (Libby) Rocklin, RN. Rocklin is the Unit Coordinator for Windemere Nursing & Rehabilitation Center where she has been part of the nursing management team for the past three years. In the years since Rocklin has been a part of the team, Windemere has become a Five Star Nursing Facility and continues to hold this high honor. She enjoy being in a position of working with our staff to improve the standard quality indicators as well as the facilities environmental services.

Windemere Nursing & Rehabilitation Center is an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and a member of Partners Healthcare. Windemere shares a campus and ancillary healthcare services with Martha's Vineyard Hospital. Specialties include, short-term rehabilitation, long term skilled nursing care, memory care services for residents with all stages of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Residents' family members are an important part of the team and have unique and important roles. They are encouraged to visit often, take part in activities and help develop the resident's life storybook. By developing the life history book Windemere gains valuable information to help ease the resident's anxiety around their memory. Our dedicated team of doctors, nurses, therapists and social workers tailor individual programs to meet patients' personal and medical needs to help them regain and maximize their individual levels of independence.

Sivana Brown, Future: Financial Planner

Sivana Brown is a junior at MVRHS and served as a youth delegate to MVYLI’s 2010 and 2011 Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development. She has been an active member of MVYLI’s College Prep & Field Trip Program. She comes from a family working in the financial industry and she wants to pursue a career in finance. She is a member of the Young Sisters Mentoring Group. Her dream is to attend a four-year college and major in finance.

Brown was paired with Robert G. Ripley, Jr., Executive Vice President, Martha’s Vineyard Financial Group. Ripley joined the MV Financial Group in 2009 as executive vice president and division head. He has over 25 years experience in trust and asset management experience Ripley is a graduate of Bentley College and completed graduate studies at Bryant College’s MST program and Nichols College’s MBA program.

Martha’s Vineyard Financial Group is a division of the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank. Established in 1955, MV Savings Bank is the last mutual savings bank created in Massachusetts, tracing its financial roots back to 1909. Since its beginnings, the Bank has had a deep-rooted belief that it takes a local commitment to help a community stay strong. Everyone involved with creating and delivering Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank to its communities knows firsthand how important community banking is to maintaining a sustainable economy. The Martha’s Vineyard Financial Group services include Trust and Asset Management, Estate Planning, Retirement Services, Brokerage Investment Services and Financial Planning.

This information was taken from a MVYLI press release