Staff

Isabel Banda joined the Middle School Success Team at Steppingstone in November 2021. Isabel received her BA in International and Global Studies, Film, and Sociology from Brandeis University in May 2021. In addition to her Community Coordinator role with the Steppingstone Foundation, she is also currently serving as a City Year Americorps Member at the English High School. She has previously worked as a mentor and educator with non-profit organizations like Breakthrough Collaborative, Momentum Education and Let's Get Ready. In her free time she enjoys watching documentaries, picnics at the park, and hanging out with friends and family.

Phil received his B.A. in Spanish and French along with a minor in Communication. Prior to joining Steppingstone, he was a Youth Development Counselor at the Boys and Girls Club of Plymouth dedicated to helping young people realize their full potential. Outside of work, you can find him running through the streets training for his next marathon.

Romina graduated with a Masters degree from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Social Work in 2021 with a certificate in Children, Youth and Families. Over the years, she has worked with various community organizations that serve children and families from predominantly Latinx backgrounds. Romina also has a passion for community organizing, social justice movements and sustainability. In her free time she enjoys hiking, listening to music and working on her next arts and crafts project. Romina is honored to be joining the Steppingstone Foundation in this new year!

Halle enthusiastically joined Steppingstone in June 2019 to embrace a dynamic equity & access support services role. Ms. Katz is a Brown University graduate who worked as a college admissions officer at Bentley University; her work with Steppingstone scholars is informed by her time spent with prospective college students as well as her experience teaching dance to teens. Halle values individualized learning and the opportunity to cultivate challenging yet warm spaces for growth.

Thai was born in Vietnam and immigrated to Oahu, Honolulu at the age of six. He is a recently graduated with his Masters in English from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2019. Besides being an advocate for higher education, Thai is a die-hard Lakers fan. He also loves spending time with his dog, Hero.

Sean graduated from U-Mass Boston in 2021 with a degree in Exercise and Health Science. Before that, Sean graduated from Boston Latin School in 2016. During undergrad, Sean started working at a non-profit in Dorchester called Viet-AID where he developed his passion for helping youths prepare academically for their future. Outside of work, Sean loves finding new restaurants to try with his friends, watching Boston sports, and reading any and all genres of books.

Virginia earned her BS in Psychology and Criminal Justice at Salem State University in May 2020, where she graduated as a Commonwealth Honors Scholar. After graduation, Virginia joined the AmeriCorps Massachusetts Promise Fellowship and served at La Vida Scholars, a non-profit college access organization in Lynn, MA. Virginia is passionate about the social inequities within our current structures, education and healthcare policy, being intentional & creating spaces for healing and self-expression, and most importantly, working with youth. In her free time, she enjoys listening to 80s music, spending time with her dad and grandma, painting, and exploring new cities.

Since commencing from The Steppingstone Academy in 2011, Mary has continued to come back to the Steppingstone community and give back. She served as an Admissions Ambassador in high school along with other volunteer roles and then as an Advising Intern summer of 2019 and 2020. She then worked as the Community Coordinator at Steppingstone in between summers. Mary recently graduated from Lesley University with a BA in Psychology. She has developed a passion for working with children and families healing from trauma, after her time as an intern at The Boston Youth Sanctuary. Outside of work you can find her spending time with her loved ones, watching movies, or dreaming of places to travel.

Kat began her time at Steppingstone as an Advisor to middle school Scholars. Before moving into the Vice President of Scholar Support Services role, she served as the Director of Admission and the Senior Director of Middle School Success. Prior to joining Steppingstone, Kat interned at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center's youth program, and at the Museum of Science conducting K-12 engineering education research. She first served Boston Public School students through Project Destiny ministries at the Boston Chinese Evangelical Church. Kat received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University. Outside of work, she participates in ballet classes, mentors college students at her church, and listens to BTS.

Thanh received his BA in English from The University of Massachusetts Boston. He is an alumni of John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science. Prior to joining Steppingstone, he worked as the Youth Program Director at The Vietnamese-American Initiative for Development in Dorchester, MA. Outside of work, Thanh enjoys rooting for his Boston sports team, playing basketball, eating good food, watching movies, listening to K-pop and traveling with his family.

Hieu recently received his Master's degree in Education at Lesley University. Hieu comes to Steppingstone from teaching in Boston Public Schools and working in a non-profit in Dorchester called Viet-AID. He is passionate in working with youth and helping them navigate the education system through an equitable and social emotional lens. In his free time, Hieu likes to play basketball with his friends, go hiking, eat new food, and play video games.

Annie earned her BS in elementary education from Boston University's School of Education. Despite receiving her initial teaching license, Annie knew she wanted to work with youth beyond the classroom setting. After graduating, she worked at a local non-profit organization coordinating and developing academic and enrichment programs for high school youth. She also worked at Boston University where she assisted undergraduate students in understanding the curriculum and academic policies, and assisted students in finding appropriate resources across campus. Outside of work, she enjoys playing with her dog (Milo), watching the Food Network, or planning for her next travel adventure.