“I TOLD HIM I NEED TO MAKE MONEY TO TAKE CARE OF MY FAMILY AND HE ENCOURAGED ME BY SAYING THAT WAS STILL POSSIBLE.”

Yoelinson Castillo

Citizen Schools 

Title: Campus Director

Age: 30

College: Northeastern University

Major: Business

First Job: Teach for America

Current Salary: $60,000-$75,000

After starting his career as a fifth grade teacher in Somerville, Yoelinson was hired by Citizen Schools, where he currently serves as the Campus Director at the same middle school he attended as a child. Through teaching and Citizen Schools, he has built a career in education that both pays the bills and fuels his passion for supporting others and giving back. 

What do you love about your current job?

I’ve always wanted to go back to The Edwards. This was the school that I felt really changed my educational path and trajectory. Citizen Schools allowed me to go back there and support and give back in a way. The one thing I really love about Citizen Schools is the professional development it’s given me. I feel like as a leader and as an educator I’ve been able to develop unique professional skills. 

 What experience in college helped you get to where you are today?

When I was president of the Latino Student Organization, I had one classmate that was really negative and hard to connect with. I experienced constant negativity from this person and it was tough at times. I stayed positive and at the last meeting she stood up in front of everyone and gave me a shout-out for constantly encouraging her. That stuck out to me because it helped me to realize that positivity always overcomes negativity. 

 What advice would you give to a college student looking to build a career as a problem solver?

Live through your time machine, reflect on who you are as a person and the past events that allowed you to be who you are in the moment. Always Look ahead, and what you need to accomplish today to get there. College is filled with opportunities, never let an experience in college leave with out you learning a lesson from it. Those lessons will become knowledge or skills that will evolve you into a greater professional.  

What was your first professional job out of college and what did you learn?

When the Teach for America recruiter first reached out to me I said no because I wasn't in the business of education… I grew up very poor so finance was important to me. The recruiter introduced me to another teacher who said that he’s able to make good money as an educator and send his mother $1,000 every month. I told him I need to make money to take care of my family and he encouraged me by saying that was still possible... I would say the best thing about TFA was that it made me fall in love with education.