Reflecting on a Year of Service: Charly Sanchez

Fourteen years ago, Charly Sanchez sat in an elementary school classroom, feeling lost and unseen—until a City Year AmeriCorps member changed everything. What began as a small moment of connection in the classroom became the spark that changed everything. This year, Charly stood in front of his peers as our 2025 AmeriCorps Speaker at our Graduation Celebration at Snap Inc., embodying the ripple effect of service and the lasting impact of presence. His story, shaped by compassion and purpose, brought a full-circle moment more than a decade in the making.

In his powerful speech, Charly reminds us that sometimes the greatest impact we make isn’t in the lessons we teach, but in the presence we offer. Read his moving speech below.

“A ripple is the result of small moments that make a positive impact in someone’s life. I am a ripple, first touched by City Year 14 years ago, when AmeriCorps members made an impact on me. This was a time of change, when my parents were at odds, my brother felt distant, and my sister moved out. I was alone, feeling like everyone was changing while I was stuck in this moment, and that’s when those yellow jackets took me in. That City Year Team showed up and showed out for me every day, pushing me to be the champion they knew I could be. To me, the most valuable thing I learned from them wasn’t how to solve math problems or dissect passages, it was that your presence means so much to students.

I hold onto that lesson every day for my students, because of what I went through and what students deal with behind the scenes. Our presence has the power to make students, like me, feel seen, capable, and no longer stuck. AmeriCorps members help students believe in their potential, even when they can’t see it themselves. That’s why every moment we spend with our students matters, even the moments where we can’t perceive the impact. In fact, everyone here knows that, because that’s the reason we serve 10-hour days, navigate crazy schedule changes and uncertainty. That’s why I stand here, morning or night, inspired by my past City Year coaches to continue the waves of ripples they started. I do this because a little kid named (Blank) needed someone to believe that he could make it.

And here he is now, standing at the end of a transformative 3-year service term that was 14 years in the making.

And like I did all those years ago, I hope our students will remember what we accomplished this year, not just the English or the Math, but the moments where they thought they couldn’t get through the year, and they did. Through every 1-on-1 session and every enrichment activity, your students have changed so much, because you decided to dedicate one year of service.

Through your dedication to students, you have created your own ripples, and maybe 14 years later, It will inspire your students will sit exactly where you are today, ready to serve for the same reasons that you are, and look back at their own students and think the same thing you are,

That one day those ripples will become stars.”

Post- City Year, Charly is continuing his education at UC Santa Barbara in hopes of becoming a teacher in the near future.

Thank you, Charly, for sharing your full-circle story and reminding us of the quiet power of presence. Your journey is proof that a single year of service can spark a lifetime of impact.

If you’re between 18–25 and looking for a way to make a difference, consider joining City Year Los Angeles! Visit https://www.cityyear.org/apply-now/ to learn more and apply.