Celebrating a Year of Unshakable Service: City Year Los Angeles Graduation 2025

On June 12, 2025, we proudly graduated our 2024–2025 AmeriCorps class, marking the close of City Year Los Angeles’ 18th year of service to the students of LA. 

This year, our AmeriCorps members stepped up in extraordinary ways. Across 21 public schools, they delivered daily academic and social-emotional support—but their impact went far beyond the classroom. 

When wildfires swept through Los Angeles in January, our corps members were among the first to respond—volunteering at local YMCAs and stepping in to support displaced students and families. Their commitment to service didn’t waver—it deepened. 

Our Civic Engagement team also led large-scale recovery efforts at Odyssey Charter School in Altadena, organizing transformative service days alongside incredible partners from NBCUniversal, Deloitte, and the Los Angeles Rams. Volunteers painted murals, built planter boxes, and brought new life to a school that had been deeply affected by the Eaton Fire. Their work helped ensure Odyssey students return this August to a campus filled with pride, color, and hope. 

Whether tutoring in classrooms or stepping up in moments of crisis, our AmeriCorps members embodied what City Year stands for: showing up for community—especially when it matters most. 

A Morning to Remember

Hosted by Snap Inc., our Graduation celebration was filled with powerful reflections and joyful moments. Executive Director Dr. Sandra Cano, Snap Inc.’s Chandelle Wiebe-Hakim (Corporate Philanthropy), and City Year alum Jamil Bryant (’15, ’16) took the stage with messages of gratitude, encouragement, and belief in the next generation of leaders.

But it was Charly Sanchez, this year’s AmeriCorps speaker, who brought the room to tears. In a beautiful full-circle moment, Charly shared that they once had a City Year AmeriCorps member in their own classroom—an early mentor who helped them feel seen and capable. Now, years later, Charly stepped into the same yellow jacket to pay it forward, working with students at Ascot Avenue Elementary School.

“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.”
— Charly Sanchez, Ascot Avenue Elementary Team 

Honoring Leadership and Legacy 

As part of the celebration, we honored six outstanding corps members whose service went above and beyond this year: 

Sony Pictures Studios Storyteller of the Year
Kalista Marandas – Normandie Avenue Elementary School 

Bronfman Hauptman Leadership Award Winners
Angel Plascencia – Pio Pico Middle School
Ava Zell – Washington Preparatory High School
Jamie Jacobs-Booker – Normandie Avenue Elementary School
Rosaura Lopez Gramajo – Ascot Avenue Elementary School
Zari Ventura – Manual Arts High School 

Awards were presented by Dr. Cano on behalf of Sony Pictures Studios and longtime City Year champions Andrew Hauptman and Ellen Bronfman Hauptman. We are deeply grateful for their continued partnership in uplifting the leaders of tomorrow. 

Thank You, Class of 2025 

To our graduating corps: thank you. Your dedication to students, your response to challenges, and your belief in service have left a lasting impact on Los Angeles. You led with heart, humility, and the quiet courage that transforms lives. We are so proud to stand beside you. 

Click here to watch the full program.

Click here to visit our photo gallery.