Sunni is the proud inaugural Executive Director of RYSE. After four years coordinating programs at the Utah Refugee Services Office and a year of sheep-tending and bread-baking in France, she cashed in a lifetime of good fortune to move to Providence for this job. Since June 2023, Sunni has managed the operations, expanded the vision, and fueled the dreams of RYSE and its annual programs: Camp RYSE and RYPM. The daughter of two career educators, she is passionate about making learning accessible and joyful for all, and considers it the privilege of a lifetime to be a part of this beautiful community. In addition to her work, Sunni loves pottery and poetry, plunging in deep bodies of water, and cheering for every single team in the WNBA.

Etta is delighted to be a Camp RYSE Coordinator AmeriCorps member after working there the last two summers! As an educator, student, and Oakland-born Restorative Justice practitioner, Etta is committed to building community wherever she goes. In her free time, she plays frisbee, practices her limited Arabic and Swahili, and spends time with her family. Etta’s door is always open—she loves to build new connections, play games, and share home-cooked meals with her community.

Irene is thrilled to be serving as a Camp RYSE Coordinator AmeriCorps member this year and is greatly looking forward to meeting each and every camper. Irene is studying psychology and public health at Brown University, but outside of school, she spends much of her time serving the Providence community. Her favorite pastimes include reading (& writing book reviews), drinking smoothies, and spending time with family and friends.

Nash is super excited to be a Camp Coordinator AmeriCorps member for Camp RYSE this year through AmeriCorps! Nash has been involved with Providence’s refugee community since her sophomore year at Brown University. Studying Urban Studies as her concentration, Nash values serving the community. Nash loves to read books, go on walks, watch reality tv shows, dance, and so much more! She is excited to start her journey at Camp RYSE and be a part of campers’ journey as well!  

Yiyu is excited to be serving as a Camp RYSE Coordinator AmeriCorps member, bringing her passion for education, mentorship, and community-building to the role. As a Biotechnology master’s student at Brown University and a BRYTE tutor, she has worked closely with youth, fostering supportive and inclusive environments for growth. Yiyu loves traveling, rock climbing, and skiing in her free time. She’s excited to meet new people, share stories, and help build a strong, joyful community at Camp RYSE.

Meghan was a founding member of the RYSE Board in 2022 and currently serves as Board Co-Chair. Meghan was a counselor at Camp RYSE from 2016-2018 and volunteered at RYPM’s inaugural Summit in 2017. After teaching for four years within the Providence Public School Department, where many RYSE kiddos are students, Meghan is taking on the role of BRYTE Fellow to support the running of RYSE’s sister organization, BRYTE. Meghan loves all things education, learning, and basketball related.

Alisa joined the RYSE board in 2024 and currently serves as Board Co-Chair. She got involved with RYSE’s sister organization, BRYTE, while she was in college in 2020. She started out as a tutor and then went on to become a coordinator and director. Over the summer she was also a RYSE summer camp volunteer and camp driver. As the daughter of an elementary school teacher, Alisa is passionate about education and creating community. She credits BRYTE and the refugee community in Providence for teaching her much of what she knows about how to build community and care for others. Alisa recently graduated law school and works as an attorney, focused on advocating for children’s rights.

Alexander joined the RYSE Board in 2023 and currently serves as Treasurer after a stint as Fundraising Chair. He first got involved in Camp RYSE in the summer of 2015 as a Senior Counselor convincing high schoolers why solving for x was indeed a worthwhile pursuit. He studied Computer Science and Middle East Studies at Brown and now splits his time bassooning, moonlighting as a sommelier, cheering for the Bills, and working as a software engineer for the D. E. Shaw group. He lives with his boyfriend, Miller, and his dog Zayne in New York City.

Currently serving as the chair of the Fundraising Committee, VyVy was a founding member of the RYSE Board in 2022 and served as Co-Chair of the Board until 2025. She has been deeply involved with RYSE since 2013, when she first served as a tutor with RYSE’s sister organization, BRYTE, and then as Camp Co-Director in 2014 and 2015. She is an obstetrician-gynecologist at the Providence Community Health Centers, serving the Olneyville community. She is also a cartoonist and writer who publishes nonfiction comics under the moniker VyVy Wonder. Her work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Rumpus, Popula, Ruminate, The Intima, Commune, and more. She lives in the West End of Providence with her husband Paul, aka Peapod, and their son Kahlil.

Sophie was a founding member of the RYSE Board in 2022 and currently serves as the Communications Chair on the Board. As an undergraduate at Brown University, Sophie’s sister encouraged them to volunteer with RYSE and since then Sophie has not stopped telling everyone in their life about the incredible RYSE community and encouraging everyone to get involved however they can. When not dreaming up graphics and communications campaigns for Camp RYSE, Sophie spends their time swimming in the ocean, doodling, and looking around.e

Nelson joined the inaugural Board in 2022 by accident through his friend Sophie Duncan, but he already knew about RYSE from his friends - former tutees/directors Mechack and Fabrice. He sees his role as a swiss army knife, plugging into jobs that are needed: he first served as co-chair of the Finance Committee, acted as liaison between the money and the laws teams, and now uses his knowledge of RI and network in Providence to help out on the Fundraising Committee. In his spare time he enjoys listening to international talk radios, and is interested in engineering and international development.

Mechack was a founding member of the RYSE Board. RYSE has played a significant role in Mechack's life. As a former camper and tutee with BRYTE, RYSE’s sister organization, Mechack experienced firsthand the transformative power of RYSE. He attended Camp RYSE from 2009 to 2012. After graduating from Camp, Mechack returned as a Junior Counselor from 2012 to 2014 and later served as Co-Director from 2015 to 2018.

Mechack attended Rhode Island College, where he was a student athlete, playing on the Men's Soccer Team while studying Computer Science and Math. Currently, he works as a software engineer at Amberflo.io.

Nana joined the inaugural Board in 2022 and currently serves on the Board’s Programming Committee. During her time as a Brown University undergraduate, Nana took on various roles within the RYSE and BRYTE communities as a Camp RYSE Senior Counselor (2016, 2017 & 2019), BRYTE tutor (2016-2019) and BRYTE coordinator (2018). Nana’s commitment to student support extends to her professional work as the Assistant Director for Gender and Sexuality Student Programs at Bentley University (MA), where she develops and sustains initiatives designed to center LGBTQ+ and gender diverse experiences. Outside of work, Nana can be found watching Big Brother and Survivor, strengthening her aerial fitness skills, or exploring a new place.

Vanessa is a founding member of the RYSE Board in 2022 and a former Camp Junior Counselor (2015) and Senior Counselor (2016). Her two years at camp sparked her passion for working with young people. During her undergraduate years, she furthered her experience by working on a research project on dating violence and bullying prevention in middle and high school students at Rhode Island Hospital Psychiatry. Currently, she is the youth program coordinator at Women's Refugee Care—one of her dream jobs! She also occasionally teaches catechism to first communion kids in her church community. She enjoys rewatching New Girl and reading romance novels with diverse characters in her free time.

Sarah joined the RYSE Board in 2023 and is on the Fundraising Committee. She majored in History and Africana Studies at Brown, where she served as a tutor with RYSE’s sister organization, BRYTE, from 2007-2011. She is Manager of Foundation Relations at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s Office of Development, and volunteered as a mentor for the Refugee Employment Partnership from 2016-2021. She lives in New York City with her husband, Mark, and her children Ben and Chloe.

Jeanelle was introduced to the welcoming community of the RYSE Board thanks to her friend Nelson. She was first connected to the Providence refugee community while a student at Brown through volunteering at Dorcas International Institute from 2015 to 2020. She also worked as an ESL English teacher in Providence Public Schools at West Broadway Middle School. After moving to Colorado, she facilitated English conversation and citizenship classes to the refugee community through her work at the Denver Public Library. Currently she works at Montclair State University, supporting students in accessing global exchange opportunities. When she is not daydreaming about her return back to Providence, she loves learning languages, playing clarinet, and riding RIPTA! :)

Hannah joined the RYSE board in 2022 and currently serves on the Fundraising Committee. She has been part of the RYSE/BRYTE community since 2011 as a tutor, coordinator, and summer camp counselor. Hannah studied Classics and Africana Studies at Brown, loves public defense, and is currently working as a litigation associate at a law firm in New York City.

Sara Winnick has been a part of BRYTE/RYSE since she started at Brown in 2011. She began as a tutor of the wonderful Dahaba Tukka (Camp RYSE Director in 2024) for four years, going on to coordinate the academic year program, serve as a Senior Counselor at camp in 2013, and direct camp in the summers of 2015 and 2016. Most recently she has joined the team again as the Teacher Mentor for the newly born Camp RYSE in 2023 and 2024. When not working on RYSE, Sara is a middle school English and History teacher, halfway through her 10th year in the classroom. She loves biking, basketball, and bagels, and lives and works in Brooklyn, the best city for all three.

Danielle first became involved with Providence’s refugee community in 2011 as an undergraduate at Brown University, where she served as a coordinator and tutor for BRYTE, RYSE’s sister organization. Her work with BRYTE was a formative part of her college experience. Danielle joined the RYSE Board in 2024 and serves on the Communications Committee. She is passionate about writing, storytelling, and working with young people.

Danielle received her MD through the Humanities and Medicine program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and works in Product at a healthcare technology company. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and enjoys spending time with her family, including three of her four siblings who also live in Brooklyn. She loves movies, running, reflecting, and exploring nature in her home state of Maine.

Julia has been involved in RYSE since 2014, first as a tutor and coordinator of RYSE's sister program, BRYTE, and later as a co-director of Camp RYSE and facilitator for RYPM. After graduating from college, Julia farmed at a variety of scales, from a community garden in Queens, NY to a food justice non-profit aligned with community organizations serving refugee and immigrant communities in Rhode Island. Julia is a member of the Growers Collective with Second Generation Seeds. As a PhD student in the Geography department at UC Berkeley, they spend a lot of time thinking about space and place.