Mentor San Diego Child Day Care Services in San Diego

I attended UC Berkeley with a bachelor’s in history.  As a mentor and Program Director I am thrilled to see both sides of Club Xcite; the true joy of working with individuals, and the excitement in knowing so many of our successes.  Formerly, I rowed crew at Cal and remain an avid athlete playing soccer, baseball, basketball, golf, surfing and just about anything else that takes me outdoors.  I am a San Diego transplant from the Napa Valley and would like to thank all the families for making my transition so pleasurable.

Matt has a life long experience working with people with disabilities.  In the early 80’s his parents founded a human service agency that supports people with mental challenges in vocational and residential settings.  At an early age Matt developed empathy toward and compassion for people who appear to be different.  From the ages of 16 to 22 he worked in a variety of settings with developmentally challenged adolescents and adults.  He supported these young folks in recreational activities, vocational endeavors, and in community residential settings. Matt supervised young people in recreational experiences as diverse as wilderness treks through the Florida Everglades to a day at the ballpark. Vocationally, Matt set up summer landscaping crews with developmentally challenged adolescents and young adults. The crews successfully carried out commercial mowing and landscape contracts for several summers.

Passionate about his upbringing and the experiences they afforded him, Matt went on to earn an undergraduate degree in Social Work from Salve Regina University. Since moving to the San Diego area Matt has followed his heart and dedicated himself to personal fitness, spiritual growth, and a sincere desire to facilitate and help young people with various “abilities” to achieve their dreams and ultimate human potential. In this regard Matt brings heartfelt joy to his role as a mentor. It goes without saying that his enthusiasm for Xcite Steps is contagious.

I currently attend UCSD working on my B.A. in Economics and Human Biology. I graduated Valedictorian from Rocklin High School in June 2003 where I was nationally ranked in tennis and All-State in Football.  In High School I was an avid tutor and my mom ran a home-based daycare which I was very involved with. Now, I mentor two great children with Club Xcite and I love every minute I spend with them.

Ben is a native of the San Francisco bay area. He is from a loving family of educators who has always supported him with compassion and optimism. At an early age he learned the importance of honesty and compassion from his family. He knew that he wanted to work with children since he was 12 years old.  During high school he volunteered as a teacher’s assistant at Ponderosa Elementary school in South San Francisco. He helped children that otherwise would have been left behind or overlooked.

I am a fourth year in college at UCSD. I am studying psychology and in the future I hope to work with adolescents who suffer from mental disorders. I love to be active as much as possible. I enjoy playing sports like volleyball and football as well as surfing, skateboarding, waterskiing, and snowboarding. I also love to dance; I do it all the time even when I am alone in my living room. I also enjoy arts and crafts of all sorts. I am basically outgoing, fun-loving, goofy and passionate!

I attended college at UC Berkeley and played on the tennis team.  Currently, I teach tennis at the Pacific Athletic Club in Del Mar. I enjoy helping children with their homework and then taking them to the beach or getting them involved in fun outdoor activities.

My name is Mike Almeida (far left on the picture), and I am a student at UCSD.  I love being outside, and especially enjoy swimming and surfing.  The past 3 years I have been a coach for several swim teams, teaching children ranging in age from 3 to 18.  In the last year, I started tutoring and mentoring, helping both my peers and younger students.  I have tutored most basic elementary school subjects, middle and high school subjects, along with a few select college level courses.  Club Xcite has let me connect with younger students on both an intellectual level, while also forming lasting friendships.

Hi, My name is Jimmy Pham and I go to Point Loma Nazarene University. I love working with children, meeting new people, spending time in the ocean, fishing, surfing, skateboarding, writing music, exercising, going on adventures, and exploring the great outdoors.

I graduated from the University of Delaware in 2005 after studying psychology, and I will begin working toward a doctorate in clinical psychology in the fall of 2006.  I have worked with a very diverse range of children and adolescents, from those with severe congenital and developmental disabilities to those with completely typical behaviors.  I enjoy working with all types of people and have been fortunate enough to have mentees across the spectrum.  I first started working with kids as a soccer coach, a position that I still very much enjoy and continue to be involved with each summer.  In my free time I like to be outside, whether it's doing something active or relaxing at the beach.

I am 21 Years old from Pacific Palisades, California.  I currently live in Pacific Beach and study Economics at UCSD.

Before working with Club Xcite I was an Eagle Scout and volunteered at my local Church Youth Groups. I also worked as a Surf Instructor and Manager of a surfing summer camp for 2 years. My academic interests are economics, specifically Game Theory and Finance, and personal interests lay within my family, specifically my two younger brothers.  I love Surfing, Snowboarding, Skateboarding, and Traveling.
My current success with Club Xcite is being proud to be Philip's tutor, mentor, and friend. We do homework, study for tests, engage in heated ping-pong matches, practice soccer, and competitively eat Mexican food.

Most importantly, I am able to motivate and mentor Philip to be the kind of son, brother, friend, and student and that he wants to be.

I am a UCSB graduate with a political science major.  I'm currently training to fly airplanes.  I enjoy working with kids as a mentor and it gives me the opportunity to become a positive role model for children who need educational as well as social mentorship.  Being around kids all my life, the passion as well as the patience I have for kids allows me to use my strengths as a part of Club-Xcite.  Surfing, playing soccer, skateboarding, snowboarding and playing music allows me to connect with kids on a more personal and rewarding level.  I wish all the children and the mentors the same rewarding experience I had.

As a San Diego native, I'm used to the fun filled life in the sun.  Whether it be surfing, hiking, or just throwing the football around, I'm always laughing with my friends and love sharing the good times with the people around me.

It was hard to leave San Diego, but while attending the University of California, Santa Barbara, I got to focus on the serious side of life as a business economics major and learned some great skills which I now have the opportunity to use as a working man back here in San Diego.

I went to UC Berkeley and graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration.  Some hobbies of mine include going to the beach, playing basketball, and running.  I previously have worked for a "Big 4" accounting firm at Ernst & Young.  I have worked with kids extensively through my experience working with Tom Sawyer Camp.  I can tutor math, english, history, and science.

Hi, My name is Trevor Gammelgard. I am a student at Point Loma Nazarene University, studying Managerial and Organizational Communications. My hobbies include surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and anything else outdoors. My work experience with kids includes babysitting, working in the youth group at me church, and being a student leader of Young Life in Vista all throughout high school. I am able to teach the sports of tennis, football, basketball, surfing, skateboarding, water polo, and swimming. I can also tutor in math, reading, and writing.

I am a fourth year student at the University of California, San Diego.  I am getting my degree in International Studies and Linguistics.  With a double major, I found time to pick up a minor in teaching!  I am now currently planning to get my Masters in Education and my credentials in English.  In high school, I loved math.  I was very good at it and now I love teaching it.

I am also very passionate about History and English.  These three were my favorite subjects in high school.  I also love to play tennis and volleyball; whenever I get a chance, jogging on the beach is also a favorite past time.  Taking care of your body and eating healthy is one of the top priorities in my life and I try to teach this to the kids I work with.  I love kids of all ages and I love interacting with them.

I think the desire to help our youth has led me to the field of teaching and I am very excited to start my journey as a high school teacher.  In the meantime, spending time with kids helps me learn how to better connect with them and really learn what they are interested in.  Although I can teach them many things about Math and English, I also learn so much from them.

Adam Price
Featured Mentor

I was born and raised in Texas. I came to San Diego in 2002 for school. I am currently finishing my last year at UCSD and will be graduating in the spring with a degree in Aerospace Engineering.

I really enjoy all physical activities. I came to San Diego for the ocean and surf as much as possible. I played baseball and wrestled during high school. I continued wrestling briefly in my first two years at college. I also enjoy helping others and regularly take part in philanthropies.

Darren Vanderhoff
Featured Mentor

I just recently moved down to Carlsbad, CA in August of '06. I am 25 and am a graduate of Western Oregon University with a Bachelors of Arts in Education (Health major/Business minor). I love sports and being outside in the sun which is one of the reasons why I made the move down to Southern California. I am 6'6 in height and my favorite sport (if you couldn’t have guessed it by my height) is basketball. I enjoy working with kids and being a positive influence in their lives.

Brian Jacobs
Featured Mentor

A 2003 graduate of Stockdale High School in Bakersfield, Calif... played soccer and ran cross country for coaches Troy Lynch, Matt Barnes and Brandon Herron... led team to the CIF Valley Championship and the SWYL Championship... was named the Most Valuable Offensive Player by his teammates in addition to his SWYL Offensive MVP accolades... was a team captain... was the Senior Class President and the treasurer of the Key Club... was the school’s Valedictorian... volunteered for the Special Olympics and MARE Service.

UCSD: A member of the UCSD Men's Soccer Team, Member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, Provost Honors and Scholar Athlete Award every quarter Interests and Hobbies: Enjoys skateboarding, playing basketball, reading, and hanging out with friends in his spare time.

Currently attending San Diego State University/pursuing an education major with an emphasis in mathematics.

Interests: Children, languages, culture, arts, biking, and sky diving.