Lexi Moles looks forward to her new role as middle school coordinator starting this fall.
Lexi Moles has been an integral part of the Ciudad Nueva family this year. She came to us in the fall as a Border Fellow working in an administrative role and also as a volunteer in our middle school program.
You can read more about Lexi’s journey to El Paso here and the Border Fellows program here.
With our current middle school coordinator, Simon, moving on to law school this fall, and Lexi coming to the end of her Border Fellows year, the passing of the baton from Simon to Lexi seemed like a great fit.
“Sami got me right into the interview process, and it became official about six weeks ago,” says Lexi. “I knew that I wanted to stay in El Paso and continue to grow my friendships here. Ten months is not enough time to develop relationships so I want to go deeper. I feel like I have family here. It feels like home.”
Making a smooth transition
Lexi and the rest of the Ciudad Nueva staff are looking forward to building on all the hard work that Simon has accomplished in the program.
“We are excited that Lexi will be joining the Ciudad Nueva team as our middle school coordinator,” says Bethany Molinar, Youth & Family Programs Director. “She has a heart for middle school students in the Rio Grande neighborhood and is already brainstorming ways that we can better develop our students as leaders in our community.”
Lexi recently taught an eight-week session of the Tuesday creative class focused on the environment and art. The class was a great success and really got Lexi thinking about ideas for the fall. You can read more about the class here.
“Lexi was able to keep students interested and engaged throughout the semester,” says Simon. “She was generous with her time and balanced the perfect amount of involvement and freedom towards the kids.”
Ideas still in the incubation stage
Many ideas are still in the beginning stages and may change by the fall, but there are some goals that Ciudad Nueva is working on across programs. One of those includes using resources from a recent technology grant.
“Next year we are looking to implement a reading program into all of our after-school programs with the goal of improving the reading levels of our students,” says Bethany. “We are also hoping to implement coding training into all of our student programs, potentially equipping them with technical skills that can help students access good jobs as young adults.”
Some of Lexi’s goals include:
- Learning more Spanish
- Getting to know the parents of the middle school students
- Utilizing the technology grant by building robots and teaching coding
- Developing a Bible program that connects with the age group in a meaningful way
- Making sure all the kids know how much they are loved!
Bright horizons ahead
Although staying on with Ciudad Nueva means Lexi will be away from her family in Virginia, she truly feels that she has found a family bond here. She had a feeling from the day she arrived last fall that it would be a long-term commitment.
“Driving into El Paso on the very first day I arrived, I saw the El Paso city limit sign,” says Lexi. “The sun was setting ahead of me and the color of the sky was so beautiful, reflecting off the mountains. I knew from the first day that I was going to love it. There is no logical explanation, but I felt confidence and peace. It just felt right.”
Are you interested in helping Lexi with her bright, energetic group of middle school students next year? She would love to have volunteers help her love and encourage the kids. Call us today at 915.521.2951 or click here if you would like to support Lexi in her new role as middle school coordinator.
