My occupational background is primarily centered on education. I have passion for teaching and mentoring young people. I firmly believe that children are our future and that all children deserve to have access to the same opportunities no matter their economic status. Many of the educational experiences I’ve received have been through programs affiliated with AmeriCorps, such as Jumpstart and Citizen Schools. While working at Citizen Schools I was placed at one of the biggest turn around schools in Boston, Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School. I taught a class of twenty-two sixth graders who were all so vibrant, considerate, and forceful yet at the same time they lack self-determination and belief. My personal goal for my class was to have them invested in their future while learning how to properly advocate for them selves. My hope was  to bring about a culture of achievement in my classroom so that after our journey came to its end; I had provided them with the tools they needed to penetrate through the seventh grade and beyond. These experiences have taught me to challenge the students I worked with, as well as myself. They have enhanced my skills as a leader and in turn my students looked up to me for guidance and felt as if they could depend on me. I plan to vist them in the near future as I miss them all. I look forward to hearing about their accomplishments while in seventh grade and sharing with them my accomplishments while in graduate school. It funny, I seen a student of mine while I went home for Thanksgiving Break and to hear her scream my name "Ms. Cherilus! Ms. Cherilus! Ms.Cherilus!" flooded my mind with the memories we had in the classroom when she would call my name so enthusiastically. 

During my undergraduate years I was very engaged and active on my school campus. I served as president and vice president of the Black Student Union and vice president of the Caribbean Student Network. I devoted more than half of my college education to being a student leader. I loved and enjoyed every moment of it. It brought me so much happiness to take each organization to new levels. Serving on each e-board taught me so much about myself and how to effectively communicate and work together other people. There was so much that I didn't know or understand  but I reached out to the resources that were available and when my resources fell short, I took a leap of faith hoping that I would land on my feet. I spent 3 years conducting e-board meetings, planning events, going over contracts with outside guests, hosting educational workshops, taking part of diversity panels, and educating the students about my organizations' missions from 2009 - 2013. Before I came to Pace I didn't really know what to expect. I presumed that it would be just like undergrad and I would have the opportunity to join more student organizations and to be an active member of these organizations. Although we have an MPASA student organization the culture of student camaraderie is different in graduate school. Many people here are not focused on student organizations especially when they have a full-time job and other priorities to attend to. During my short period here at Pace as a graduate student I have channeled my focus elsewhere. I've taken a back seat and have begun to explore different interests that I never knew I had as a student.