CIARA Riddle: Alumni Director of Community College Success & Director of Mentoring
ciara@urbanpromisecharlotte.org
Empathetic Advocate. Patiently Persistent. | Enneagram 4
CiCi is a persistence-driven advocate who specializes in the "adulting" transition. A proud first generation college graduate, CiCi is currently completing her Master of Social Work at UNC Charlotte. She spent several years in the classroom as a member of Teach for America before joining the UrbanPromise Charlotte team in 2017. After four years as a StreetLeader Director, CiCi felt called to use her story and experience to extend support to StreetLeaders as “Alumni” as they navigated the challenges of pursuing post-secondary pathways and the transition to adulthood.
Today, CiCi niches down into the specific needs of students navigating the community college pathway. Whether she is coaching a former StreetLeader or designing mentoring frameworks, her work is rooted in the belief that students should be empowered to pursue their goals, use their voice, and become change agents.
Originally from Los Angeles, CiCi finds balance reading and hiking. Her most important "team" at home consists of her four cats - she is a dedicated cat mama who believes that every good day starts with a little bit of nature and a lot of feline energy.
Quick Stats:
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Passion Points: Youth leadership, education
Ask her about: Post-secondary pathways, her favorite hiking spot, or the names of her four cats.
Superpower: Helping others turn potential into a roadmap to reach their goals
“UrbanPromise is a place where I have had the honor to walk alongside our youth year after year and throughout different seasons. I have seen campers become Streetleaders and then Alumni. I am newly energized by the opportunity to niche in the support provided to students who may choose to attend Community College and empower our Alumni as they fulfill the third part of our vision, to “restore community”.