CAFE Shining Stars!

CAFE has been a home to many young people over the years. Whether it’s been constructive tutoring in the After School Program or adopting creative talents and useful life skills in the Saturday Academy, CAFE has proved to be a valuable institution for growth in many young peoples lives.

As a part of our Dream Maker campaign, we interviewed several former students about their experience in CAFE and asked them how CAFE has influenced their lives.

Joshua Villafuerte , 19 year old college student, has been enrolled in CAFE for 9 whole years, since 2013.

You may recognize him from some of our media across the site and on our social media. After all he is one of our longest enrolled students. We’ve had the privilege of not only his basking in charming presence, but witnessing his impeccable growth throughout the years.

Joshua started playing the steel pan early on in the program. He also participated in CAFE robotics and dance classes. He is currently studying math and literature at Prince Georges Community College. Joshua says CAFE has taught him to be responsible, and the importance of accountability, especially when working with others, i.e. in the steel pan orchestra and in robotics.

Joshua says CAFE has helped him stay consistent with practicing his desired art forms, including drawing and painting, and is a good program to be in if you’re interested in learning something new.

Jabari Smith is a 18 year old CAFE alum, also enrolled at PGCC, and also has been with CAFE for 8-9 years.

CAFE taught Jabari how to play the bass and read music at a young age, introducing him to different genres of music to enjoy and perform such as reggae and traditional Trinidadian music.

With CAFE Jabari has performed at different venues, including The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and in Virginia Beach’s Steel Pan competition in 2019. With a long history of playing the drums, even before joining CAFE, music has always been a big passion of Jabari’s. He currently studies audio engineering and music production at Omega Studios in Maryland.

Jabari says that CAFE is something he had to grow into as it was a change of pace from his everyday life, but he really values the time spent there, getting to know people with different interests reigning from various different backgrounds, while also enhancing his musical craft. After graduating Jabari says that CAFE engrained within him the importance of working hard and the value of teamwork, and that eventually you’ll get the outcomes you want, if you’re willing to put in the effort to achieve them.