Yvette Jonna-Moore

Yvette grew up in the Los Angeles area, where she attended a Spanish immersion program. While in high school, she moved to beautiful Michigan and cannot imagine living anywhere else. Yvette is both a licensed school counselor and a licensed mental health counselor, which became invaluable in helping students both during and post-pandemic. She loves working at her current school as the Upward Bound Director because of the student culture, where most student interactions are kind and accepting. She particularly values the experiential learning component of Upward Bound, which has included student travel to multiple states and Canada. Yvette is passionate about educational access and feels fortunate to lead a program that supports low-income and potential first-generation college students. She is part of a blended family of her husband, five sons, and one daughter, and over the years, her family has included over fifty fostered rescue dogs. She enjoys traveling, exercising, reading, gardening, and baking. She is especially excited to support her student Scholar’s learning over the next year and is looking forward to learning from colleagues from across the country and Africa.