Building Confidence, Giving Back
In this episode of ‘Every Step of the Way,’ host Georgia Boothe welcomes Sarah Roman, an alumna of Children's Aid, who shares her personal journey with the organization. Sarah recounts her early involvement with Children's Aid summer programs, the pivotal role of Project Live, and the impact of having two mentors from diverse backgrounds. She highlights how the various extracurricular and after-school activities helped build her confidence, transforming her from a shy student into a self-assured individual. Now a successful massage therapist and business owner, Sarah speaks about how she is giving back to the community, particularly through housing initiatives for families in need.
Creators and Guests
Host
Georgia Boothe
Executive Vice President: Executive Vice President Georgia Boothe joined Children’s Aid in 2015 as the vice president of the Child Welfare and Family Services Division. She oversees the organization’s work with young people who have become involved in the juvenile justice system as well as the preventive services program, which works to strengthen families that are involved in the child welfare system. She also leads a deeply experienced team of social workers and other front line staff in serving children and families with special needs. Georgia comes to Children’s Aid after spending more than five years at Pathways to Housing NY, as the executive director. She holds an M.S.W. from Columbia University and earned her undergraduate degree from Skidmore College, where she studied social work and American studies.
Producer
Anthony Ramos
Vice President of Marketing and Communication: Anthony Ramos manages the public profile of Children's Aid across all media and led the organization’s efforts in its first rebranding process in more than four decades. Since joining Children’s Aid in 2011, Ramos has helped to communicate Children's Aid’s strategic objectives to key stakeholders and enhance its web presence through multimedia. Ramos came to Children’s Aid from the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), where he served as director of communications. Prior to his work with GLSEN, Ramos managed communications for the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center and the National Hemophilia Foundation.
Guest
Sarah Roman
Sarah Roman, was born and raised in East Harlem from the late 90's to early 2000's with her 2 siblings in a single-parent household. Sarah was exposed to the magic of dance in The Children's Aid Society Center afterschool and summer programs. This love of dance and discipline instilled by her mother brought her to different dance programs in the city. With dance comes injury and needing to explore different options for work, Sarah completed a physical therapy internship at Mount Sinai Hospital in 2006. August of 2006, Sarah went to Manhattanville College as a C-STEP scholar to continue these studies. However, about 3 semesters in, her studies at Manhattanville Sarah took a break and found herself a year later at The Swedish Institute of Health Sciences for Massage Therapy. Since 2011 Sarah has been a licensed massage therapist working in luxury hotels, spas, gyms and wellness centers. She also started her journey of motherhood and being a wife. Fast forward to 2020, Sarah created her company Unwind Spas which provides sessions for residents of luxury buildings in Manhattan & Brooklyn, in studio sessions in Manhattan and provides a platform for other talented massage therapists to grow.
