Nicole (Nikki) Castaneda, AmeriCorps Member

Nikki is a long-time Breakthrough lover! Joining Breakthrough as a middle school student, they saw the love and dedication the teachers and everyone involved had for the students. Nikki then returned as a Teaching Fellow for Summer 2021 and 2022 (and soon 2023!). Breakthrough helped them through middle school, high school, and college. With all this support, Nikki was the first person in their family to graduate from college with a BS in Psychology from Sam Houston State University. Right now, they are focusing on giving back to the community that nurtured their love of learning, later hoping to attend graduate school for behavioral neuroscience. They spend their free time with their two kibble-eating kids and reading manga.