We are so excited to announce Ash Escobar as AGE UP’s new Co-Executive Director! Here’s their letter to the people sharing their thoughts on this transition:
It’s official, I’m taking Hana’s job!
For those of you who may not know me, my name is Ash Escobar, I joined the AGEUP staff team in August 2017, through an AmeriCorps position. I eventually moved through the organization starting parttime, moving to fulltime, and starting in July, I will be joining Ari as Co-Executive Directors here at AGE UP. I was first introduced to ultimate frisbee in PE at South Shore K-8, and I actually didn’t fall in love with it. I tried again, my freshman year of high school at Cleveland hoping to get my PE credits waived, and never looked back! I ended up playing throughout all my high school years and eventually came back to coach at Cleveland soon after graduating. Then one day, to my surprise, I received a text one day from Hana about a job opportunity with AGEUP. I didn’t participate in AGE UP programming as a young person, and I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. And in all honesty, in my first year working here, if you would’ve asked me if I could see myself here, the answer would have definitely been no.
I feel like AGE UP is known for all the coaching frisbee, mentoring and leadership building in the programs we do with all our youth participants. But for me, AGE UP has been all of those things and all of those spaces for me as an adult, especially that version of me that was freshly 19, out of high school and overcome by anxiety, fear and shyness. AGE UP has seen me through my lowest of lows and highest of highs, and has truly helped me grow into this now adult version of myself that is ready to take on this new transition in my life.
I’m excited to take on this role because of the opportunities this community has given me through all the stages of my life. I’m excited to continue my growth at this organization, to be able to continue to grow in not only hard skills, but as well as in my leadership. One of the things I truly appreciate about this work is the continual investment we all get to make in the young people that move through our programs. Especially in this time, I love that at AGE UP we get to think willfully, thoughtfully, and creatively about not just supporting young people in movement on the field but also as humans off the field knowing they are capable of being the change they want to see in their communities.
This transition truly would not have felt possible without the support from staff, board, parents, our young people, and community members. But most importantly to me, Hana Kawai. Even though it may sound corny or make the both of us cringe… in all the growth, learning, and even mistakes I’ve made, Hana has been there every step of the way for it all. Hana truly is the reason why through AGE UP I got to experience a lot of firsts. The first place I did consistent public speaking, the first place I won a championship, the first place I felt comfortable enough to change my name and change my pronouns, and the first place I have ever felt like I could create my own path for what I wanted my leadership, my community and my life to look like.
As much as I’ve gotten to watch myself grow and move through the work that I’ve gotten to do, I’ve also gotten the opportunity to watch AGEUP as an organization grow and flourish into the entity that it exists as today. I’ve seen us move through driving over four hours for retreats, a handful of AGEUP dinner fails, multiple years of young people graduating high school, and us trying new things in our programs. And AGE UP has continued to be a space filled with a community of people that pour into me and my growth, even as an adult. That is why I am so excited to become a Co-Executive director here at AGEUP, to be able to pour all of that love, learning, growth and care back into the same place that continues to do so for me.
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