Angela Wright served as a Counselor and Teacher at Harrison High School for over 30 years. Angela received her master’s degree in Counseling at UCCS. Angela began her career as a teacher, having earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Human Development & the Family at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. During Angela's tenure as an educator, she has supervised multiple youth leadership groups, and is excited to share her knowledge in her work with the Elevated students this year! Angela lives in Woodland Park with her husband Jim and has two adult children who attended college and are currently employed in the medical field.
Jeni Spice has been in education since 2001, a counselor at Harrison High School since 2014, and joined as an Elevated Mentor in 2015. Jeni received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Regis University and a master’s degree in School Counseling at UNC. She is married and has two grown children, two grandchildren (one on the way!), and four stepchildren. One of her greatest joys is spending time with family. An avid animal lover, she has a dog named Paddington. It is her great pleasure to be working with the outstanding students in Elevated.
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Promis Bruno is originally from Houston but considers herself a Colorado Native. It is important for everyone to know that she graduated from one of the greatest High School's in the Colorado Springs area, Roy J Wasson Class of 2001. She received her Bachelor's in Social Work (BSW) with a Minor in Women’s Studies from CSU-Pueblo in 2005. In 2008 Promis decided to go back to school and obtain her Master's in Social Work (MSW) where she graduated in 2010. Promis has been fortunate to have found her passion early and applauds herself to only have had one career in her lifetime which is being a social worker. She values creating opportunities for supporting students and families in the community. Although she loves her career, she is most proud of being a mother to three beautiful children. By far motherhood has been her most rewarding role in this lifetime. 
Jennifer Trainor is a Colorado native. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in Therapeutic Recreation. Later she earned her master’s degree in school counseling from American Military University. She has been a school counselor for the last 8 years and is currently at Manitou Springs High School. Jennifer loves to ride her scooter and belongs to a scooter gang Colorado Springs. She also enjoys traveling on cruise ships to different countries. She has 4 children and 3 grandchildren that she cannot get enough of
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Kelly Gallegos is a graduate of Palmer High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in English Literature and a master's degree in Counseling and Human Services from UCCS. Kelly worked as a high school counselor at Harrison High School for 14 years. She has been a counselor at North Middle School for the past 6 years. Kelly has served as an Elevated mentor for 8 years. She is excited and feels privileged to be working with Elevated again this school year! 
April Matulovich is a Colorado Springs native who graduated from Fountain-Fort Carson High School. She went to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs for her bachelor’s and master’s degree, earning her master’s degree in Counseling and Human Services. She became an LPC (licensed professional counselor) in 2012 and has a small part time private practice in downtown Colorado Springs. April has worked as a school counselor at Janitell Junior High, Fountain-Fort Carson High School and now at Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy.
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Melva Hall has been an educator for over 30 years. She is a retired counselor, having worked in Harrison School District #2 and the El Paso County School District #11. Melva has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Cameron University-Lawton, Oklahoma, and a master’s degree in Counseling and Human Services from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. After three glorious years of retirement, Melva is currently working as a counselor at the College Readiness Academy an alternative school housed at Sierra High School. She has three grown children and four grandchildren. “I love working with students and helping them with their college and career plans”. 
D. J. Latino graduated from the University of Southern Colorado (CSU-P) with a B.A. in History and emphasis in Secondary Education in 2001. He earned his Master of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Educational Leadership and Principal Licensure from Adams State University in 2006. Formerly the Athletics/Activities Director, in fall of 2020, he will serve as Dean of Students at Mesa Ridge High School. This will be Mr. Latino’s third year as an Elevated Mentor. |
Porschae Chitmon-Turner grew up in Colorado Springs. She considers Colorado Springs her home and loves having the mountains as her backdrop for inspiration. As a Colorado native, she attended Harrison High School which is where she now works as an English, Film and Literature and Yearbook teacher. She is in her 7th year of teaching and enjoys how much teaching includes learning from students. She graduated from Colorado College with a B.A. in English. She recently received her M.A in English from Arizona State University. Porschae is an avid reader and dog lover. She is passionate about seeing students succeed and reach their full potential. She is also an alum of Peak Education, a Colorado Springs program that serves to educate students on the many ways they can be successful and also give back to their community. 
Katie Snyder began her career as an educator at Harrison High School in 2015 as a Visual Arts teacher. Originally from Ohio, she received her Bachelor of Arts from Ohio University and moved to Colorado with her husband Justin. Art is her passion and she jumps at any opportunity to be creative. Katie loves to paint and spend time outdoors. She is excited to begin her sixth year at Harrison and connect with Elevated students this year. |
Lisa Rogula-
Lisa has spent most of her life living in Colorado but being a military spouse was also fortunate to spend time living in Utah and Germany. She received a bachelor’s degree from Weber State University in Ogden Utah and a Master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado. Lisa has worked with middle and high school students for 19 years and her favorite thing is helping them with their plans after HS. Currently Lisa is a counselor at Fox Meadow Middle School, and owns her own college consulting business College Wi$e in Pueblo. She is excited to start her sixth year with Elevated. 
Matt Sutter grew up in the greatest of states, Montana. He played college basketball in Nebraska and graduated from York College. He has a wonderful family and is blessed by his wonderful wife, beautiful daughter, and handsome son. Coach Sutter has been educating and coaching at Fountain-Fort Carson High School for the past 12 years. This is Matt’s fifth year in Elevated and he is excited to help young people achieve beyond their potential! |
Vennita Browning earned her B.A. from the University of La Verne in Communications. She currently works for a local non-profit, Peak Education, which serves over 300 low-income students. Vennita has three sons and all earned their college degrees. She enjoys traveling and recently visited Ireland. Vennita is excited and looking forward to her sixth year with Elevated where she will work hard to assist your students in their goal of attending and graduating from college. 
George Smith earned an athletic scholarship to play football at the University of Northern Colorado in 1997, where he was a member of the team’s second national championship. In 2002, he graduated from UNC and earned a Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in Kinesiology. He earned his Master of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Administration and Supervision from the University of Phoenix in 2005. He currently serves as the Assistant Principal of Discipline at Mesa Ridge High School. The 2020-2021 school year will be Mr. Smith's seventh year as an Elevated Mentor. |
Staci Wayant has just finished her 31st year in education and is currently a high school counselor at Discovery Canyon Campus High School. She has an undergraduate degree in Special Education and Masters in both Special Education and School Guidance and Counseling. She and her husband are new to Colorado and have loved every minute of it. They enjoy skiing, hiking, running, and exploring new areas. They have 2 adult children, both married, a 6 year old little boy and a 2 1/2 year old grandson. They are HUGE Oklahoma State University fans so don't be surprised about a shout out. Not only did they graduate from there but so have both of their big boys. As her students will tell you, she is very high energy. She loves building relationships with young people and helping equip them with the necessary skills to go forward in life and achieve those dreams.
Steve Wayant grew up in Kansas-OklahomaHe graduated with a BA in Sociology from Oklahoma State University. He later obtained his MA in Criminal Justice. Steve is married to Staci and is a proud father of 3 boys. He recently retired from the insurance field to complete his Masters in Social Work. |
In Collaboration with Peak Education;
Jasmine is Peak Education’s new Director of College Counseling. She is excited to grow and expand the college counseling program for Peak Education. Jasmine is a graduate of Colorado State University. She comes from a low-income, first-generation background, which contributed to her passion of empowering and helping students from similar backgrounds. Jasmine was a recipient of the Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) and became the first DSF scholar to work for the organization. During her time at DSF from 2011 until May 2020, she served in a variety of roles, working as a TRIO advisor, a college advisor and later as a lead advisor who supervised and guided other advisors. Through her work she has assisted hundreds of students across the Denver Public Schools district, helping them gain access to higher education and obtain financial aid to support their plans. She has developed core college success programming, increased college enrollment rates at various high schools, led community trainings and presentations, and much more. In addition to her passion for college access, Jasmine is pursuing her counseling degree to increase her ability to holistically impact students. |
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Photo used under Creative Commons from markbyzewski
