SNHU School of Education
2500 North River Road
Manchester, NH 03106
THE BREAKTHROUGH DEDICATED ADVISORS
Breakthrough Manchester at SNHU's College-Bound program features dedicated advisors who are highly motivated, well-organized, and passionate undergraduate students, graduate students, or recent alums. These advisors serve Breakthrough Manchester College-Bound students towards becoming powerful self-advocates by checking in with them virtually every week, and in-person roughly every month. Students can expect personalized coaching on building essential skills, planning a high school path, searching for best-match-and-fit colleges, and completing applications.
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ALYCIA ASHBY
Class of 2024 Advisor
Alycia is a senior at Colby Sawyer College and she is returning for her 4th year as an advisor in the program. She is also an alum of the program, graduating from the first class of students!
ANGELINA IOSSO
Class of 2024 Advisor
Angelina Iosso is a SNHU alum from the secondary education masters program. Currently she is working as a high school British Literature teacher and mentoring students remotely! She loves to read, try new coffee shops, and play board games!
KALEY LAMBERT
Class of 2024 Advisor
Kaley is a senior at the University of New Hampshire as a triple major in Communication, Philosophy, and Italian Studies. She is also a Student Coordinator for The Socratic Society at UNH. Kaley loves attending concerts, playing board games, and all things art-related. This is her first year as a College Bound advisor, and she is excited to meet everyone!
KEVIN SHEGANI
Class of 2024 Advisor
Kevin Shegani is a former Breakthrough student who is going to UNH to pursue a degree in English Teaching. This is his fourth year advising in the high school program, but he was also a Teaching Fellow in the middle school program. His favorite subjects are English and History. He enjoys reading and video games.
CARLY TORRANCE
Class of 2025 Advisor
Carly Torrance is a recent graduate of Springfield College with a degree in Education K-6 and a focus in special education. She has been a teaching fellow at Breakthrough Manchester for 3 years and she cannot wait to continue working with Breakthrough students as an advisor. She loves to go camping with her dog, play basketball and spend time with friends and family.
KARENA CZZOWITZ
Class of 2025 Advisor
A former Breakthrough Manchester and College-Bound student, Karena is a junior at Southern New Hampshire University majoring in biology on a pre-med track. She wants to focus on neuroscience, mental health, and pediatrics after obtaining her bachelor's degree. She is incredibly excited to be back as an advisor this year. Some of her hobbies include reading, painting, and taking photos.
LINH MAI
Class of 2025 Advisor
Linh is a junior at SNHU majoring in Politics and Global Affairs. She has been part of the the Breakthrough program for about 9 years, and she is beyond excited to continue to be an advisor. She loves everything related to the arts (painting, drawing, playing/listening to music, fashion, writing, etc). Her biggest dream is to create a non-profit organization that ensures education to everyone, especially the children in poverty/third world countries.
VENUS VILLANUEVA
Class of 2025 Advisor
Venus is entering their junior year at Suffolk University, where they are pursuing a double major in Global Business and Data Analytics. Venus is thrilled to come back as an advisor, having previously been a breakthrough student themselves. In their free time, they find joy in playing music, traveling, and skating.
CARL DESIR
Class of 2026 Advisor
Carl Desir is from Manchester, New Hampshire, and he is a breakthrough student and college-bound student alumni. He will be going into his second year at Boston College, majoring in biochemistry. He is excited to have the opportunity to continue to be a part of the Breakthrough community and be a mentor to the college-bound students.
KELSEY PARADIS
Class of 2026 Advisor
Kelsey is a junior at Southern New Hampshire University. She is currently studying Entrepreneurship with a concentration in project management. She loves to travel along with outside activities including hiking, kayaking, and camping. She is currently the president of the entrepreneurship club on campus and tries to get involved as much as she can in the campus.
LAJLA HUSEJNOVIC
Class of 2026 Advisor
Lajla is a sophomore at Saint Anselm College with a double major in Cyber Criminology and Computer Science. She continues to work as a volunteer and organizer at the Association of Bosniaks of New Hampshire in an effort to continue the Bosnian culture. This is Lajla's eighth year as a part of the Breakthrough community. She went from being a student in the middle and high school programs, to being a school year teaching fellow in the middle school program, and continues this journey as a College Bound advisor.
LILLIANA MCCULLOUGH
Class of 2026 Advisor
Lilliana is a sophomore at SNHU majoring in Psychology with a concentration in mental health. She's been a part of the Breakthrough community for 8 years now and she's looking forward to her ninth year with the program! She is a big concert buff and some of her favorite concerts she's been to are Taylor Swift, 5 Seconds of Summer, and Niall Horan! She is excited to continue to learn and grow with her advisory and coadvisor this year!
MARA CONTRERAS-VELEZ
Class of 2026 Advisor
Mara is a junior at Saint Anselm College. She is majoring in Nursing with a Spanish minor. This will be her second year as an advisor, but she has been a part of the breakthrough program as a student since middle school.
MEGAN DIERS
Class of 2026 Advisor
Megan is currently a second year exercise science student at Colby-Sawyer College. She have been with Breakthrough for 8 years now and this is her second year as an advisor for the college bound program. Along with her exercise science degree, she is pursuing a certificate in coaching and a minor in a food studies. She hopes to bring this knowledge and her love for sports and art to college bound students.
ROMY CANDON
Class of 2026 Advisor
This is Romy's first year as an advisor. She just graduated From Pitzer College with a Bachelor's in Cognitive Science and she's taught at Breakthrough the last three summers. She loves to spend time outside, make art and watch comedy shows! She's super excited to join College Bound and see both new and familiar faces.
TU ANH DUONG
Class of 2026 Advisor
Tu Anh is a Master's student at the University of New Hampshire studying Secondary Education. His undergrad studies were at the same institution, attaining a B.A. in History with minors in Political Science and Sociology. Part of the Master's degree is Tu Anh will be student teaching! For this, he will be at Manchester West High School. This will be Tu Anh's second year as an advisor in the College Bound Program. In addition to his work here, Tu Anh is a substitute teacher for numerous schools and works for Sylvan in Bedford. Outside of this, Tu Anh's interests are in cars (Both domestic and import), listening to music, and spending time at the lakes.
KAYLA TRUONG
Class of 2027 Advisor
Kayla is a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. She is a former Breakthrough student and summer teaching fellow. She is delighted to continue on the Breakthrough journey as a College Bound advisor.
KENYANG LUAL
Class of 2027 Advisor
Kenyang is an incoming freshmen at SNHU majoring in Computer Science. His passions include reading books, writing stories, and listening and playing music. He has been part of the Breakthrough programmer 6 years and is excited to become an advisor to help out high school students on their journey towards success.
RICKY TRUONG
Class of 2027 Advisor
Ricky is a freshman at Harvard University planning to study history and statistics. Born and raised in Manchester, he has been involved with Breakthrough since 2017—previously as a student, program assistant, and teaching fellow, and now as a dedicated advisor for College Bound! Outside of work and school, he enjoys cards, board games, bike rides, and coffee.
VALERIE DENIS
Class of 2027 Advisor
Valerie is a junior at Southern New Hampshire University majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health. Outside of school, she enjoys listening to music, spending time with family and friends, and doing photography. This will be her first year as an advisor, and she is very excited to be on board!
XIOMARA RIVERA
Class of 2027 Advisor
Xiomara is an incoming freshman at the University of New Hampshire and will be majoring in Music Education. Xiomara is excited to join the advising team after being a Breakthrough student throughout her middle school and high school years. She is passionate about the fine arts, especially music, and looks forward to helping younger students.