ft. Stephanie Sylvestre
In the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, few voices blend innovation with community insight as powerfully as Stephanie Sylvestre, co-founder of Avatar Buddy an app that creates AI “buddies” and digital twins designed to help people excel. But her journey, rooted in realworld experience and deep community awareness, is what makes her story one worth telling.
Originally from Belize, Stephanie moved to Miami in 1993 for graduate school. One of her earliest impressions of Miami? “I was shocked—gagged, really—that you could find Caribbean produce in the regular grocery stores. They had plantains, yuca, and a bunch of other things we eat in Belize right alongside the apples and pears.”
Her professional journey took her through a range of impactful roles, including a stint as Chief Programs Officer and CIO at the Children’s Trust. But it was her time at TACOLCY that marked a pivotal turn.
“I met Alison Austin in 2008 when I was kind of wanting something more from my life. I took a sabbatical, and Alison convinced me to hang out and work at TACOLCY. For nine months, I was helping her run it. It was a very, very interesting experience.”
Liberty City are perceived and supported. “People say Liberty City is low resource, and I don’t know that I fully agree with that. I think there are lots of resources in the community they’re just not always efficiently deployed.”
She compares her own neighborhood, Coconut Grove, where within a 10-minute drive you can find multiple fresh food supermarkets, to Liberty City, which has just one Winn-Dixie and two Presidente stores “It’s essentially a food desert.”
It was during this period and later at the Children’s Trust that Stephanie began noticing gaps not just in service delivery, but in how communities like Story continued on Page 5
This inequity in infrastructure, along with a lifelong curiosity and drive for solutions, eventually led her to AI. Page 3
DECISION DAY
2 0 2 5 - M I A M I C E N T R A L H I G H
TOTHECLASS OF2025
Today, we proudly celebrated our incredible seniors during Decision Day a moment to recognize their hard work, resilience, and exciting next steps after high school.
Each senior that are members of Club TACOLCY also received a care package filled with college essentials to help them start their next chapter strong, on behalf of the Belafonte TACOLCY Center.
Seniors Samuel Saintil, Joseph Veargis, Uel Beauliere and Mila Boyd receive care packages from Club TACOLCY.
AT TACOLCY Easter
COIN WAR
This month, our Out-of-School (OOS) kids have been bringing the heat in our epic Coin War competition! Each group has been strategizing, saving, and stacking coins in hopes of winning the ultimate prize—a pizza party! The friendly rivalry has sparked excitement and teamwork, with students going all in to give their group the edge. With the competition coming down to the wire, everyone’s eager to see who will come out on top (and enjoy those delicious slices)!
Social Work INTERNSHIP
What is TACOLCY CARE Fellowship?
The TACOLCY CARE Fellows Program is an unpaid, semester-long fellowship offering immersive, real-world experience in social work. Fellows support community care and client advocacy, while gaining hands-on skills in benefits access and trauma-informed engagement. The program integrates service with guided reflection to build ethical, systems-aware leaders.
Why Recommend Your Students?
More than an internship—this is a launchpad for culturally responsive, equity-driven changemakers.
Fellows receive:
Weekly 1:1 mentorship with an experienced supervisor
Monthly professional development seminars (e.g., Motivational Interviewing, Cultural Humility, CANS)
Experience in client intake, Medicaid/SNAP navigation, food distribution, and baby wellness programs
Capstone Project with opportunities to publish, present, or propose real solutions
A branded certificate of completion and letter of recommendation for exemplary service
Priority consideration for future job opportunities at TACOLCY or partner agencies
The TACOLCY CARE Fellows Program gives students a sense of purpose, real experience, and a path to future careers. Many of our interns go on to work in schools, nonprofits, and health programs.
Program Details:
Who? BSW, MSW, and Human Services students
When? 12–16 weeks | 10–20 hours/week | Flexible scheduling
Where? In-person at the Belafonte TACOLCY Center (Liberty City, Miami)
Support: Orientation, supervision, reflection activities, and a culminating presentation
UPCOMING EVENTS UPCOMING EVENTS UPCOMING EVENTS
ENDOFSUMMER SHOWCASE
Parentsandstakeholdersareinvitedtoseetheyouth performanddemonstratewhattheylearnedoverthe summermonths+studentsinTACOLCY'sprogram willberewardedforlettergradeimprovements
Studentswillalsoexplorecollege,career,trade,and militaryoptionsfortheirfuture