UNPACKED Micah Tatebe

In the season 3 finale, Micah is joined by three current Americorps and City Year New Hampshire Service Leaders - Abby Watson, Elinor Bragaw, and Kailey Johnson.

Abbey Watson is from Kalamazoo, Michigan. There she attended school and graduated with a Master’s of Social Work degree. After studying in El Salvador and Guatemala, she realized that she wanted to explore educational systems outside of her own experiences. Abbey was introduced to City Year at a job fair and realized the organization would give her that opportunity. During her first year of service, she fell in love with the Manchester community and decided to return to serve another year. She credits this to the amazing students and teachers that she served alongside. The relationships she built and the energy, passion, empathy, and laughter shared by the students made her realize that she did not want her time in Manchester to be over so quickly.

Elinor Bragaw is from Crozet, Virginia, a little town between Charlottesville and the Blue Ridge mountains. She lived in the same house all her life with her parents and three younger siblings up until she moved away to college in Washington, D.C. College was a rollercoaster. She took time off in the middle, worked as a camp counselor out in California, applied to transfer to other schools, and changed her major a few times, but she made it to the other side and graduated from American University in December 2019 with a degree in art history and a minor in political science. When she considered her next steps after college, she chose to serve with City Year, and her experience last year taught her that she is an educator. Her eyes were opened to the realities of the public education system and she believes it is a calling to dedicate her time to helping children have the best shot they can.

Kailey Johnson grew up in Londonderry, New Hampshire. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2020 and majored in psychology and justice studies. She also spent a very formative semester completing an internship through The Washington Center. During college, Kailey was also involved with the Kappa Delta sorority where they supported the philanthropies Prevent Child Abuse America and the Girl Scouts of America. The work of these organizations inspired her to advocate for children to have happy and healthy childhoods. This belief led her to join City Year after graduation. She was inspired by City Year’s model of supporting kids through tutoring, and building communities within their schools. Kailey chose to serve in Manchester because it gave her the opportunity to learn and grow in a community that had been next door to her throughout her whole life. She decided to return for another year because she truly believes in the impact City Year can have on students and the community.

To read more about their ongoing journeys, check out this post.

In this episode, Micah is joined by a childhood friend, Byron Abrigg. Byron is the cofounder, CCO, and COO of Mission Control, a community platform that organizes recreational esports. Byron started his career in venture capital and accelerators, serving as the Accelerator Coordinator at Stadia Ventures, an early-stage sports tech and esports VC and accelerator program in St. Louis, MO. In addition to his current work at Mission Control, Byron is also an Adjunct Professor at Saint Louis University where he graduated in 2017.

In this season 3 episode, Micah is joined by his good friend Kai Forcey-Rodriguez. *Stefon from SNL Weekend Update voice* This episode will have everything! Kai is a future special educator and mental health professional specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorders and is currently enrolled in the Masters of Education in Developmental Psychology and Education program at the University of Toronto-Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). Kai was born in New York City, but grew up in Durham, New Hampshire. At age 7, Kai was diagnosed with Inattentive-ADHD and High Functioning Autism and over the years has learned to celebrate the unique gifts from being neurodivergent (Savant-like memory, musical savant abilities, and polyglot). Kai is a world traveller who has lived in Italy, The Netherlands, Russia, Indonesia, and now Canada and is a polyglot who speaks 8 languages. In College, Kai studied Italian Studies with a minor in Special Education Teaching where he realized both in Indonesia and in education courses his true calling which after graduating led him to serve with City Year New Hampshire. Kai finds joy working with, advocating for, supporting and understanding the needs of students and everyone around him fueled by his drive to give back and continue the legacy of his dedicated mentors and teachers from over the years. Kai also finds joy with providing comic relief e.g. jokes, wearing a green mustache, and voice impressions. Kai also credits and has deep gratitude for his own hard work to overcome life’s obstacles along with learning a lot through the unconditional support from his family, music, and his close friends from over the years who inspire me to do my best and accept/celebrate who I am. Currently, Kai lives in Toronto, Ontario and is working towards submitting his first publication about Autism and Mental Health while studying for his M.Ed at University of Toronto-OISE.

Micah's brother, Caleb Tatebe joins the podcast for episode 12. Caleb is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. He earned his PhD in chemistry at Purdue University under the mentorship of Professor Suzanne Bart. Besides chemistry, Caleb has passions for sports, music, and his faith. Together with his wife, they raise their two sons (6, 3) and Australian Shepherd to do justly, love greatly, and follow in the steps of Christ [to the best of their ability]. 

Season 3 kicks off with Micah's good friend, Richard Banach, who is a future history teacher and is currently enrolled in a Masters in Teaching program. Richard grew up in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area where he was a Regional champion in high school for basketball. In college, Richard helped start one of the best Esports teams in the country. While at college, Richard studied political science and international studies but pivoted to education when he realized his true calling through a year of service at a nonprofit called City Year New Hampshire. He finds joy in helping students with learning disabilities because he couldn’t have overcome his own learning disabilities without dedicated mentors and teachers. Currently, he is a substitute teacher at a local middle school and an assistant basketball coach while pursuing his Master's degree. 

In Episode 10, Micah is joined by Christian West. Christian grew up in a small, suburban town of Wheeling, West Virginia. As a homeschooled kid, Christian spent much of his childhood at home, finding ways to entertain himself. As a teenager, Christian found that he aspired to be a film maker, which lead him into the world of videography and photography. With this newfound passion, he met many of his current friends while photographing music shows and events. Yet it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. With Covid-19, his plans of pursuing film making were de-railed. Luckily in June of 2020 he found exactly what he needed, streaming! And he's been doing it nearly everyday since! You can find out more about Christian here: https://linktr.ee/ChristianTG92