These alumna-led hubs are a home away from home for hundreds

Almost every day, dozens of middle and high school students flow into The Garage Community and Youth Center, a former car repair shop converted into an after-school hub.

There to greet them is Kristin Proto, the executive director, who helps to manage the academic support, arts and cultural programs, meals and more. There are gyms for physical wellness, a makerspace for creative expression and weekly community service projects. The Garage's Career Compass program, a summerlong paid internship for youths between the ages of 16 and 18, emphasizes life and leadership skill development while connecting teens to mentors and future careers.

The Garage opened about two decades ago in Kennett Square, in rural Chester County, Pennsylvania, and began serving the mostly Latino youths whose families migrated there to work the mushroom fields. Recently, it launched an additional site in nearby Avondale.

Proto arrived at the center about a decade ago, and it's far different from where she first imagined she'd have a career.

When Proto (A&S '05) left Pittsburgh to begin college, she thought engineering would be her path. But after a year, she discovered it wasn't the right fit. She returned home to the University of Pittsburgh, where she immersed herself in history, political science, religion and Asian studies. Pitt's faculty and programs, she says, "opened up my worldview," teaching her to see across cultures and find what unites people.

That perspective has guided Proto's career. After graduating, she joined AmeriCorps in Pittsburgh, teaching English to immigrants and refugees. "It gave me a sense of how education and relationships transform lives," she recalls.

A move to Chester County, about an hour from Philadelphia, brought new opportunities - and, eventually, The Garage.

Today, The Garage's impact is clear. Each year, the center reaches nearly 500 students, many of them first-generation Americans. Alumni return as staff, volunteers and even board members, proof of the program's long-lasting influence.

"Trust is everything," Proto says. "Families allow us to serve their kids because we've been here, we're of the community and they know we'll walk with them. For a lot of students, The Garage is a place that helps them imagine a future."