With more than 80 locations across New York City and 10,000+ young people supported each year, the CIS team is essential to making sure that each and every student has what they need to thrive – academically, socially, and emotionally. Today, we’re thrilled to put a spotlight on one of our all-star team members: Genesy Sencion, the Community Schools Director at PS007 in Harlem.
The Wellness Room Genesy helped set up
Genesy started with CIS in 2022 as a school social worker, providing mental health counseling to students. Over time, Genesy took on new projects and opportunities – including spending a summer creating a new wellness room at PS007 in Harlem. Working alongside other staff, they transformed an old storage room into a beautiful, inviting space that students couldn’t wait to spend time in. Just as the space changed with her help, the relationship with the school entered a new chapter and Genesy took on a new role.
“I became a Wholeness Coordinator in 2023, and for the first time had a team to guide and lead each day. And then in 2024, I became the Community Schools Director here,” Genesy shares. But what does a Community Schools Director DO?
Genesy (bottom right) and her PS007 team
“Each day is different – and you really never know what to expect. I’ll check in on the wellness room and make sure my team is ready to go. I’ll talk to the school staff and administrators to see what they might need today. And then I spend my day making sure that everything is running smoothly.” And that EVERYTHING is a lot – there’s counseling sessions, after-school activities, special school-wide events, an attendance mentorship program, PTA meetings, and more. But still Genesy thinks there’s more to be done.
“A big part of my day is thinking about… what else can I do in this building for this community? How can be MORE helpful and have a bigger impact?” It’s that perspective that highlights why CIS’ work – and Genesy’s in particular – truly matters. Students have many needs that affect them every day, both in and outside of the classroom. Educators do their best, but there’s so much to be done. And as Genesy points out, you can’t do it all alone.
“I really see CIS as being a bridge in so many ways. A lot of times, students feel like they can’t build healthy connections with the adults around them – they want someone to talk to, who is looking out for them and listening to them. And that’s us. But we ALSO do that for parents, for teachers, and for administrators. My team is who the entire community comes to when they need something – and I think that’s the most rewarding part of what we do. People will come to us because we’ve built a real connection with all of them and we put ourselves out there.” Building those connections is vital to making sure everyone feels heard, and also so that the entire community can be healthy and happy.
The Wellness Room, decorated for the holidays
But all of that work can take a toll, so Genesy shared some words of wisdom on taking care of yourself, too. “We are all entitled to being healthy and well, and sometimes the work we do can be heavy and hard. So we need a balance – I stay connected to my friends and family, and make sure that I prioritize doing fun things with them regularly. When you take care of yourself, it makes sure that we can do more good things.”
We’re so grateful to Genesy and her entire team for the transformational work they do at PS007 every day, ensuring that the entire community has the tools and resources they need to thrive.
