White House Author

Germain Castellanos is Program Director for the SHINE Educational Leadership Program, a workforce development program serving over 300 at-risk youth at Waukegan High School—where the student population is over 70% Latino—since 2008. Germain’s commitment to service was first recognized when he was honored with the title of AmeriCorps Member of the Year in 2005 for his service as a Youth Developer at Youth Conservation Corps in Waukegan, and has continued through his founding of the SHINE Program. Germain’s transition from being a recipient of services to a provider of services for at-risk youth earned him the Illinois Governor’s Journey Award in 2008. The son of immigrants from Mexico, Germain also works to create change and opportunity for the residents of his hometown of Waukegan by serving as Vice President of the Habitat for Humanity Lake County Board of Directors; Program Chair and Member of the Board of Directors for Youth Conservation Corps; and as Member of the Lake County Workforce Investment Board’s Youth Council.