Verbena Family Apartments Throws Surprise Birthday Party for PSCDC Resident Services Coordinator
SAN DIEGO, CA - Bryanna Barajas, the PSCDC Resident Services Coordinator for Verbena Family Apartments, walked into Verbena's community room ready for another day at work, but was shocked to see a birthday sign, balloons, gifts, pizza, drinks, chips, and a birthday cake waiting for her. Melissa, Verbena's property manager, and the residents active in the community's after-school program surprised Bryanna with a birthday party!
Bryanna, a new addition to the San Diego PSCDC family, has been working with the families at Verbena Family Apartments now for over a year while majoring in Criminology and minoring in Sociology at California State Universty, San Marcos. Since her start, she has dived deeply into serving her Verbena residents.
"The best part about being Verbena's Resident Services Coordinator, is getting to meet the families here, learning about them, learning from them, and helping them in any way I can," shares Bryanna. "I try to make this community a safe place for kids to come hang out, do homework, and to have someone to talk to when they need to. For parents and other residents, I provide resources to help expose them to new opportunies."
The most popular services hosted by Bryanna are the community's after-school program and the English as a Second Language, or ESL, program.
"The after-school program is very popular, since I host it during the time when residents get home from school. Residents tend to need help with school homework or with additional tutoring. They also look forward to playing outside, or staying indoors and doing arts and crafts projects after their school work is finished."
During Bryanna's birthday party, Bryanna and residents from the after-school program played board games, shared pizza and cake, and interacted with each other more than ever before. The residents even got together to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Bryanna.
"The kids are what makes the Verbena community so special," gushed Bryanna when sked about her hfavorite aspect of being Verbena Family's PSCDC Resident Services Coordinator. "I've been at this property for over a year now, and I love it here. Although we have our moments, this site is everything to me. We connect so much, laugh, and talk about anything."
Bryanna also reavealed the exciting plans she has for the Verbena Family Apartments community in the future.
"I would like to keep recruiting kids to come to the community room for any help and join the after-school program, because my services are for them. We also try to celebrate every birthday for those attending the after-school program whenever we can, and I have plans for seasonal parties to celebrate summer and fall. This summer, we are organizing a little trip to the beach or something similar."
For Bryanna, the surprise party is something she will never forget. Her dedication and passion for serving the Verbena Family community has only grown because of her connections with the residents. PSCDC and Bryanna give a massive thank you to Melissa, the community's property manager, and all the residents who made Bryanna's special day even more special.
