Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A Dream City

Learning Center Location and Contact Info:


Global Leadership Academy


152 Pine Street,

Philadelphia, PA 19143

Phone: (215) 471-2978

Philadelphia Dream City History

Our History:


The U.S. Dream Academy first opened in south Philadelphia at the Tasker Street Baptist Church in 2002 with the support of Pastor James A. Lovett, II and the former Mayor of Philadelphia, Wilson Goode and founder of Amachi (pictured at left).  Through this partnership we opened in the church basement where young people would flock to everday afterschool for snacks, an opportunity to work on computers, tutoring and a mentor.


In 2005, Lavarr Zuber, became the Center Director and we quickly outgrew the space.  With the support of Tasker Street Baptist Church we moved into the G.W. Childs Elementary School where the majority of our students attended school.  Recognized as “Center of the Year” in 2008, the Philadelphia Learning Center became our model center demonstrating the power of the integration of skills, charcater and dreams with a strong staff, volunteer mentors and supportive school partnership. Lavarr later became our National Program Director and still provides leadership to our national program development.   During this time, Naaila Gray also became a part of the Philadelphia Learning Center team to build the mentor program and she created a strong network of partners that we still rely on to this day.  Naaila is now our National Mentor Director helping to grow our in person and virtual mentoring program.


Our People:

Gracie Sobalvarro

Gracie Sobalvarro

Outreach & Engagement Manager

Email: gsobalvarro@usdreamacademy.org


Gracie Sobalvarro is a New York native who began her journey with U.S Dream Academy in 2017 as a mentor and administrative assistant. She was inspired by the strong connection she built with her mentees and the impact the mentoring program had on the community. Gracie worked with Dream Academy for years throughout her time in university and was thrilled to return to manage the mentoring program.


Gracie graduated from Drexel University with a degree in Sociology and minors in criminal justice and women’s studies. Gracie has experience teaching ESL to elementary school students at an education center in Mongolia. She has also conducted research about the intersection of urban sociology and gender. She is passionate about ending the school-to-prison pipeline and values the relationships she has built with her students.

Our Partners:

Aberdeen Asset Management

Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church

Drexel University

Drexel University Civic 101 Scholars Program

G.W. Childs Elementary/Middle School

Global Leadership Academy

Healthy Out-of-school time (HOST). PHMC

Mindfulness Through Movement

Rock Reach Dance School

Temple College of Education

Temple University


Learn more about our other Learning Center locations across the country:

OUR LOCATIONS

Have questions? Interested in learning more?

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