Meet the team

Fernando Monge joined the Promise Zone in the winter of 2023 as its new Program Director. In fall of 2024, he moved into the role of Executive Director. For the last ten years Fernando has worked at public and private universities in different capacities including recruitment, multicultural programming and education, and crisis management. Most recently Fernando worked as an Assistant Director for Central Michigan University recruiting high school students from across the Metro Detroit region. Fernando is passionate about working with high school and college students to help them reach their own version of educational success through a social justice and relationship-driven lens.

Originally from Ecuador, Fernando moved to and came of age in Miami, Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Florida International University and a Master of Science degree in College Student Personnel from Western Illinois University. He is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration from Central Michigan University.

In his off time, Fernando teaches pottery to kids and adults of all ages.

Shaunti Finley is the Hazel Park High School's new College Adviser for the 2024-2025 school year! Shaunti graduated from Michigan State University in April 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and Policy. She also studied Korean and African & African American Studies at MSU. Shaunti is from Detroit, MI, and a first-generation college graduate. The college-going process was scary and overwhelming as a first-gen student, so she hopes to make that process smoother for all of her students.

Katrina "Kitty" Groeller M.A. joined the Hazel Park Promise Zone as a Postsecondary Success Coach in Fall 2025. Currently completing her Ph.D in Sociology, she's already earned two degrees from Michigan State: a B.A. and M.A. both in Sociology. Her college access work began at Orchard View High School in Muskegon, MI, where she served as a College Adviser with the MSU College Advising Corps for the class of 2018 and 2019.

In her free time she enjoys spending time outdoors hiking and birding, arts and crafts, and motorsport.

Monica Rattee joined the Promise Program in the Fall of 2014 as it's bookkeeper. Her commitment to youth and ensuring the Promise Program shared its message of supporting youth she began coordinating fundraising and community initiatives to share the program's mission of supporting students to and through college. Monica is a full-time licensed real estate agent, broker, and a certified military relocation professional.