YPC11: A Community for
Young Professionals

YPC11 offers a supportive bridge between college students and young professionals to live a life of joy and purpose through volunteering, networking, and mentoring inspired by the legacy of Nick Fagnano.

Upcoming YPC11 Events

Upcoming YPC11 Events

March 15 - 21 Dominican Republic Service Trip

Stay tuned as we develop our schedule of events. If you’re interested in joining us for an informational get-together, we will be meeting in person on Wednesday, February 12th from 7:00 - 9:00pm in downtown LA, 612 S. Broadway.
Email velagjess@gmail.com to RSVP. 

Character in Action

  • Bi-annual mission trips to the Dominican Republic

  • Mentoring high school and college students

  • Volunteering at Thrive in Joy events 

  • Serving on Thrive in Joy Board committees

  • Fundraising and hosting social events

Founding Members

Abel Aguilar

Abel first connected with Thrive in Joy during a 2019 trip to the Dominican Republic with Mary and Jay. Since then, he's been a passionate supporter of the organization and its mission. For Abel, working with Thrive in Joy provides a welcome change of pace from his career as a software engineer at Google, where he's been for the past three years. Abel's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California (2017) and a Master's in Computer Science from Georgia Tech (2024). In his free time, Abel enjoys golfing, weightlifting, and performing magic tricks.

Jessica Vela Guevara

Jessica has volunteered twice in the DR (2019 & 2022) during her time at USC, where she was marveled by the manner in which Mary and Jay were maintaining the legacy of their son, Nick Fagnano, while helping and bringing joy to the lives of others. Inspired by Nick’s life, she now seeks to create meaningful impact through YPC in the lives of working adults and bring more people into the TJNFF community. She is currently working at Rivian Automotive and uses her free time to learn languages, read books, play the ukulele and dance or run!

Katie Shanahan

As Mary and Jay’s niece and Nick’s cousin, Katie has been inspired by watching Thrive in Joy grow throughout the years. In 2023, Katie participated in the fall Dominican Republic trip, further deepening her connection to Thrive in Joy’s mission and inspiring her to take a more active role. Now part of YPC11, Katie looks forward to helping the group bring its vision to life and advancing the organization’s work in meaningful ways.

YPC11 creates connections for young professionals to use their character strengths and talents to support Thrive in Joy’s mission while building friendships, accessing professional resources, and supporting each other’s goals and career aspirations.