About Us
Coach – Mentorship
CYBC’s coach and mentor relationship model incorporates violence prevention by teaching youth the fundamentals of physical conditioning, discipline, boxing technique and teamwork.
Health & Wellness
CYBC understands the overall importance of an individual’s health from both a physical and mental component. Through small group training and sessions, CYBC’s instructors facilitate conversations around broader nutrition and wellness goals in addition to the fitness and boxing skills participants gain. Additionally, CYBC aids youth in stress and anxiety management skills through both a physical outlet and 1:1 mentoring as needed.
MEET OUR STAFF
Executive Director
Noah Pickens
Noah Pickens joined Chicago Youth Boxing Club in November of 2022 as the Executive Director. Before CYBC, Noah spent eight years as a high school Social Studies teacher at Benito Juarez Community Academy and Rudy Lozano Leadership Academy. Noah maintained the importance of teamwork and play central to his approach to working with young people. Throughout his teaching career, Noah spent summers coaching at CYBC and implementing youth programs through After School Matters. Noah currently lives in Little Village with his wife and daughter.
Athletic Director
Gabriel Navarro
Gabriel Navarro, a former professional boxer, has dedicated over 22 years to boxing – 2 years as an amateur, 5 years as a pro, and 14 years coaching youth through the lens of violence prevention. He has trained over 140 Chicago youth as boxing coaches. A lifelong resident of Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, Gabriel has kept a positive outlook by dedicating himself to wrestling, baseball, and football. After graduation, he involved himself in boxing to keep a positive outlook on his future. Since then, Gabriel has overcome many challenges and desires to pass that knowledge on to the youth he mentors here in the gym.
MEET OUR STAFF
Boxing Instructor and Coach
Alina Hernandez
Alina Hernandez attends National Louis University, majoring in Criminal Justice. Alina has been active with CYBC for over 7 years as a member and was then hired as the wellness coach. Alina was very shy when she started learning how to hit the bag, steadily progressing to competing, and now coaching youth and striving to enroll more women into boxing. She has achieved a couple of championships along the way, specifically in 2017, she won King of the Jungle and Chicago Golden Gloves. Alina is dedicated and plans to use her experience and expertise to impact as many young ladies as possible during her time at CYBC.
MEET OUR STAFF
Gym Operations Manager
Raul Alcala
Raul Alcala has been with CYBC for 11 years, first in his childhood and then as he has continued into his adult years. Throughout his time with the club, he has invested in the community with a faithful heart and for the youth he mentors. Raul guides the youth and challenges them to improve their boxing craft along with the discipline to accomplish their goals outside of the gym has always been a priority. CYBC has provided a platform where Raul can live out his passion to help and train youth to achieve their health and fitness goals in addition to their life goals. In his amateur boxing career, Raul won 2010 Illinois State Silver Gloves State Champion, 2011 and 2014 Junior Olympics State Champion, 2014 Junior Olympics Regional Champion, and has been a Power Gloves Champion in 2011, 2012 and 2014.
MEET OUR STAFF
Boxing Instructor and Coach
Johnathan Salinas
Jonathan Salinas was introduced to boxing at the age of 14, when he was hired as an intern with After School Matters, an after school program CYBC hosts throughout the year. He was moved by the stories he heard through his peers and the impact it has had on the youth and the community. Being at CYBC as a youth, he grew a sense of pride of being a part of an organization that has aided him in his growth. Jonathan believes that boxing is a sport that brings him joy, and CYBC has become a safe space where he can explore his curiosity and elevate his knowledge of the sport. He is a coach whose natural curiosity and fondness of the sport has allowed him to be an individual who is forever growing. He has been boxing since 2016 and is currently an active amateur boxer at CYBC.
Boxing Instructor & Coach
Felix Gonzalez
While Felix joined CYBC this past summer – he is no stranger to the gym and our history. He has been coaching young people in boxing for the last seventeen years and has made it his mission to find joy and satisfaction in setting the bar high for delivering quality instruction. He loves helping young people set goals for themselves so that they can visualize their improvement from day to day. This is especially evident during his one-on-one pad sessions, where he uses slow, smooth, and continuous movements to teach boxers how to enjoy the sport. According to Felix, boxing is a game, and having fun while performing is essential. He encourages boxers to be relaxed and playful, reducing pressure and allowing them to perform more confidently in the ring.
MEET OUR STAFF
Office Administrator
Melinda Duran
Melinda M Duran is the Office Administrator at CYBC. Having been raised in the Back of the Yards and the Little Village communities, she is well aware of the challenges many of the youth at CYBC may face. When she was introduced to CYBC, she was immediately impressed with the work being done with the athletes and determined from that moment to be a part of the community at CYBC. Her administrative skills and passion for the youth have been extremely valuable in helping secure scholarships for many of the student athletes. She continues to invest passionately in her work to make sure the youth of her community do not turn to the streets but instead have a safe place to hone their skills.
MEET OUR STAFF
Boxing Instructor and Coach
Jorge Perez
Jorge Perez is a nationally ranked boxer who won Nationals in 2018. He has had more than 70 bouts in his amateur career. He is currently awaiting his professional debut, in late 2021. Coach Jorge has been boxing for over 8 years, starting and continuing at CYBC. He started at CYBC when he was 13, and since then has been infatuated with the sport of boxing. It is here where Jorge’s discipline has grown and expanded. He has become a new addition to the CYBC team, not as a boxer, but as a mentor and trainer to share his passion of boxing and be a positive role model to the youth of the community in and out the boxing ring. He continues to expand and elevate others in and through the sport of boxing.
MEET OUR STAFF
Office Administrator
Josue Soto
Josue graduated from Muchin College prep and was a CYBC intern for 6 months alongside participating in the After School Matters program at the gym. Upon completion of his internship, Josue was brought on as an official staff member as CYBC’s office manager.
Grant Manager & Writer
Andres Enriquez
Meet Andres Enriquez – our Grant Manager and Writer. Andres joined CYBC as an amateur after earning his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Saint Francis. He is a lifelong student-athlete with a background in track and cross country. Andres is dedicated to helping our club’s youth grow and thrive in all aspects of life. His focus is to instill the core values of CYBC in our members, which he believes will shape them into leaders while also achieving success in the boxing ring.