Teen Center Staffer, Alumnus Looks to Showcase Fellow Alumni

Breyner DePina knows the pride that comes with being a Catholic Charities Boston Teen Center alumnus, having been a student there for many years.

Today, he serves as the center’s career workforce coordinator, helping current students navigate college applications, setting up bank accounts, applying for jobs, and reviewing scholarship opportunities. And he recently started a project to show current students what they can achieve after their time at the Teen Center.

On the center’s second floor, DePina has begun compiling an alumni wall, featuring photos and information of former Teen Center students.

“I want to give these kids more motivation,” DePina said of the wall. “I have had this idea for a while, and before school started this year, I started reaching out and getting names and photos. I am hoping to have 50 names up by the end of the year.”

For DePina, as a student, the Teen Center was a place where he felt at home. A proud Cape Verdean native, DePina said when he was younger, particularly at school, he didn’t have much interaction with other Cape Verde natives until he started going to the Teen Center when he was around 10 years old.

“It is a place I always kept close to my heart,” DePina said. “It just made me feel more connected to my roots. I enjoyed being around people who spoke the same language as me.”

And now, DePina has gone from finding his place in Boston’s Cape Verdean community to being honored by the Cape Verdean Association of Boston. He was recently named among Boston’s Top 40 under 40 Cabo Verdeans for 2026, which highlights young Cape Verdeans who have made an impact in the Greater Boston Community and beyond. DePina and the other honorees will be celebrated at a gala event on Friday, Oct. 30.

“It means a lot to me,” DePina said of the honor.

Even as the curator of the new Teen Center alumni wall, DePina said he won’t be putting himself up there any time soon, even with this new honor. He sees the wall as another opportunity to highlight the various paths students can take after the Teen Center, whether it be college, the workforce, or sports.

“When I look at the students we have today, I see a lot of me in them,” DePina explained. “I know I needed a lot of help, and a lot of people in my life got me to where I am now. So, I don’t want them to feel like they don’t have anyone around them who can provide support.”

Teen Center alumni who would like to learn more about the alumni wall can reach DePina at breyner_depina@ccab.org.