Summer is the time for Fun, Learning and Preparation for the new Program Year

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

~ Benjamin Franklin

Greetings, YMWIC Supporters:

We always look forward to summer as a time to reflect, re-charge and have fun. We provide a plethora of enjoyable and educational activities for our Scholars.

Our Upward Bound Summer Programs provide enriching activities for the Coatesville and Upper Darby high school Scholars who will be first-generation college students in their families and/or meet other criteria. The Saint Vincent College In-Residence Program was offered for a select group of middle and high school Scholars allowing them to be immersed in STEM activities and imagining themselves as “college students” living on campus. Our STEAM Camp elementary and middle-school Scholars are enjoying a program full of interesting, hands-on, fun and challenging activities, as well as weekly educational field trips to The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia Zoo, etc.

Looking ahead to the upcoming YMWIC 2023-2024 Program Year, we are excited to be launching a new chapter at Martin Luther King High School, our third in Philadelphia. We are also proud and excited to announce two new YMWIC Board Members, Sue Suganthini and Maria Zengel.

As we prepare for the upcoming Program Year, we thank all our current sponsors, donors, and contributors. If not a member of our team, we invite you to come aboard. We welcome you to join our team of contributors so we can continue broadening our reach, making a positive impact in the communities we serve in STEM fields and other professional career areas, increasing the number of college graduates, and providing a more skilled and educated community workforce. The support of corporate partners and individuals remain critical to our continued growth and success.

With gratitude,



Richard Roberts, III

(610) 340-2844

rrobertsiii@ymwicfoundation.org

The City of Philadelphia’s Office of Children and Families and Department of Human Services, Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) has awarded the YMWIC Pre-College After-School Program an OST (Out-of-School Time) Grant. These funds will support us in launching a new Chapter at Martin Luther King High School in Philadelphia. We are thankful for this generous funding which will support our growth and expansion within Philadelphia.

YMWIC has received an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grant from Upper Darby Township of Delaware County, PA, in support of schools within Upper Darby Township in the areas of literacy and math. The funds will be used in our Pre-College and Pre-Apprenticeship Programs.

YMWIC has received the Exelon Green Labs Grant from Exelon Foundation, which was facilitated by the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The funds will support the expansion of our Science and Technology Laboratory Space and STEM Equipment. Our sincere thanks to Exelon Foundation. 

We have received two grants from Constellation, an Exelon company. The funds will be used in support of our STEM Education and SAT Prep programming.

It is with great pleasure that we announce two new Members to the YMWIC Board of Directors. They are:

Sue Suganthini, Tax Manager at Haran, Watson & Company (pictured above right). Sue will serve as Board Treasurer, a position that perfectly fits her background and skills. Sue was recruited by long-time friend and fellow new Board Member, Maria Zengel, who was aware that YMWIC was seeking a highly-qualified Board Treasurer. Sue is an ideal candidate for the position and as a Board Member.

Sue welcomes the opportunity to help YMWIC reach its Five-Year Growth and Expansion Plans by managing the financial aspects to ensure seamless growth. She is also pleased she’s able to provide assistance and support to children that will improve their academic and life opportunities while they are in the Program, after they graduate, and in their professional lives.

Maria Zengel, Esq., Team Lead, Corporate Counsel at United Wholesale Mortgage (pictured below right). Maria came to the YMWIC Board by way of an organization called GetOnBoard ChesCo, a project initiated by the Chester County Community Foundation, which matches leaders in the community with nonprofit organizations seeking Board Members.

Maria has a rich generational history of family engineers and architects and was attracted to YMWIC because of our STEM focus. She enjoys fundraising and event planning and will offer those skills to assist in our events. Maria says she is excited to be a Board Member and looks forward to working as an integral member of the Foundation.

We welcome them to the Board and look forward to their active involvement and leadership in moving the Foundation forward.

Jaesohn Moncrieffe - 2015 YMWIC Alumnus and Carnegie Mellon University Graduate

Jaesohn has recently relocated to Houston,Texas, to begin his position at United Airlines as a Systems Engineer Subject Matter Expert. Previously, he held the position of Systems Engineer at Boeing Aerospace in Alabama. Jaesohn credits the learning opportunities, exposure to colleges, and YMWIC’s supportive staff, resources, and services with helping him to achieve his career goals.

Congratulations, Jaesohn! We are so proud of you and your accomplishments. Keep us posted as you continue to grow and advance in your career.

Melanie Speece is Senior Human Resource Business Partner at Ancillare, LP. She, as well as many of her colleagues at Ancillare, have volunteered at YMWIC on many occasions. Recently, Melanie was guest presenter at our Second Annual Alumni Retreat (pictured). When we asked what she found most rewarding about her volunteer experience with YMWIC, she replied, “I found spending time with the Scholars extremely rewarding. They proved to be passionate and energetic with achievable goals. The sharing that took place that day was valuable to all attending.” Read more.

Registration is now open for the YMWIC 2023-2024 Program Year!

If your child is a rising 3rd - 11th grade student in the Chester Upland, Coatesville, Norristown Area, Phoenixville, Upper Darby, West Chester Area, or William Penn School Districts, or Horace Furness High School, Martin Luther King High School, or St. James School in Philadelphia and you are interested in having them become a part of the dynamic and rewarding YMWIC Pre-College After-School Program, click this link and complete the Student Information Form. A member of our staff will contact you.

All returning Scholars can click these links to complete the 2023-2024 Program Year Online Scholar Application and the Scholar Personal Statement.

We look forward to welcoming all new and returning Scholars to another exciting year!

Chester Upland Chapter: Maximus Jones is a rising 11th grade student at STEM Academy at Showalter where he has been a consistent honor roll student. He joined YMWIC when he was in the 9th grade and enjoys interacting with other like-minded students while participating in YMWIC workshops and events. He notices that being a member of YMWIC has helped to improve his creativity.

Maximus encourages younger Scholars to improve their time management in order to get the most out of their YMWIC experience. To those who are considering YMWIC, he says, "JOIN NOW!"

In the future, Maximus would like to attend the University of Pittsburgh and study to become an engineer. In his free time, he enjoys gaming.

We're looking forward to seeing you in September, Maximus.

Coatesville Chapter: Kevin Cleveland, Jr., a member of our Coatesville Chapter, will be entering the 9th grade. He has been a member for a year. He joined YMWIC hoping that it would help him in school and to gain new knowledge. He has achieved that, and more, saying, “The Foundation has helped me grow as a student and as a person.”

Kevin is interested in biology, specifically microbiology and plant biology; and in the future, he would like to become a botanist.

We are excited to help your reach your goals, Kevin.

Norristown Chapter: Jayden Tolbert will be entering the 10th grade and has been a YMWIC member for the past two program years. He is a member of the National Junior Honor Society and joined YMWIC to help develop the leadership skills he will need for college. He also has learned more about STEM subjects as a member.

In the future, Jayden would like to become a Mechanical Engineer and work at The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Keep working hard, Jayden; and you will surely reach your goals.

Phoenixville Chapter: August Kollar loves science! He graduated from Manavon Elementary School and will be starting middle school in September. As a member of YMWIC, he has most enjoyed the science projects, workshops, and what he has learned about science. He would like for his experiences to help him decide what field of science he would like to study in the future and what college he may like to attend. 

In addition to science, August also likes the life sciences and loves to read. He intends to take advantage of everything YMWIC has to offer and to mentor others in the future.

Continue doing well; and keep on loving science, August!

Upper Darby Chapter: Gabriella (Gabby) Isles is an enthusiastic Scholar who will be entering the 4th grade at Highland Park Elementary School. A one-year member of YMWIC, Gabby likes that she gets to experience fun and new experiences with her peers and make new friends.

She is expecting that as a member she will do better in math and science. In the future, she envisions herself as a ballerina, scientist, ballet teacher, gymnast, and/or inventor.

Keep dreaming big, Gabby; you can be all those things and more!

West Chester Chapter: Yoselin Garcia-Galan attends Collegium Charter School and will be entering the 9th grade in the fall. A YMWIC member since the 8th grade, Yoselin most enjoys the YMWIC events, the science projects, and Science Expo. She has learned so much as a member. Her advice to other YMWIC Scholars is to keep attending the workshops and events, because they will help them now and in the future.

Yoselin plays basketball both in school and also her free time.

We appreciate you, Yoselin, and welcome you back in September.

William Penn Chapter: Kai Lewis Burgess is a student at Evans Elementary School where she will be in the 4th grade this fall. She has been a member of our William Penn Chapter for a year. Kai joined YMWIC because it seemed like it would be fun and she would learn new things. She believes being a member will help her develop a brighter future.

In her future, Kai would like to be a dance instructor and an influencer.

Keep working hard and holding on to your dreams, Kai. We will support you and provide resources to help you be successful.

While we are providing our Scholars with Summer Programs that allow them to be kids and have fun, we try to make certain they aren’t impacted by the summer slide or summer learning loss (the accumulated lack of experiences causing a child to lose academic ground or some of the achievement gains made during the previous school year). Here are some of the activities our Scholars have taken part in so far this summer:

Saint Vincent College Middle and High School Program

Since 2013, Saint Vincent College continues collaborating with YMWIC by hosting another exciting, interactive, immersive Summer STEM Camp for middle and high school Scholars. 

This summer, the College and its Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computing welcomed a select group of YMWIC middle and high school Scholars for a 5-day, In-Residence Experience on the Saint Vincent campus in Latrobe, PA. These specially-selected Scholars enjoyed an actual campus experience, professor-led workshops, campus tours, and special presentations led by college staff and students. 

The Scholars' curriculum included computer programming classes in which they learned several programming languages and methods, eventually coding projects of their own. They also participated in Q & A sessions in which they were able to speak with current students and ask questions about Saint Vincent and their college experiences.

Scholars were able to see first-hand what their future college experiences may be like by living in the dorms and eating in the student dining halls. Later each day after their classes were completed, the Saint Vincent staff planned various games, outdoor activities, and some free time for the Scholars.

It was so much fun and a wonderful learning experience for all participants. Beat the crowd by signing up for next year’s Middle and High School In-Residence STEM Camp!

STEAM Camps

Our STEAM Camps in Coatesville, Norristown, Phoenixville, Upper Darby and West Chester have started off with a bang! Campers have been working on math concepts that are in alignment with their upcoming grade level. They are learning and practicing engineering concepts using science kits. Exciting hands-on activities reinforce instruction. In addition, they have begun Science Projects and are learning how to use the Scientific Method to complete their experiments and prove their hypothesis.

So far, campers have enjoyed trips to Adventure Aquarium in Camden, the Philadelphia Zoo, and The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

Upward Bound Summer Programs

This summer, YMWIC is hosting Upper Bound Programs in both Coatesville and Upper Darby School Districts. We thank the West Chester University of Pennsylvania Center for the STEM Inclusion for the TRIO Grant they provided to sponsor our Upward Bound Summer Programs.

We provide a robust curriculum for Scholars full of STEM Learning, Life Skills, and College Prep. So far this summer, Scholars have visited Lincoln University, Temple University, St. Joseph's University and La Salle University.

Scholars have also built underwater robots, participated in a Financial Literacy discussion; learned self-defense techniques from Master Fox of Lupo Taekwondo; participated in a discussion about believing in themselves and following their dreams with Dr. Zebulun Davenport, Vice President for University Advancement and External Affairs at West Chester University of PA; practiced their golf swings at The Golf Zone Family Fun Center; played an interactive version of the Game of Life with representatives from the Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union, and more.

We are proud to watch our Scholars grow and develop academically, socially, and emotionally as they have fun acquiring employer-demanded lifelong skills (collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, character, communication, and adaptability).

William Penn Bridge Program

The YMWIC/William Penn Summer Bridge Program focuses on three areas of Social-Emotional Growth to prepare middle school students for the 9th grade and beyond. The three areas are:

• A Growth Mindset to help prepare students for the new challenges they will face in high school.
• Exposure to Colleges to help students begin thinking about attending college and preparing for their careers so they can be more intentional about the choices they make in high school.
• Leadership Activities encouraging students to use their voice, find their power, and create their own reality. These skills are sharpened by participating in thought-provoking learning activities and role playing.

So far this summer, students have visited West Chester University of Pennsylvania and Immaculata University; Delaware County Community College is next. They will also create resumes and prepare for mock interviews.

YMWIC 10th Annual Scholarship & STEM Golf Classic

Be sure to calendar the date to join us on Monday, August 21, 2023, at the fabulous Penn Oaks Golf Club in a Scramble Golf Tournament and Fundraiser to support our Scholarship Program for the Young Men and Women In Charge (YMWIC) Foundation, Inc. You will meet our Scholars, network, and have fun as you help us raise Scholarship funds. 

Golfers will receive gifts and enjoy an open buffet lunch and an open buffet dinner. There will be prizes for our guests and winners. For non-golfers, please join us for the evening banquet and networking dinner event, which will include a delicious buffet dinner and much more. To sign up for this exciting event, click here.

Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC): YMWIC Foundation, Inc., is eligible to receive funds from the EITC Program which is administered by Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development. We thank those businesses that donate their EITC funding to YMWIC Foundation and encourage others to consider directing funding to our impactful community nonprofit that provides college and career preparation for K-12 students; empowers their families; counseling, financial support and internships for YMWIC college alumni; and enriches our communities through Community Service activities, increasing the number of college graduates, and developing a talented and skilled workforce. Please contact Rick Roberts at (610) 340-2844 if you would like to consider our YMWIC Foundation, Inc., as the recipient of your company's EITC funds.