Hello Kris,

“The volunteers blow me away because you commit a lot of time to this. It's not just an organization where you write a check, it's an organization where you go deep in the weeds. When I look at coaches who volunteer for years to mentor a student, to coach a student, in 10th, 11th, 12th grade, it's just mind boggling. You get to know them, you care about them, you make a difference. And it's huge. 

So to the volunteers, we thank you. It's just incredible.”

~ Stuart Silverman, YPIE Board Member and 2023 YPIE Gala Honoree

I know I said in last month’s newsletter that the shared quotes would be from students, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to highlight a portion of Stuart’s speech at this year’s Gala. Stuart speaks from experience as one of our first YPIE volunteers. I was so very grateful that he honored all of you in his remarks because truly, we could not do this work without you!

October is a busy month! The Essay Writing Fall Season is now in full swing and later this month, Graduation Coaches will match with 10th grade Scholars to embark on a three year mentoring journey. Our students are settled back in school and seniors are applying to colleges - exciting things are happening!

As usual, this newsletter is full of information about upcoming events. Please take the time to read it through carefully (or save it in your inbox until you have the time) and as always, reach out if you have any questions.

Thank you!

Stacy Winitt

Senior Director, Volunteer Engagement



UPCOMING EVENTS

Graduation Coach Playbook Training via Zoom

• October 10th from 6:00pm-7:00pm OR
• October 19th from 2:00pm-3:00pm
• Attendance at one session is required for all returning Graduation Coaches to become familiar with the revised Playbook. If you have not yet registered to attend a session, please RSVP using this form.

Fundamentals of Listening, Connecting, and Mentoring Training via Zoom

• October 5th from 2:00pm-3:15pm (last session for fall matches)
• Attendance is required for all new Graduation Coaches who have not yet attended a training

Graduation Coach/Scholar Matching Ceremonies (in person)

• October 25th from 5:30pm-7:00pm OR
• October 27th from 5:30pm-7:00pm OR
• November 2nd from 5:30pm-7:00pm
• Each new Graduation Coach/Scholar pair will RSVP to attend one ceremony

School Team Meetings via Zoom

• November 7th from 4:00pm-5:00pm
• Open to all Graduation and Essay Coaches to meet the YPIE College Readiness Managers & College Advisors and learn more about the high schools that your students attend. The meeting will start with the full group together and then we will break out into separate meeting rooms for each school.

Attunement in Mentoring Workshop via Zoom

• November 9th from 10:00am-11:00am OR
• November 14th from 6:00pm-7:00pm OR
• November 15th from 2:00pm-3:00pm
• Open to all volunteers; based on Chapter 4 of Becoming a Better Mentor

See YPIE Volunteer calendar at ypie.org/ypievolunteer



STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

COLLEGE ZONE OPEN!

The College Zone opened this week!  Please encourage your 10th and 11th grade Scholars to participate in the College Zone programs two days a week (M/W or T/Th).  This year’s majors include:  Debate, Entrepreneurship, Film, Finance, Healthcare, Robotics, and Science Research.  In addition to participating in majors, students can receive math, science, and SAT help.

VOLUNTEER NEWS

SCIENCE RESEARCH EDITORS NEEDED (Short Term Volunteer Opportunity)

We have 15 YPIE Science Research seniors who are finalizing their full-length research papers for submission to the Regeneron STS competition.

• Help is needed in the following categories: Behavioral Science, Environmental Science, Medicine and Health, and Computer Science
• Traditionally, volunteers edit papers directly via Google Docs, with the option of a virtual or in-person meeting with the student to help review any changes.
• If you are available to help, please contact Jake Schofield (jschofield@ypie.org) directly.

YPIE ANNUAL GALA

The Annual Gala was a tremendous success with over $800,000 raised to support YPIE’s programs. I loved seeing so many volunteers there - thank you for your support! Read more and see photos.

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS DISCUSSION

YPIE Volunteers are invited to attend a community discussion about current hot topics in the world of college admissions with the authors of The College Conversation: A Practical Companion for Parents to Guide Their Children Along the Path to Higher Education on Sunday, October 22nd at 4pm at the Larchmont Village Center. Here’s a flier with more information.

FIELD TRIPS WITH STUDENTS

Volunteers are permitted to take field trips with their students provided that you arrive separately at the destination or you use public transportation. Volunteers should never transport students in their personal vehicles. If you wish to take a field trip, please fill out this YPIE Coach Permission Slip, have your Scholar’s parents/guardians sign it, and keep the signed copy. Please take selfies of you and your Scholar enjoying your adventures and send them to me!

SCHOOL VISITS

Essay Coaches and Graduation Coaches can meet with students at school during their lunch/free periods. Please read and adhere to the YPIE Volunteer School Visit Policy, schedule your visits on days when YPIE staff will be at the schools, and email them in advance to let them know your plans.

Graduation Coaches should email Readiness Managers and Essay Coaches should email College Advisors about student meetings. Please note that “alternating Fridays” means either the RM or the CA will be at the school (not both), so please email both YPIE staff members if you are planning a visit on a Friday.

• CSEE - Monday through Friday (Room 107)
• College Advisors: Aldina Kennedy (akennedy@ypie.org) and Rosanne Aresty (raresty@ypie.org)

• Lincoln - Mondays and Tuesdays; alternating Fridays (Room 221)
• Gorton - Wednesdays and Thursdays; alternating Fridays (Room 106A)
• Readiness Manager: Emily Latainer (elatainer@ypie.org)
• College Advisor: Cindy Zarzuela (czarzuela@ypie.org)

• YMA - Mondays and Tuesdays; alternating Fridays (Library)
• Obama - Wednesdays, Thursdays, alternating Fridays (Library)
• Readiness Manager: Daria Lee (dlee@ypie.org)
• College Advisor: Shaina Zarzuela (szarzuela@ypie.org) 

• Riverside - Mondays and Tuesdays; alternating Fridays (Room 126D)
• Roosevelt - Wednesdays and Thursdays; alternating Fridays (Room 104)
• Readiness Manager: Jose Nuñez (jnunez@ypie.org) 
• College Advisor: Ashley Polanco (apolanco@ypie.org)

• Saunders - Monday through Friday (Room 225)
• Readiness Manager: Kiarra Christian (kchristian@ypie.org)
• College Advisor: Alexa Dalbis (adalbis@ypie.org) 

• YHS - Monday through Friday (Library)
• Readiness Managers: Brianna Cotza (bcotza@ypie.org) and Jake Schofield (jschofield@ypie.org)
• College Advisors: Olga Murphy (omurphy@ypie.org) and Amy Gutenplan (agutenplan@ypie.org) 

VOLUNTEER REMINDERS

GRADUATION COACH REMINDERS

Please reach out to me if you have experienced any difficulty in maintaining continual contact with your Scholar.  You should be meeting at least once every 3 weeks. Please submit an Exit Ticket for each Scholar meeting.

• A meeting is defined as taking place in-person or via phone/video call. Text messages and emails do not count as meetings.
• Try using the Mood Meter at the start of your meetings as a routine way to check-in with each other.



ESSAY COACH REMINDERS

The Essay Writing Fall Season kicked off on September 29th!  We have 103 students and 63 coaches working together this fall - amazing!

Spring/Summer Essay Coaches - if you are still working with your student, please update the Spring Milestone Tracker or Summer Milestone Tracker to indicate the current target date for completion.

VOLUNTEER RESOURCES

Volunteer Kickoff Event presentation (September 19, 2023)

Becoming a Better Mentor (full 135-page guidebook)

Thanks for reading all the way to the end! 😃