HYS Newsletters

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MARCH 2021 NEWSLETTER 

HYS  SCHOLAR,  SHAMARI  H.  RECEIVES  INAUGURAL  OBAMA  AWARD

Byers delivers balloons and the award!

Early on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2021, Hartford Youth Scholars staff organized a car  parade to the home of Shamari Harrington. Anthony Byers, with balloons in hand,  presented Shamari with the Obama Reaching Back Award. 

 

Shamari is the inaugural recipient of the award, established by HYS and one of its co founders, Tom Francoline, along with his family, to recognize extraordinary service by HYS  Scholars. The honor aims to ensure that Scholars who give back are recognized as role  models in the community. It was given on MLK Jr. Day, which fell this year on January 18, to  recognize the holiday’s focus on embracing community service. 


 (Photo caption: Anthony Byers surprises Shamari and her family with the award and balloons. WATCH THE VIDEO)


The award is named for Michelle Obama and draws its purpose from her remarks at the  2012 Democratic National Convention. Her speech touched on the value of living in a  cohesive, interdependent community: “When you’ve worked hard and done well and walked  through the doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. You reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.” 


Tom Francoline was an original HYS board member and former Vice Chair, serving on the board from 2005 – 2019.  His son, Robert, joined the board following Tom’s service in 2019.  Tom and his family are enthusiastic about recognizing Scholars that are committed to community service. “I was inspired by Michelle Obama’s statement about reaching back when you succeed to help those who follow you. The HYS Staff made us aware of the growing trend among the Scholars to help their successors up the ladder.  As a family we wanted to recognize and encourage this admirable tradition.”


Shamari was chosen for her personal commitment and service during the summer of 2019 when she served as an intern and Gordon Fellow from the University of Penn. The minute Shamari joined the project, it was clear that her purpose was to help advance the mission of Hartford Youth Scholars. Her work helped grow the confidence and leadership abilities of the Scholars who participated. She managed the project independently with little supervision, and was able to build relationships with individual Scholars. In addition, her work helped families with college planning and access to information and resources through two workshops that she offered directly to parents.   
Shamari Harrington headshot

Shamari Harrington, shares her thoughts on service:


“I believe that it is my duty to help other children in Hartford tap into their  intelligence and gain access to their dream schools as well, so that they too can return  and improve the quality of life for others in our community. My last day at the  summer Academy, we wore shirts that had a quote on them that I will never forget:  ‘Education changes everything.’ In the spirit of the Gordon Fellowship, I believe that  education has been a game changer in my life, and I would like to use it as a tool to  improve the quality of life for others.” 


I grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, a relatively small city whose accomplishments and struggles are frequently overlooked. I strongly believe that Hartford has some of the most talented and driven students because I have seen it with my own eyes, and programs such as Hartford Youth Scholars have tapped into it. This particular program is special to me because I am a scholar within it. 


The summer following my sixth grade school-year, I began the journey that led me to places that my 11-year-old mind could not fathom. Through rigorous coursework during both the summer and school year, I developed the critical thinking skills that allowed me to gain acceptance to a private boarding school, Choate Rosemary Hall. From there, the program supported me through my transition into high school and the college process.


Once again, I was able to gain access to the school of my dreams, the University of Pennsylvania. This success story is not unique of the program, but I can honestly say that had it not been for the Hartford Youth Scholars foundation, myself and my fellow scholars would not be in the places that we currently are. The HYS saw something in me that I did not see in myself when I was younger,so I believe that it is my duty to help other children in Hartford tap into their intelligence and gain access to their dream schools as well, so that they too can return and improve the quality of life for others in our community. 


The summer before my ninth-grade year, my last at the Summer Academy, we wore shirts that had a quote on them that I will never forget: “Education changes everything.” In the spirit of the Gordon Fellowship, I believe that education has been a game changer in my life, and I would like to use it as a tool to improve the quality of life for others.


Therefore, I thought what better way to do that than through this program. The program currently provides educational support within the classroom through a rigorous course load, which certainly prepares students for higher education, but I have found that more knowledge is necessary to succeed. With this in mind, I designed an internship that would address issues that these scholars would face beyond the classroom. Through the activities that I will describe, and more, I would like to fulfill my purpose of helping Hartford Youth Scholars help Hartford youth break educational barriers. By doing so, I will not only be supporting the program that continuously supports me, but I will also be contributing to my own professional goals.


HYS inspires Scholars to reach for the stars and become the best versions of  themselves. Shamari is an example of these shining stars among us. With this award, HYS recognizes and reinforces her efforts above and beyond the ordinary to help younger  Scholars in the program. We also are grateful to the Francoline/Brandt families for their  nearly two decades of leadership and commitment to the youth of Hartford through their  service to and support of HYS. 



TEXT OF THE CITATION •  The Obama Reaching Back Award

We would like to recognize you as a vital member of our family for your contributions in propelling HYS to new heights while simultaneously stitching the fabrics that strengthen the bonds of our community. 


In acknowledgement of your generosity and caring within the Hartford Youth Scholars community, 

as well as the significant impact of your Summer 2019 A.C.T. (Analyze, Create, Transform) program sponsored by the Gordon Fellowship at UPENN, Hartford Youth Scholars is proud to name you as the 2021 Obama Reaching Back recipient. 


This award was created in response to Michelle Obama’s 2012 Democratic National Convention speech’s call that “…when you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through the doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. You reach back and give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.” 


For all you’ve done, and continue to do, we are honored to bestow you with this award.  This award made possible by the Francoline/Brandt Families.

NOTES FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,  Anthony Byers

Photo of Anthony Byers, HYS Executive Director

A TIME OF CHALLENGES

COVID-19 challenged us all in ways that none of us could imagine. Especially in these difficult times, the importance of our mission shines ever so brightly! The passion and dedication of our staff, faculty and programming is clear to see. On so many levels everyone worked together to adapt to virtual platforms, for learning, for events, for community. 


WE MET THE CHALLENGE!

The Collegiate Academy was able to recruit a new cohort of scholars, increase scholar access to Google Chromebooks, trained scholars and faculty on Google Classroom to facilitate online learning, and introduced a new social emotional learning curriculum. The High School and College programs hosted the SAT prep virtually, hosted a college planning bootcamp, and facilitated the annual equity retreat, also virtually. Scholars participated in virtual summer internships facilitated through our College to Career Pipeline. We also hosted our first ever Network & Build event. In every instance there was overcoming obstacles, and learning new skills to achieve and continue our programming. 


WE CELEBRATED! 

Proudly, we honored our graduating high school seniors with our Annual Decision Day Celebration! Board members, donors, parents all came together online, with Director of Scholar Success, David Herrera, serving as emcee. Each scholar shared special words to the group. It was a proud and wonderful event. To date, HYS scholars have attended: 7 of the 8 Ivy League schools, HBCUs, various state colleges, small liberal arts colleges and community colleges. At HYS College is about right fit. We also honored our HYS alumni who graduated from college, including our very first Yale graduate! And one of our scholars, Tahara J was accepted into Medical School! 


STAND UP FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE. 

HYS Scholars are out there making waves! In the light of the social unrest across the country it was amazing to watch our scholars get involved on their campuses and in the community. It is their activism and leadership that will pave the way for a brighter tomorrow and in the midst of all that was happening around them, they answered the call. Our scholars marched for social justice and equity, started and led groups at their schools, served as essential employees as nurses, plumbers, grocers, etc. Two of our scholars, Shamari and Donessa were invited to share their powerful perspectives at the Black Lives Matter event in Hartford. 


WE LOVE OUR SUPPORTERS

Our community of supporters rallied around us and answered the call! We wouldn’t be who we are today without the support and advocacy of our board members, donors and friends. Not knowing how COVID would impact our revenue left us with more questions than answers. Our supporters stepped up and helped start an emergency fund to address food insecurity, housing insecurity, hot spots, laptops, books, tuition gaps, back to school supplies, etc. Supporters connected us with pre-college summer opportunities for HYS scholars. We also secured PPP funding to support our staff and maintain adequate staffing levels. Despite covid issues, HYS was able to meet our fundraising goals this year. Thanks to our supporters. It is reassuring to know you are on our team!


NOW MORE THAN EVER...

Our scholars need us now more than ever. The achievement gaps are evident and they are widening. Looking at just how brilliant, resilient, talented and motivated each and every single Hartford Youth Scholar is should serve as a reminder of why they are so deserving. There is not a better return on an investment made in the lives of these young people. Our city’s future, our state’s future, the nation’s future depends on it! 


Best,


Anthony Byers

Executive Director - HYS

ACCEPTING  APPLICATIONS  FOR  OUR  NEXT  COHORT!

HYS Application flyer




Hartford Youth Scholars scans the city every year, looking for 30 students who are in the 6th grade and who possess the qualities that will make them great Scholars. We are looking for students who love to learn, have a strong sense of themselves, and who are willing to work hard to achieve goals. SPREAD THE WORD!!


Ready to start your application? 

CLICK HERE.


DEADLINE IS MARCH 31ST!


For more info contact Mercy Yalartai, myalartai@hartfordscholars.org 

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT HYS

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!


February marked Mrs. Miller's 10th Anniversary at HYS! We celebrated with an online party of over 65 people! The HYS family was joined by Roxanna's family members and friends to celebrate this remarkable woman and her impact on so many in the community. Congrats Roxanna!!

MEET MERCY YALARTAI

HYS Assistant Academy Dean


"Before moving to this wonderful city, I lived in West Haven, the 203, so seeing 860 numbers is still a little weird for me. I am a HUGE fan of films and series and I spend a lot of my free time binge-watching just about everything, except horror. Before starting this role, my connection to Hartford stemmed from occasional visits while studying at UConn and later through advocacy work at our statehouse.


In reflection of my journey, I believe somehow HYS was always going to be a part of my story. I had been working in education for the last two years: serving as an AmeriCorps member, as a Program Assistant, and then as a Teaching Assistant for an organization in New Haven. From these experiences, I learned that I wanted to continue to work in education, but not in the same way. HYS partners with young people and their families on their journey to and through educational institutions. So learning that my role would allow me the opportunity to support that journey, was just the right change I needed."

WHAT DID I MISS?

STAND UP FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

HYS Scholars are out there making waves! They participated in Activate CT, hosted by My People Clinical Services, My People Community Services, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Beta Sigma Lambda Chapter and the Urban League of Greater Hartford.

VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENTS




Virtual events are front and center now in the time of Covid-19. HYS has hosted several virtual gatherings to watch movies, documentaries and most recently theatrical performances that are being streamed. In September 2020 – Judge Nino Elgo enabled 15 Scholars to attend a live chat and book reading with United States Supreme Court Justice Sondra Sotomayor.

Beginning last fall and into the spring of 2021, gathered virtually to watch Jingle Jangle, Hip Hop Nutcracker and various Netflix shows, led by Academy Dean, Armanthia Duncan. HYS scholars were also able to stream and enjoy theater shows as well, meeting together as a group to watch the Hartford Theater Works play talkin to this chick sippin magic potion that streamed through the end February, 2021.

WINNER- Olatunji Osho-Williams

WINNER! 

Olatunji Osho-Williams ’21 was named a winner of the Hill-Stead Museum’s 2020 Fresh Voices Poetry Competition (Aug. 2020) 


LEARN MORE! Link to the full Facebook post


HYS AT THE THEATER

Each year since the very first days of HYS, Scholars have attended a theater performances in Hartford. It is a formal affair and includes board members, and friends of HYS who come to help the Scholars test out their etiquette and networking skills. The evening starts with a formal dinner in the theater – a special experience for Scholars and guests alike!


Just before the pandemic hit the in March 2020, HYS took 30 Scholars and roughly 30 guests to see a performance of Shen Yun at the Bushnell. Scholars and guests enjoyed a delicious brunch before the matinee performance and network with many friends and board members of Hartford Youth Scholars. Scholars were able to see a professional theater production, and speak with artists directly connected with the production. This event is under-written by the Hartford, and traditionally hosted by Hartford Stage.

SCHOLAR SPOTLIGHT  - Natiel Cooper

University of Connecticut junior Natiel Cooper signed up for Hartford Youth Scholars in 2013, when he was in the seventh grade. After HYS Executive Director Anthony Byers visited Natiel’s school, the young student was so impressed that he passed the information along to his mom, who was eager to have her son involved. Natiel says he knew HYS was special from that very first meeting. “It was all very new, and I knew right away it was going to change my life.”

 

Natiel’s favorite part of his HYS experience was the teaching. “The mix of professors really offered us new perspectives,” he says. “And because they were college professors, there was a great range of information and exposure to new things most of us wouldn’t have access to in our regular schools.” He recalls in particular Ms. Duncan’s history class. “Ms. Duncan was such an engaging professor who had big expectations of us. It was a lot. During the summer after sixth grade, we had to write six-page papers for her class every night. Meeting those expectations boosted my scholastic experience for the rest of my life. Now, I can write a six-page paper so easily!”

 

He also says Ms. Duncan taught history with an African American lens. “That part was amazing because we never got that in school,” Natiel recalls. “Ms. Duncan synthesized the major events that didn’t highlight African Americans and revealed the part they played in it or the impact on African Americans at the time. … We got the larger picture and the smaller one, and how things fit together, and how we fit in as well—a full holistic approach.” Natiel says that now, in college, he approaches all of his assignments with that same African American lens.

 

Natiel credits HYS with much of his success, including his boost in confidence. He praised the cohort and mentorship aspects of the program. “In high school, it was so great to just be walking in Hartford and to run into one of the other HYS scholars. You can just talk and support each other.” Older scholars from other cohorts also act as mentors. “Big shout-out to Tariq,” says Natiel. “He was always checking in on me, and we are good friends to this day. It’s amazing to have that support!”

 

Natiel, who is in UConn’s Honors Program, is majoring in English and communications. He works as a freelancer in social media, web design, and graphic design. He has a few clients in Hartford and plans to help HYS this year with social media and communications work.   

PARENT CORNER - The Morris Family

Dennis and Radikha Morris of East Hartford witnessed how their niece Tyara Dabrio thrived in Hartford Youth Scholars. They knew they wanted their own children, Jasmine and Christopher, to participate, too. Looking back on the past eight years, the Morrises know becoming involved in HYS is one of the best decisions they’ve ever made. 


“HYS is a family,” Radikha says. Husband Dennis adds, “Our whole family benefits from HYS programs. Jasmine has become a prolific writer, so self-motivated and determined to achieve her goals. And Christopher, HYS helped him identify what he wanted to do with his life. He is more motivated and is identifying and achieving his goals.” Dennis notes that self-awareness and self-expression have blossomed in them both.


The parents credit HYS for their children’s successes. “HYS preps them all the way,” Radikha says. “The cultural events are so valuable. They get to go to the theater and the like. HYS thinks of things you wouldn’t think of exposing your kids to.” 


She adds, “HYS facilitates hard conversations with the youth that parents don’t often address with their own kids. Some parents were concerned because there were conversations about sexual orientation, and the parents were a bit rattled. But it was an open forum for the kids, a way for them to discuss a topic that many felt they couldn’t discuss with their own families. In that way, HYS is like a second parent, creating that room for the youth to express themselves even more.”  


Radikha says that they both marveled at the excellent programs and the dedication of the HYS staff. “They will come by and pick up your kids if you have a problem with transportation,” Radikha says. “No kid gets left behind.” 


The HYS approach to culturally diverse programming has had positive effects on the family and on Christopher in particular, Dennis notes. “HYS teaches students how to express themselves in a predominantly white society,” he says. “For Christopher, as a young Black man in a predominantly white school or area, HYS has given him the tools to navigate that, overcoming challenges, understanding the challenges of being Black in America.


“And because of all this, HYS scholars thrive in all environments. They are empowered in the classroom, and when they go on to college, they know they belong. They never feel like ‘less than’ because HYS instills that confidence and knowledge that they belong and deserve to be in college.” 


Both Dennis and Radikha are immigrants: Dennis hails from Jamaica and Radikha from Guyana. Both finished high school and went on to some college. Dennis earned an associate’s degree in applied science and respiratory care and works as a respiratory therapist at the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain. Radikha worked as a teacher’s assistant for many years at Jumoke Academy and now serves as a member of the Social Emotional Support team at the school.  


The Morrises credit HYS with the fact that both of their kids have received scholarships to college. In fact, Christopher received his acceptance letter to the University of Connecticut on the same day as the interview for this story. 

VIDEO PROFILE


HYS Scholars, Shamari & Donessa spoke eloquently about activism and Black Lives Matter at the Community Voices event hosted by the Asylum Hill Congregational Church this summer. Check out this video clip, courtesy of our own Ms. Duncan. 


Click here to see the video! 
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