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JULY 2021 NEWSLETTER 

10 Years of Excellence     

SCHOLAR SUCCESS: Interview with Nicholas Furlow, Cohort 6

List of Cohort 10 attending colleges and universities

On June 10th, HYS celebrated the college graduation of its 6th cohort of Scholars as they officially completed their 10-year commitment to education. Among the successful group of Scholars is Nicholas Furlow, who graduated this spring from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems with a double minor in Data Analytics and Urban Community Studies.


This month, Nicholas began a full-time position with Travelers as an associate in their Business Insights and Analytics Leadership Development Program. We sat down with Nicholas to discuss his achievements, his experience with HYS, and the advice he has for incoming Scholars.


HYS: How do you feel HYS helped prepare you to take on this new role specifically?

Nicholas: HYS gave me so much confidence and helped me to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. I learned that it’s okay to walk into a room and not know something - HYS gave me the confidence to ask questions.


HYS: Overall, how do you feel HYS helped get you to where you are today?

Nicholas: HYS allowed me to tap into my future and to embrace the idea of starting with the end in mind. HYS gave me direction in the sense that I knew I wanted to continue to educate myself, whether it be in the technological field or to become more of a scholar and to just learn as much as I could. HYS gave me that drive.


HYS: What were the best and worst parts of your time as an HYS Scholar?

Nicholas: For me, the worst part was the workload, because of course when you’re in middle school, going to extra classes is not always something you’re particularly fond of. At the time, I didn’t always see the value in it, but as I reflect on that aspect of the program it really allowed me to learn how to plan out my workload and manage my time which translated into high school and college. The best part of the program was being with my fellow scholars. A big part of HYS is the networking connections you make and the cohort you’re a part of. Having that network of support and my fellow scholars to lean on was definitely the best part of the program, and I still reach out to them to this day.


HYS: What advice would you give to a 6th-grader who is considering joining HYS?

Nicholas: I would tell them to think about the opportunity that it holds. When I was entering the program, I didn’t necessarily understand the value that it would have for me at the time. In the moment, you may not see the value in what you’re doing, but once you start building those connections along with your fellow students, you will see the potential opportunities open up for you well past middle school. I encourage them to get as involved in the program as possible. 

The Collegiate Academy


The 16th Annual HYS Summer Academy began on July 5th with the largest enrollment since its inception-- 93 Scholars! The program, being held virtually, runs through July 29th.

Collegiate Academy Summer Speaker Series

During the month of July, Scholars in the Collegiate Academy will have the opportunity to hear from local professionals, educators, academics and change-makers through the Collegiate Academy Summer Speaker Series.

July 9th - Christopher Rowe-Evans, the News Director at 94.5 WJZD-FM. Rowe is also the host of the talk show It’s a New Day with Rip Daniels and the host of the podcast Keepers of the Cool Present: Crucial Conversations.

July 12th - Dr. Kelli Morgan, a curator, educator, and social justice activist who specializes in American art and visual culture. Dr. Morgan’s scholarly commitment to the investigation of anti-blackness within those fields has demonstrated how traditional art history and museum practice work specifically to uphold white supremacy.

July 16th - Dr. Torres-Rodriguez, the Superintendent of Hartford Public Schools. Raised in Hartford and a product of Hartford Public High School, she has served as an education leader in Greater Hartford for over two decades.

July 19th - Tracy Wu Fastenberg, Assistant Vice President for Development at Connecticut Children’s. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Tracy has served as Director of Development for non-profit institutions such as The Mark Twain House & Museum, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and Covenant Preparatory School.

July 23rd - Jason Rojas, Chief of Staff and Associate Vice President for External Relations for the Office of the President at Trinity College. In addition to his duties at Trinity, Jason is a member of the Connecticut General Assembly representing the Ninth Assembly District (East Hartford and Manchester) in the Connecticut House of Representatives.

July 26th - Rachel Scott, ABC News Correspondent, currently serving as the Congressional Correspondent reporting from Capitol Hill across all ABC News programs and platforms, including Good Morning America (GMA), World News Tonight with David Muir, Nightline, 20/20, ABC News Live, and more.


Meet Summer Academy Faculty: Dr. Markeysha Davis!

HYS Application flyer


Dr. Markeysha Davis will join us once again as a faculty member with the Collegiate Academy during this year’s summer session. Professor Davis is an Assistant Professor of Africana Studies and Literature at The University of Hartford, and has been a staple of the HYS summer faculty for years.

 

In this video interview, Professor Davis speaks about her initial motivation to join HYS, why she has continued to come back to the program each summer, her advice for future students, and detailed information about what students in The Collegiate Academy will be learning in her class this summer. 


CLICK TO WATCH THE VIDEO INTERVIEW! 

SCHOLAR NEWS: HYS Interns in Hartford

Photo of Keynote Speaker, Mark Overmyer-Velasquez

As summer kicks-off and school lets out, many HYS Scholars are spending the next few months interning with local businesses and organizations throughout Hartford.


HYS Scholars Lizzy Jones and Natiel Cooper, members of Cohort 7, have both secured coveted summer internships with Hartford Healthcare and The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company respectively.


In her work in Hartford Healthcare’s Health Equity Department, Lizzy J. is very much enjoying the creative control she has been given in her new role, and will be taking advantage of the many connections she has made this summer in order to advance her future educational and career plans:


“What I have enjoyed most about my time is that I am given so much freedom and responsibility to take the projects I am assigned and make them my own. Additionally, any ideas that I have about how to reach and better serve the Hartford community are actually listened to and considered in serious thought. I am now approaching the stage where I will begin shadowing a doctor in my field of interest, maternal health. This connection and opportunity is one that this internship promised and delivered on. I am super excited to start this part of experience and overall am grateful to be working for Hartford HealthCare this summer”

 

In his role as a Marketing Intern with HSB, Natiel C. is happy to be working in such an exciting, professional environment, enjoying how hands-on his internship is, and the many different aspects of marketing he has been able to engage with every day:


“The internship has been a linchpin in my ongoing career development. The hardworking team at HSB have excelled at introducing me to real-world marketing experience. The program has entrenched me in its fast-paced, collaborative industry. Along with data analysis and maintenance of contacts, I send out production requests, draft creative briefs, review copy to adhere to brand standards and compare the digital landscapes of HSB and its competitors. I have created two presentations focusing on the marketing trends of dozens of insurance companies, specifically regarding their agent-oriented resources and online presence.”

 


Congratulations to Lizzy J. and Natiel C. on their fantastic accomplishments this summer!

 

Donor Spotlight


Ted and Mary Gawlicki are long-time patrons of HYS through their organization, the Gawlicki Family Foundation. They have been vocal supporters of the HYS concept, mission, staff and most importantly its Scholars for many years.


Established in 2012 by Mary and Ted, their foundation offers focused grants to Connecticut and Northeast U.S.-based non-profits that are centered on education and the social and economic redevelopment of Hartford.


“Hartford Youth Scholars is an ideal example of a grantee that fulfills the objectives of the missions of the Gawlicki Family Foundation,” says Ted. “The education part of HYS is obvious, but if the kids go away to college and come back here, get a good job, and stay and teach others, that fulfills our mission entirely.”


“That’s really one of our hopes,” says Mary, “that these kids will come back, stay in Hartford and help the city blossom.”


Mary and Ted often profess how HYS is truly a shining example of the types of organizations they are honored to support. They agree that from the very beginning, they knew that HYS was a unique organization, and one that spoke to the heart of their foundation’s mission. “I think what sets HYS apart from other similar programs is the Collegiate Academy, which adequately prepares students to go to college, and works with them from middle school through college and on into getting a job,” says Ted, “which is different than a lot of the scholarship programs that give people scholarships based on criteria, but there is no real adequate college preparation for the students.”


During their time associated with HYS, Mary and Ted have found that by far, the most rewarding piece of their involvement has been the relationships they have been able to form with Scholars, and the many successes they have been able to witness, as Scholars progress through their ten-year commitment to education and beyond. “It’s an inspiration really, to see what these kids have done,” says Mary.


For more information about the Gawlicki Family Foundation visit their website at www.wefundforward.org 

Dreaming Big: A Conversation with HYS Board Chairperson Dr. Elsa Núñez


President of Eastern Connecticut State University and HYS Board Chairperson Dr. Elsa Núñez sat down with HYS to discuss her background, her role on the HYS board, her love of the HYS mission, and her advice for parents and students.

 

HYS: What is your background as an Educator and Administrator?

Núñez: I have been the President of Eastern Connecticut State University for 16 years, and before that I was an Administrator, a Provost and a Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at the City University of New York and in the University of Maine system. I am also a full Professor of English and was tenured at Ramapo State College, the College of Staten Island of the City University of New York, and Lehman College of the City University of New York.

 

HYS: What do you do in your role as the Chairperson of the board for HYS?

Núñez: The Staff and the Teachers do an outstanding job with the day-to-day operations of the organization, what the Board does is provide oversight, specifically fiscal oversight. Another responsibility of the Board is to make sure that the mission of the organization is fulfilled - which is to support students from modest backgrounds and from all walks of life to be able to go to school and college successfully. HYS is an organization that is financially solid and its mission is stronger than ever.

 

HYS: What is it about the mission of HYS that resonates so deeply with you?

Núñez: I think this is a great country. I am an immigrant and it provided an opportunity for my family, but I come from a very modest background and I really didn’t know the ins and outs of education, and that was hard. There are millions of young people in this country from all walks of life that don’t have an infrastructure in their family that will lead them to a successful path academically. They are smart, they’re capable, but they just don’t have that in the way that middle and upper class students do. This organization takes students from modest backgrounds and provides them with a pathway to reach their dreams - and most of them don’t know that pathway, and HYS takes hundreds and hundreds of young people and supports them on a path to recognize their dreams which is very inspiring - I’m inspired by the mission.

 

HYS: If there was any advice that you could give to parents and students who are considering joining HYS, what would that advice be?

Núñez: I would say to the parents, dream big for your child, always dream big. To the students I would also say dream big - don’t be limited by circumstance. Once you dream big, you have to understand that every day matters, and what you do in middle school really will affect you long term. You may not think it’s important at the time, but all of it makes a difference for you to be able to accomplish your dreams. It’s one thing to dream big, and it’s another thing to do everything you can to accomplish those dreams, and that’s up to the individual student - he or she must do the best they can and work hard so that they can accomplish their big dream.
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