HYS Board Members & Staff joined together on Thursday, February 23rd to celebrate Hartford Youth Scholars’ success, honor our volunteers, and hear from Executive Director, Anthony Byers, and new Board Chair, Denis Horrigan, about the organization’s vision for the future.

Outgoing Board Chair, Elsa Núñez, and members who will be rolling off the board Paul Holzer, Robert Brandt, Chad Czerwinski, and Porter Dowling were also recognized.

Current HYS student Devin Hill (pictured above on the far left)  will be featured as our 2022 Obama Reaching Back Awardee in recognition of his role as a mentor to students in our program.

In fact, this past summer, Devin - a graduate of Hartford’s Sports and Medical Sciences Academy - served as HYS’s first-ever Ambassador Intern. Devin reflects on his experience in sharing, “The ambassador role pushed me out of my comfort zone”. In addition to meeting with board members and donors, Devin also supported The Collegiate Academy - a program designed to prepare HYS middle school students for high school through supplemental summer learning. “It makes me feel great that I’m helping someone and figuring out who has a need and how I can best meet that need,” Devin said. It’s an approach he learned from his own HYS mentors and staff. “It’s not just about academics,” he said of his HYS experience. “The staff gives me sound advice, listen, and really care.”

Devin Hill is a member of HYS’ 9th Cohort, class of ’25. Now at age 21, he works as an HYS Ambassador and serves as a coach for Hartford Public Schools high school football program, enabling him to give back to his community while still learning and growing as a Scholar himself.  In Fall ’24, he will be attending the University of Connecticut where he will complete his undergraduate degree.

Since June of 2022, Devin has been a part of the HYS staff, week in and week out showing up and helping in a myriad of ways in support of our Scholars and families. This experience has enabled him to see, first-hand, the dedication of the staff members which gave him a greater appreciation for the organization as a whole.  

Throughout the summer of 2022, Devin hosted seven events and luncheons as a means to introduce external constituencies to the HYS program and the many Scholars who have participated in the program and now, live and work in the great city of Hartford. Devin was responsible for inviting, greeting, thanking guests, making introductions, breaking the ice, and helping to facilitate conversation over lunch each week.

Devin was introduced to HYS by his younger sibling, Mila, and applied on a whim – informing a staff member that he had no interest in being a scholar. The idea of sacrificing part of his summer and weekends for more school was initially unfathomable, a sentiment for which many other young Scholars have shared in years past. Despite his weariness, he proceeded with through the application process and both he and his sister gained admission, starting their time in The Collegiate Academy (TCA) that very summer. While attending academy, Devin’s initial worries quickly dissipated as he became immersed in the HYS community and enthralled by the learning environment we take pride in cultivating. 

Devin speaks fondly of his time with Executive Director Anthony “Fly Guy” Byers as a young Scholar in sharing, “Seeing a man of color leading the program meant a lot to me… I felt like I could always talk to him. He helped ease my nerves at times and assured me that I wasn’t the only person who struggled…” Over the years, this bond has only grown stronger and Devin’s more recent role as an ambassador has only cemented their relationship in mentorship. 

He also credits Armanthia Duncan, HYS’ Chief Program Officer and former history professor, for making his learning experience an enjoyable one and shares, “Before Ms. Duncan, I had never had a teacher address me so directly. I appreciated how honest she was. She treated us like people who deserved to be taken seriously.” Understanding the importance of community and mentorship through his own experience as a young Scholar, Devin naturally cultivated relationships with TCA Scholars during his time at Summer Academy, readily partaking sports activities during lunch-break – namely football – and lending an ear to any Scholar in need of guidance or encouragement, quickly becoming someone, they look up to. Devin intends to continue working with young people in the greater Hartford community upon completion of his undergraduate studies. It is with great pride that we honor Devin Hill as a Scholar and community leader. 

Shaniece Nugent, member of Cohort 11, has always valued service. In part, it’s been an opportunity to address causes she cares about, such as food insecurity and social justice. Service, she says, is also a way to pay forward the support of others – like Hartford Youth Scholars – that have benefitted her life.

On December 2nd, Nugent was honored as the Village for Children & Families' 2022 Young Woman of the Year in recognition of her volunteer service to combat global hunger and injustice.

“Beyond Shaniece’s academic abilities, her most striking qualities are her strength of character and sense of justice,” wrote Tariq McMahon, HYS Associate Director of Scholar Success, in nominating Nugent for the award. “She demonstrates a genuine concern for others and that of her community,” McMahon said.

Since her freshman year at Lawrence Academy, a private boarding school in Groton, MA, Nugent has volunteered with Rise Against Hunger, which addresses global hunger. Last year, as a high school senior, Nugent led a campaign – in partnership with two area schools – to raise $30,000 and package more than 20,000 meals, which were distributed to vulnerable populations worldwide, including South Sudan, Nicaragua and the Philippines. Additionally, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, she founded an inter-school Book Club with twelve other schools from the Independent School League to promote dialogue and understanding about issues impacting minority communities and social justice.

Now a freshman at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, Nugent says her volunteer work and experience through Hartford Youth Scholars has taught her the importance and power of community. “Having a strong foundation of people [supporting] you can revolutionize your life.” Nugent intends to study politics and global students at Brandeis and aspires to attend law school upon graduation.

Growing up in Simsbury, Connecticut, Denis Horrigan’s family hosted youth from urban communities through A Better Chance, an organization which provides an opportunity for youth from economically-challenged areas to attend suburban public schools. It taught Horrigan, Founder and CEO of Connecticut Wealth Management, an important truth that reminds him of one of his favorite quotes: God distributes talent equally, but it’s up to us to distribute opportunity.

This belief motivated Horrigan to get involved with Hartford Youth Scholars. He shared his thoughts and vision for the organization as he assumes his two-year term as board chair.

What attracted you to become involved with Hartford Youth Scholars?

DH: What attracted me to HYS was a desire to give back to the community. I've been fortunate enough to have some success in my career; it’s just the right thing to do, to give back. I was looking to get involved in the education of kids in Hartford, who I feel [often] don't have as much opportunity as kids in the suburbs. I got introduced to the organization at a HYS gala event. My wife and I listened to HYS kids and their parents speak, and we sat there in tears. So, we were hooked from the first time we were exposed to students in the program.

What have you come to value most about the organization's impact?

DH: I have come to appreciate the breadth of the impact that the organization has. The Hartford Youth Scholars students are personally going to get a great education and have some opportunities offered to them that they wouldn't otherwise have. But the effect that it has on their family, their neighbors, their neighborhood, the city of Hartford, and the benefit it actually has to their classmates at schools that may not otherwise have the opportunity to interact with kids from Hartford is great.

As HYS’s new board chair, what do you see as the organization’s top priorities over your next two-year term?

DH: One is being able to support the kids through changing needs of high school aged youth, and in particular the growing need for mental health. We have been fortunate to establish a relationship with Charter Oak Health which will equip us to better address the social, emotional, and mental health needs of our students.

The second one is supporting staff. Our staff is so committed and so they work so hard and they do such a great job. I want to make sure that I and the board support them as best we can. Thirdly, I'd love to create more awareness around Hartford Youth Scholars and generate more [volunteer and financial] support for the program. HYS is one of the best-kept secrets in Hartford, and I don't want us to be a secret anymore. More marketing and PR need to be done because HYS does unbelievable work and more people could be inspired by the work if they just knew about it.

What do you see as the organization’s biggest challenges?  

DH: Fundraising is always a big challenge that any nonprofit has. What I would like to do is get more support from local corporations and individuals to support our mission.  Additionally, it's trying to identify other organizations where there are synergies and shared missions, and working collaboratively with them to change the direction of students and the future of the city of Hartford.

How can people get involved in helping HYS?

DH: I would love for people to get engaged in the program because once people get engaged, they become huge fans of the organization. During our summertime Collegiate Academy, we have a program called Bites with Scholars, where people can have lunch with HYS students and alumni to learn more about the program, and the students’ educational journeys and their challenges. Another opportunity is called Beyond the Books where HYS students and others from the community can attend a play at the Bushnell or Hartford Stage. Again, it’s a chance for the public to engage with the students, but also a great opportunity for our HYS students to experience a cultural event like theater or fine arts.

What lessons have your learned from your experience with HYS?

DH: I am amazed by the depth of commitment for a student and for parents. When you see a parent who is so committed to their child getting a great education that they're willing to allow their child to go away to [a boarding] high school. The selflessness of the parents is astounding to me. One thing I've learned is the depth of the selflessness that parents are willing to display and the sacrifices that they will make. 

Similarly, the sacrifices that the students make to improve their education, to increase their probability of success is humbling.

One hundred percent of Hartford Youth Scholars graduate from high school on time. About 90% of Hartford Youth Scholars earn a four-year degree. In Hartford, the percentage of people aged twenty-five or older with a bachelor's degree is 16%. 

What lessons in leadership have your learned from your predecessor, Elsa Núñez?

DH: The three most important things that I've learned from her are grace under pressure, keeping focused, and helping a maturing organization. Elsa’s tenure as chair occurred during two of the most difficult years in history for education. As President of Eastern Connecticut State University, she was trying to manage her own students at Eastern while also overseeing Hartford Youth Scholars as the board chair. She never got flustered; that’s grace under pressure. She never let us get too distracted by the challenges of a particular day, but always remained focused on our mission. And as a relatively young organization that’s maturing, she has helped us to create a more professional, structured organization.

Additionally, our college students are always looking for internships so I would like more people from the [Greater Hartford] community to make those opportunities available to our kids. Lastly, we need more diversity on our board. We would love to have more folks, black or brown, on our board that maybe could share their personal experience and become mentors for some of these students.