As we approach the end of the calendar year, I am overcome by a feeling of gratitude for so many things this year.  While it has been a challenging year for many, particularly the Scholars in our program, I am reminded of the collective power of community. 

•   When we have looked for solutions to address the needs of our Scholars, community partners have stepped forward willing and ready to serve.

•   When we have asked for direct support to ensure that we can continue to do this important work, so many of you have answered that call, time and again.

•   When we have felt challenged by the circumstances that we are all struggling with – you have offered your moral support and encouraged us to carry on.

In this time of continued uncertainty, the need for Hartford Youth Scholars to continue to be a force for good in the greater Hartford community has become clearer than ever before.  We are helping Scholars realize they are the leaders of today and collectively they can move mountains.  

With the support of HYS, Scholars are finding their way to fulfilling careers with several Scholars pursuing post graduate degrees. Our Scholars have worked hard to become teachers, community leaders, computer scientists, lawyers, doctors and young professionals at our local corporations and organizations, HYS included as we now have 3 alumni on our staff!

We have spent much of the year focused on the needs of our Scholars and used that lens to revisit and recalibrate our strategic plan.  It became clear that our existing plan from 2017 was ready for a “tune up” considering the impact and corresponding outcomes  of COVID-19. We began with a listening tour with Scholars, families, community partners, investors and stakeholders.  We took the information and data we gathered and got to work on solutions.  We hope to share the results of this work early in the New Year.

We are hard at work recruiting our 17th Cohort of Scholars who will join us this June, in person, for our first in person Summer Academy since 2019!  We have enjoyed a hybrid Collegiate Academy this Fall with the re-introduction and expansion of our popular and essential Beyond the Books programming that included hiking, visits various local museums and lots of walks and talks on Trinity’s beautiful campus that we are fortunate to call home. 

In May we will begin to graduate our 7th Cohort of College Scholars adding another two dozen Scholars to our 79 alumni who have received their diplomas to date!  We expect to celebrate reaching the benchmark of 100 college graduates in the coming year so stay tuned for details as we begin our 15th year of operation.  A  series of events will be planned to celebrate our Scholars throughout the year, so stay tuned!

AJ Barclay and his Mom, Sandra Mark, have been committed members of the HYS community since AJ first joined The Collegiate Academy as a member of Cohort 10. AJ, who is now in his first year at Wesleyan University, sat down with HYS to talk about his experience as a scholar, his future goals, and the never-give-up mentality that was instilled in him as a scholar that benefits him to this day. AJ's younger sister, Jahniya Barclay, was accepted into Cohort 15 and is participating in The Collegiate Academy!

HYS: How has your first year of college been going for you? 

AJ: So far the first year has been going well for me. I finished my semester off really strong, I feel that I adjusted well and pretty fast in terms of getting myself into a routine and knowing what I had to get done. 

HYS: Do you feel that HYS played a role in helping you to adjust so well to college life? 

AJ: Yes, the main thing that HYS helped me with has been doing really nice check-ins during the year. It showed that they were still looking out for me, and helped me feel that I had multiple support systems. 

HYS: When you were in the Collegiate Academy, what was your favorite part of that experience? 

AJ: Besides being around other Scholars and staff that really cared about their education and what they were doing, I feel like HYS was really enriching - the constant programs and field trips and bringing us to different colleges - it exposed me to the world in a way that was fun and educational. I felt that the program genuinely cared about me. 

HYS: A question for your Mom - how do you feel HYS helped AJ to meet his academic goals and to progress as a student and as an individual?

AJ’s Mom: I got a strong sense of community and understanding among staff that education was the common goal, and they all stayed connected to that common goal and everything just gelled together really nicely throughout the program. All of these experiences helped the cohort to bond, and that opened the door for them to do better in their academics because they knew they had each other to rely on.

HYS: If you were to give some advice to those considering joining HYS or currently in the program, what would that advice be? 

AJ: I would say to know that it’s worth it - that there will be moments where you might want to give up or quit, and yes the work does pay off, you will see the fruits of your labor, and you will be rewarded for the hard work. 

AJ’s Mom: To parents of current or potential scholars, I would say that staying on your Scholar is important, and to have patience with the program. Every cohort is different with the energy that they bring to the program, so nothing is cut and dry, but to be consistent with supporting their Scholar. Also, it is important to form a community amongst the parents, and that you as a parent are just as important in this process as your child doing the work is.