PROGRAMS
Scholar & Parent Stories
These promising Hartford Youth Scholars have changed their lives through education.
These bright Scholars come from Hartford and have embarked on a rigorous educational journey that has cultivated intellectual curiosity and a love of learning. Here are their stories.
Meet DIAMOND HENRY
“HYS helped me on my journey to achieve my goals by teaching me self-advocacy, hard work, determination and dedication.”
I was born and raised in Hartford, CT by my grandmother. I am a proud member of Cohort 3, and an alumni of The Loomis Chaffee School. I am currently a sophomore at Haverford College, majoring in Psychology with minors in Peace, Justice, and Human Rights and Gender and Sexuality Studies. I intend to pursue a PhD in Psychology and a JD in Criminal Law. I believe HYS helped me on my journey to achieve my goals by teaching me self-advocacy, hard work, determination and dedication. My favorite quote from the program is “nothing is deserved”.
Meet PRATIMA SINGH
“Without HYS’ constant and unyielding support, I would have neither the drive nor ambition to discover and achieve my greatest dreams.”
My name is Pratima Singh and I am a Steppingstone Academy Hartford alumna and a member of HYS’ third cohort. I graduated from Berkshire School in 2014, and I am currently a sophomore at Syracuse University, where I am studying English and Education. Without HYS’ constant and unyielding support, I would have neither the drive nor ambition to discover and achieve my greatest dreams. I am especially thankful to HYS for introducing me to Berkshire, where I had the “ideal high school experience”. Because of HYS’ guidance and inspiration, I am determined to make a change in America’s educational system, just as HYS is doing in Hartford. I now live and breathe my alma mater’s motto, “Not just for school, but for life”, and because of HYS, I wholeheartedly believe in the idea that every student has the potential to change the world with their ideas alone.
Meet FRANCISCO CHANG
“This program also helped me with the College process and for that I am eternally grateful.
I will be attending one of my top choices of college, and I feel ready and excited to attend.”
I am a member of Cohort 4 and will be attending Trinity College this Fall as a member of the Class of 2019.
I live in Hartford with my parents. Steppingstone Academy Hartford has had a huge impact on my life. This program helped me by taking me out of my comfort zone and pushing my boundaries. Thanks to this program, I was able to be accepting of any academic challenge. I was also able to experience new things (like Sushi!) and I was able to explore new ideas in class. I heard different views and learned many different things. This program also helped me with the College process and for that I am eternally grateful. I will be attending one of my top choices of college and I feel ready to and excited to attend.
Meet ISAAC GUZMAN
“HYS is more than a foundation: we are a family. I aspire to change the world, because my family gave me the tools to do so.”
My name is Isaac James Guzman, and I am an alumnus of the Hartford Youth Scholars, Cohort 6. Currently, I am a junior at the Loomis Chaffee School. I would not be who I am today, without the tremendous amount of help from the Hartford Youth Scholars. Attending boarding school was a foreign concept prior to HYS, but now I return every fall to one of the best boarding schools in the nation. Now that I am an alumnus, it has allowed me to spend a great deal of time reflecting upon my experience. Every single time I look back, I am reminded of the love. The love that bonded everyone together, and the love that helped me grow. HYS is more than a foundation: we are a family. I aspire to change the world, because my family gave me the tools to do so.
Meet TIANNA EDWA RDS
"As a middle school Scholar, I found solace in Hartford Youth Scholars' expectation that I would be ok. This expectation of theirs satisfied my wish that it could be true."
Tianna is a member of HYS' cohort 3, who graduated from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with a degree in biomedical engineering. Tianna is currently working on her MS degree in biotechnology
in an accelerated program that allows motivated students to earn this degree in half the time, and she is also applying to PhD programs
at this time.
Tianna grew up in Hartford, and she completed her high school studies at Watkinson School.
She remembers these years vividly, as she took the bus to and from her neighborhood to campus every day. Tianna worked hard and earned good grades
at Watkinson;
she also worked the breakfast shift in the kitchen on campus because there wasn’t always food for her to eat at home and the staff always gave her “extras” to take home.
Tianna says: “As a middle school Scholar, I found solace in Hartford Youth Scholars’ expectation that I would be ok. This expectation of theirs satisfied my wish that it could be true.” And: “Math and science have always been my favorites. Math is just so… sure of itself, and science has tested and proven methods and procedures that you can rely on to get a result.” As illustrated by these quotes, Tianna is drawn to things, like HYS, that she can count on to be consistent and sure.
Tianna is proud of all of her accomplishments, and she says that she couldn't have done any of it without HYS' support. She also says: "HYS doesn't just change the lives of Scholars - it changes whole families. My mother pushed me into this, and supported me through it... and then something happened.
At some point my mother saw that her pushing my sisters and me to go further in our educations got us to a safer, more stable place in life... and now my mom has finished her GED and has started working on her Associate's Degree
in human services. She's doing this on a full scholarship for nontraditional students. HYS has helped my family to raise our expectations.
It gave us a sneak peek at the life we could be living and now we are all working together to get there. Thank you so much, HYS."
And now we'd like to pass Tianna's thanks on to you, because without your support, none of this would have been possible. Tianna and her mother both have come to know that Hartford is much bigger than the neighborhood that Tianna grew up in and, along with almost 300 young Scholars and their families, they are not alone.
Parent Stories
These families of promising young Scholars have seen the life-changing opportunities that education provides.
These families live in Hartford and have embarked on a rigorous educational program that has cultivated a new intellectual curiosity and love of learning in their children. Here are their stories.
Meet ELAINE GUZMAN
“HYS has brought me great happiness. I have seen my son grow into: a thoughtful, intelligent, caring young man and Scholar. For this reason I am very thankful to HYS.”
I am a widow, who is a social worker living in the south end of Hartford. I am a proud parent of a Loomis Chaffee Pelican, Isaac Guzman. I frequently volunteer at HYS events, help to translate for Spanish speaking parents and I am an enthusiastic advocate for the program. I saw a tremendous transformation in my son during his 26 months at The Collegiate Academy.
Meet LYNETTE BAISDEN
“This program is life changing and allows youth to start preparing for their future today.”
HYS has meant the world to our family. The program provided our daughter, Kristalyn, with the foundation to be academically successfully and excel at Berkshire School. Kristalyn is now a freshman at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and HYS has provided outstanding guidance and support every step of the way. This program is life changing and allows youth to start preparing for their future today.