The Capital District YMCA believes in helping all young people access the opportunities necessary to succeed, said Orville Abrahams, and perhaps most indicative of that mission is its Black and Latino Achievers Program.
In young people who may not have all the opportunities, may not have access to all the role models and may not be able to get to certain places and take advantage of different types of experiences, especially underrepresented groups like young African American and Latino students, it’s important for us to be able to make sure they get the same exposure to opportunities to learn and grow, said Abrahams, director of community development at the YMCA.
The program recently hosted its 8th Annual Black and Latino Achievers Recognition dinner on June 9 to honor 21 youth and 15 adult achievers for commitment to the community that went above and beyond.
Johari Johnson, a senior at Shenendehowa High School, was named Youth Achiever of the Year. She’s president of the Black and Latino Achievers Program but if you ask her what makes her worthy of such a title, she humbly can’t tell you. When pushed to make a guess, she said it would probably have to be her leadership.
`My leadership skills in general are why they probably chose me. I got involved when I was in tenth grade because I really do care about people in general`it’s my strong suit and weakness because I’d do anything for anybody who needed it,` said Johnson.
Johnson volunteered and headed up a black history month campaign at her high school, decorating the building with other students and getting on the announcements. She attended meetings and events in an effort to gain something she felt she was missing, but at the same time, she was still making sure everyone else around her had the chance to do the same.
`I helped the kids in and outside the program; if they ever needed anything from me they knew they could call me anytime they wanted to,` said Johnson. `I was giving so many people rides to meetings and rides home because I wanted to make sure they all had opportunities and needed to be there.`
About 120 to 150 students regularly attend functions of the Black and Latino Achievers Program, which is available at all nine Capital District YMCAs. There are volunteer opportunities that were new this year and very popular, said Abrahams, and the program brings in mentors and speakers from various professions to help students navigate their future. The students can also go on college tours and get help finding jobs or internships.
D’Aundra Murray, also a senior from Shenendehowa High School, took advantage of all the opportunities that could affect her future and participated in so many `resume builders` (as she called them) that she applied for and was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to the College of Saint Rose.
`I was really excited because getting my financial aid packages from other schools was kind of surprising, like ‘This is a lot of money that I’m taking out as student loans, I’m going to have to pay back’ and that’s when I was affected by the economy,` said Murray. `If I take this opportunity and scholarship I’ll be ahead of most people coming out of college because I won’t have student loans to pay back. It wasn’t even a decision. Nobody offers you that much money anymore.`
Murray played a big part in organizing a Black History Month display case at the high school that held books, artwork and information.
`I was the person running it, organizing it and making sure it looked good and that’s what I felt I accomplished,` said Murray.
The program afforded her educational opportunities she may not have had otherwise, said Murray, but it was being able to connect with other people just like her that was perhaps invaluable.
`When you go to a majority Caucasian school, it can feel like no one understands you or gets where you’re coming from. Going to that type of program where everyone shares the same feelings, it becomes a family and I heard that from all different YMCAs across the Capital District,` said Murray.
`You can always go to these people if you’re having problems at home, friends or school. Everyone is really close.`
Johnson too echoed the `family feel` of the group and said the younger that students get involved, the better.
`I’m excited for my future and the people who will be going through the program after me. I feel like they’ll go really far if they use all the opportunities and resources,` said Johnson. `I want people to take advantage of it because it’s very rare that people are trying to help you you’re your life and be more successful because sometimes people don’t care and you need some sort of support system.`
Johnson is already moved into college at Hampton University where she’s taking a summer session. Right now her sights are set on broadcast journalism and art history but being a senator is her secret dream.
Adult Achievers from local organizations were recognized for their contributions to and support of various aspects of the program. The other 19 Youth Achievers were recognized from Schenectady High School, Troy High School, Guilderland High School, Bethlehem Central High School, Voorheesville High School, Albany High School, Colonie High School, Schalmont High School and more. Information about the program is available at www.cdymca.com.
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