The Community Impact Committee recently checked in with Aaron Randolph, Executive Director of Carolina Youth Coalition. We listened with gratitude to the wonderful stories of the impact of the students participating in CYC programming and tutoring. Below are a few of those stories that were shared:

“I am not entirely sure I can provide anyone with an idea of the entire scope of CYC’s impact on my family. As my grandmother would say, ‘Take a listen.’ Yes, I’m of the generation that had old-school grandmothers and mothers with old-school values. Before my brother died, he asked me to take care of his 3 young children, two of whom are autistic. Being raised with old-school values, the only way I could respond to his request was in the affirmative. I had no clue how I
would do it; I just knew I had to.

My autistic niece and nephew arrived from NYC in the summer of 2017 and I suddenly became a single parent of two special needs teenagers. On the day of their arrival, my niece had a seizure and I soon learned she was autistic and epileptic. After spending the first week in the hospital with her, I began to better comprehend the gravity of my commitment to my deceased brother and now…….my new family.

I learned about CYC through a CMS Connect Ed message in August 2017. In all honestly, all I knew at that time was that it was a free afterschool college prep program. I had no idea of my nephew’s interests, aspirations, or grades, I was just trying to accomplish two things: 1. Continue the family tradition of treating them like “normal” kids, and 2. GET HELP FOR MY NEW FAMILY, including me!

I don’t remember the process in its entirety, but I distinctly remember speaking with Morgan Boykin about my nephew and his autism. I recall her telling me that the CYC team had discussed his background and believed we could find success, especially in light of the fact that she had hands-on experience with autistic students.

His participation in CYC was a GAME CHANGER for him and for me.

First of all, CYC provided transportation to and from their programs which gave me a chance to provide more care for his autistic and epileptic sister.

Secondly, CYC provided a peer group for my nephew, which is something that eludes many autistic students due to their limited social skills. Actually, my nephew had no friends, not even a single friend from NYC despite growing up there.

In addition, CYC provided academic support, not just in the form of tutoring, but also in group discussions about what academic success looks like and how to achieve it. They also facilitated important discussions about Black males at the hands of law enforcement and other individuals. These discussions helped the students process these and other life events in a way that empowered the students and remove them as detractors from success.

One of the most important services CYC provided him, as a young African American student who lost his father, was a positive Black Male role model. Mr. Aaron, as we call him, is a phenomenal human being. His patience, understanding, support, and compassion were exactly what my nephew needed in his life.

CYC also showed their commitment to their students by responding to parent emails and phone calls in a timely manner, engaging parents when needed, keeping us informed of CYC events, and reminding us to TRUST our young adults.

CYC gave my nephew a voice. They gave him a vision. They gave him goals. And they gave him a family. THEY GAVE MY FAMILY A WAY OUT OF NO WAY.

CYC provided a vision for my nephew. They served as a sounding board and guidance counselor to us during every aspect of his post-secondary pursuits, including college entrance exams, letters of recommendation, timely FAFSA completion, college tours, scholarship pursuits, and maintaining their grades. Thanks to CYC, my autistic nephew graduated in the top 20% of his high school class and was accepted into 8 four-year colleges. Moreover, he shockingly received so many scholarships that we had to ask a few donors to delay their funding!

Now our new journey begins with him as an autistic college student struggling mightily with online learning. CYC also provides support to its graduates who go to college. They continue to be committed to their success and we continue to be blessed to have such a unique and successful organization as part of our lives.

Sincerely,
Ursula Smith”

“It is my pleasure to write a letter in support of Carolina Youth Coalition. My name is Praises Amponsah and I graduated from Hawthorne Academy of Health Science’s Class of 2020. I have been involved in Carolina Youth Coalition since my junior year. CYC has pushed me beyond what I thought that I was capable of doing, and thanks to the resources that I have been provided with, I am currently attending Brown University on a full-ride as a Gates Scholar. Before coming to CYC, I was at a loss for what to do and I had no idea what my future had in store. My school had less than 500 students, so we didn’t have many of the grand facilities that larger schools had. As a first-generation student, I didn’t know anything about the college process and I hadn’t considered many schools that were out-of-state, much less an Ivy League. I found CYC on a whim one day when I was scrolling through social media and decided to apply because I knew how important junior year grades and involvement were to my college application. I didn’t know that one moment would change my life.

My experience at CYC has taught me about advocating for myself in and out of the classroom. The core value of CYC that resonates with me is excellence because CYC has pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of doing. Had I not been in CYC, I would have never imagined that I would be attending Brown University this year.

I believe that every student should have CYC because it is such a wonderful support system that can push them toward excellence. I think back to this time last year when I met with my guidance counselor. When I had expressed that I wanted to apply to Brown, she instead suggested a state school, calling Brown and all the other schools I was interested in applying to “reaches.” Through the resources that I have been able to access through CYC such as ACT workshops, college tours, and a wonderful mentor, her reach has now become my reality. I am proud to be part of an organization that truly believes in me and encourages me to meet my full potential, and I wish the resources at CYC were available to more students.

Sincerely,
Praises Amponsah
CYC College Fellow ‘24”