WymanBlog

Wyman recently tracked down the first graduating class of the Wyman Teen Leadership Program and talked to them about their experiences in the program and about where they are now. These young people graduated from high school and TLP in 2006.

When it came to getting into college and pursuing their goals, all graduates we spoke with said their experience in Wyman programming was a valuable one. “I wrote my college essay on my trek experience, the personal obstacles I overcame and my experiences with conflict resolution and team work. The essay helped me complete my application – and also helped me get my college scholarship,” said Mya, who is currently applying to her “short list” of 25 medical schools.

Graduate, Aaron’s, best advice to teens today is to take full advantage of the opportunities placed before you. “Don’t be non-chalant, even if you feel like it. The connections you’ll make now can really improve your chances at reaching your goals for the future.”

Of the 21 graduates, contact information was found for 18 of them.

• 15 of 18 went on to college from high school. That’s an 83% rate of going to college, compared to 54% among low income youth and 81% among high income youth (National Center for Education Statistics, 2007).
• 14 of 15 graduated/will graduate college by December 2010 in four and a half years. On average, 4 year colleges graduate approximately 60% of students in 6 years (American Enterprise Institute, 2009).
• 7 of 14 college graduates have been accepted to a post-graduate program and will begin graduate school this fall. An additional three graduates are planning/researching graduate school options and are committed to attending.

Of the 12 respondents:

• 12 of 12 confirmed the value of the Wyman program (citing, for example, life experience, self-confidence, contributing toward their success in college, and resume building).
• 12 of 12 encourage today’s teens to embrace the Wyman program and get all they can from the opportunity.
• 9 of 12 respondents are or have been engaged in community service.

Teens in their third year of the Wyman Teen Leadership Program, recently returned from Tennessee where they went whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River, hiking and camping in the Cherokee National Forest, toured Vanderbilt University and completed a service learning project in Nashville!

In partnership with the Harpeth River Watershed Association , the 33 Wyman teens pitched in with work on a Brentwood streambed as a part of the flood recovery efforts.

Wyman teens arrived just after noon and quickly formed into groups to accomplish the tasks of rolling revetments and driving anchors, followed by the final step of placing the revetments and sewing them into place, all done by around 4:00 pm. The group contributed over 150 volunteer hours to protect about 150 feet of severely eroded river bank that threatened to cut into the paved greenway trail in the near future had this project not been done.

And there work did not go unnoticed! Read more about their efforts in this article from The Tennessean.

On Sunday, April 25, Wyman President Dave Hilliard spoke with the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals, Dan McLaughlin, about Wyman’s upcoming golf tournament and the need and impact of Wyman programs.

In case you missed it – listen to the full interview here.

Looking for an easy way to make a impactful year-end gift to Wyman? Consider a gift of stock!

As we close out the year and prepare for 2010, please consider a stock gift. Your gift today could save you money and give St. Louis teens the tools they need to lead successful lives and build strong communities. For instructions on making a gift of stock to Wyman, contact Amy Neuman at 636.549.1227 or amy.neuman@wymancenter.org.

The United Way of Greater St. Louis’ campaign has come to an end and exceeded their goal, raising over $67,000,000! Those funds will go to nearly 200 agencies in the St. Louis area, including Wyman!

As a thanks to those who helped make this campaign a success, the United Way has created a video of agency clients and employees sharing the difference the United Way has made in their lives.

Take a few minutes to check out the video - which features two of Wyman’s outstanding teens!