Randell Nairn Named 2024-2025 Chair of CYC's YP Board!

Over the last few years, recent changes to the NCAA's NIL (name, image, likeness) rules have drastically changed the landscape of college athletics. While student-athletes are now able to use their names and images in ads, appearances and promotions, many have begun to use their influence to support charitable causes they are passionate about. Carolina Youth Coalition College Fellow and current UNC Chapel Hill cheerleader, Alycea Adams, is one of them! Alycea has chosen to use her platform to partner with CYC to raise funds for the organization's upcoming College Signing Day 5K on April 29th! Proceeds raised from the college-themed race will benefit CYC's College Persistence Program which ensures that CYC Fellows attending college have the support they need to persist through college, graduate on time, and launch their career or postgraduate studies. Alycea has set a goal to raise at least $500 for the 5K and is asking for your support! You can donate to her personal fundraiser at www.carolinayouth.org/alycea . A proud Tarheel, she is pursuing a B.S. Information Science and a minor in Entreprenuership with hopes of landing a career in Corporate Technology/Management. Alycea joined CYC just before her senior year at Mallard Creek High School and has seen firsthand how she and her have benefitted from the being a part of the program. "CYC created an extended support system of knowledgeable mentors that guided me throughout the college application process. The anxiety of figuring out how to pay for school, finding out there are so many scholarship opportunities, and internship opportunities are all thanks to you guys for showing me how to search for them. CYC is truly a family and I love connecting with younger CYC students because it's awesome being a person that can give advice. The exposure to internship opportunities has been tremendous! I just finished a spring semester marketing internship with GardHouse thanks to this opportunity being offered by CYC. Even seeing CYC at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, it was heart-warming seeing the students and them asking about college and how I figured things out. Being able to tell them my experience was rewarding to be able to give back," says Alycea. On why she is passionate about using her platform for good, Alycea says, "Being a cheerleader, I have a passion for getting people involved and not being afraid to speak in front of crowds. As a cheerleader, we aren't recognized as "student-athlete" under NCAA rules, so we don't have the plentiful opportunities like other varsity sports. This makes me really excited to tell my story and support this event as a Charlotte native who grew up within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and now being a student at UNC Chapel-Hill I can use my platform to give back to others." In addition to using her social media platform to raise money and publicize the event, she will also be helping to kick off the 5K during pre-race festivities. He Help Alycea reach her goal here ! Interested in running or walking in the the Signing Day 5K and Fun Run? Visit www.carolinayouth.org/5K to register! Carolina Youth Coalition is a Charlotte-based nonprofit that nurtures and propels high-achieving, under-resourced students to and through college. Learn more at www.carolinayouth.org .

Carolina Youth Coalition is proud to announce the addition of Molly Shaw to its board of directors. Molly has extensive experience working inside communities as well as private and public systems. “Carolina Youth Coalition was built on the premise that students shape and lead the CYC experience. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to help support CYC’s board and stellar team to empower students and advance equity," she says. Molly served as President and CEO of Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg (CIS) from 2011-2020 where she and 125 team members worked to empower, support, and case-manage more than 30,000 students annually in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district. She is a graduate of Davidson College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to joining Communities In Schools, Molly launched and led The Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI), an initiative designed to strengthen teaching in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. She also spent several years at Davidson College serving in various fundraising roles. She has served on community boards to support organizations that promote early childhood learning, literacy, youth development, supportive housing, foster care and adoption, workforce development, the arts, and women’s collective giving. Molly has published op-eds and delivered talks locally and nationally on topics including economic mobility, educational trends and solutions, cradle to career success, social capital, trust-based philanthropy, and leadership. Molly is married to David Webb and has two children, Max (7) and Kate (5), and two dogs, Chewy and Champ. Welcome to the #DreamTeam, Molly!

Carolina Youth Coalition Awarded a 2021 Women’s Impact Fund Grant $95K Women’s Impact Fund to support youth from under-resourced communities to attend college. Charlotte, NC - Carolina Youth Coalition (CYC) has received $95,000 from Women’s Impact Fund to expand its best-in-class college prep programming to more youth across the city of Charlotte. The grant was announced at the annual meeting of Women’s Impact Fund which was held virtually on May 10th, 2021. This year, Women’s Impact Fund awarded more than $430,000 to seven local non-profits in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Environment, Health, Human Services, and Spark grants focusing on mental health and racial equity. Since 2003, the fund has awarded $6.8 million to organizations serving Charlotte. The grant will fund Carolina Youth Coalition’s expansion of its college prep program for high-performing, under-resourced students. Next Fall, they will welcome their inaugural ninth grade cohort to a program that will serve 150 high school students from across the Charlotte area. Funds will also be used to provide transportation and technology to program participants. Since 2018, program participants have redeemed $4.9 million in scholarships and grants. Over 50% of participants attending 4-year universities are doing so debt-free. 92% of CYC’s college students are first-generation college students. “Women’s Impact Fund is proud to support Carolina Youth Coalition’s comprehensive, culturally-sensitive approach to college admission and persistence for high-achieving, low-income students in the Charlotte area. We are thrilled that the program will expand to younger cohorts, allowing students to set themselves up for success in college and beyond, even earlier in their high school careers,” said Patricia Massey Hoke, Executive Director of Women’s Impact Fund. About Women’s Impact Fund Since 2003, Women’s Impact Fund has amplified the significant role women play in philanthropy. Its mission is to strengthen communities by maximizing women’s leadership in philanthropy through collective giving, education and member engagement. With approximately 500 members, the organization has emerged as one of the largest women’s collective giving groups in the country and continues to create powerful change within Mecklenburg County. To date, Women’s Impact Fund has made 91 grants totaling more than $6.8 million. For more information, visit www.womensimpactfund.org. About Carolina Youth Coalition Carolina Youth Coalition (CYC) is a college-access nonprofit organization that prepares high-achieving, under-resourced high school students to get into, excel at, and graduate from college so they can become full participants in society. CYC offers free out-of-school-time programming featuring personalized college application support, standardized test prep, writing coaching, college tours, 1:1 mentoring, connection to career exploration and scholarship opportunities, and social justice-based dialogue. The program begins with students as early as 10th grade and provides support to students throughout their time in college. For more information, visit www.carolinayouth.org. CONTACT: Aaron Randolph, Executive Director, aaron@carolinayouth.org, 386-288-8865

OrthoCarolina hosted Carolina Youth Coalition’s high school Fellows as part of Carolina Youth’s Career Club program. Career Club is designed to help students step forward and see themselves in their first jobs. Carolina Youth hopes that this forward thinking will help fellows make informed decisions about their futures. Through community partnerships with organizations like OrthoCarolina, Carolina Youth is able to inspire its fellows and expose them to new opportunities and areas of the world. OrthoCarolina is one of the nation’s leading academic orthopedic practices which has been serving the Southeast since 1922. Made up of 42 different locations and over 1,400 team members called Team OC, OrthoCarolina constantly strives to fulfill its purpose: Make Lives Better. In hopes of doing just that, they partnered with Carolina Youth to fulfill their goals of increasing diversity in their communities and teams as well as to help people see and take new opportunities for themselves. The fellows met with a series of panelists to hear about the different experiences of healthcare careers. Fellows learned about everything from the path to becoming a physician to working to provide laptops to every team member who needs one. They then had many of their questions answered during the question and answer session. Afterwards, Jenni Knighten, Director of Organizational Culture and Engagement at OrthoCarolina, shared some of OrthoCarolina’s plans to continue the partnership going forward. “Team OC has many diverse individuals with unique skill-sets,” she said, “Our goal is to mobilize many of those individuals to find specific ways to meet Carolina Youth’s ongoing needs. We are impressed with the Fellows’ engagement and accomplishments, and are honored to continue working with Carolina Youth Coalition going forward.”

Carolina Youth Coalition is proud to announce the addition of Danielle (Dany) Nisbet to its board of directors. Dany has already used her skills and experience in executive search to help prepare Carolina Youth Coalition Fellows for scholarship interviews and help find ways for them to finance their college education. Dany began her career in executive search in 2007 with Cameron Carmichael. She has successfully recruited senior level executives for public and privately owned companies throughout the United States and Europe. Her industry sector experience includes private equity, retail, manufacturing, education, non-profit and healthcare. Prior to her career as an executive recruiter, Dany was an attorney with Reed Smith Shaw & McClay in Washington, DC, and then with Poyner & Spruill in Charlotte, NC, specializing in business litigation. Originally from Columbia, SC, Dany graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude from the Honor’s College at the University of South Carolina. She also earned her JD from the University of South Carolina School of Law where she was a member of Moot Court. Dany is active in the community and local school system. She has served on the Children’s Scholarship Fund Board, Myers Park Civic Commission, the Mint Museum Auxiliary, and has been a volunteer instructor with Patriots Path. Moved by the Leading Opportunity Report of 2017 which revealed Charlotte was 50th out of the 50 largest cities in the United States for socioeconomic mobility, and a lifelong believer that education is paramount to opening opportunities for young people, Dany is excited to join the board saying, “I am thrilled to join the CYC Board and look forward to being an active member of the organization. Both of my parents were educators, and I was always taught that I could accomplish anything I wanted if I worked hard and did well in school. I see education as the biggest equalizer of socioeconomic inequality. The work CYC does can have a huge impact on the individual students, their families and the larger Charlotte community. I have already had the privilege of working with some of the students and have been impressed with the programs CYC offers. I am eager to learn more and work with such a dedicated leadership team.”

On November 12th, Andrea Smith, Chief Administrative Officer for Bank of America and philanthropic leader in the Charlotte area community, spent an hour with CYC Fellows Miliani Smith and Hannah Roten to share stories from her life and wisdom she has acquired. Smith, a globally recognized leader who has been awarded accolades including Most Powerful Woman in Banking and Charlotte Business Woman of the Year, along with her husband Sean, endowed the Smith Opportunity Scholarship at the Foundation for the Carolinas which provides gap scholarships to students whose financial aid does not cover the full cost of college. Smith, who proudly claims, “What you see with me is what you get,” was quick to credit the teams she is a part of with her successes. Her authentic humility served as an example of servant leadership for the podcast. The best leaders are impressive people, but they still have needs they need to meet to function at the high levels they are accustomed to. Smith spoke to the fellows about maintaining balance between her work and home lives. She has no average day at Bank of America. She has a variety of different responsibilities ranging from media to real estate, not including her role as a mother and wife. Andrea referenced, “changing lives while living her own,” and advised fellows to take care of basic self-care. She admitted that at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic even she struggled, but through setting boundaries with how much time she spent working and finding at least one hour of exercise a day, she was able to get back on track. When she’s on track, Smith’s leadership changes lives through both her platform at Bank of America and philanthropic work. Her abilities to make and execute the right decision serve her well, but perhaps her team building is her greatest asset. Andrea emphasized to the Fellows that in order to work well as a team player, “you must strive for the best idea, not your idea.” Smith believes that respect is mutual, and advised fellows to be curious and courageous, to never stop learning and have the courage to use their knowledge. Smith is one to know. She forged her own path to success, never afraid to say yes to jobs she wasn’t familiar with but brave enough to say no when the time came for it. Smith, who originally attended Southern Methodist University with the intention to become a doctor, finds the same meaning in helping others with her platform. “In a roundabout way,” Smith says, “I help people just as I always wanted to.” “Control what you can control,” Smith told the Fellows, “Use your voice, get engaged, and find your passion. If you do those things, we will be a better world for it.” At CYC and Personal Statement we believe that everyone has a statement to make. The fellows were challenged and energized to make theirs by Smith’s visit. Click the link above to watch or listen (not sure how it works on the blog) to the episode and get inspired to make your own personal statement. Learn more about CYC at www.carolinayouth.org .

Professional golfer and Jordan brand athlete Harold Varner III joined Personal Statement to share his advice with CYC fellows. A native of Gastonia, North Carolina, Varner grew up playing golf as often as he could. His father needed a playing partner, and Varner stepped in to fill the shoes at a young age. His talent and work ethic led him to attend Eastern Carolina University as a member of the golf team that he helped reach the National Championship for the first time in school history. Varner loved golf, but it was not until his junior year of college that he realized he could become a professional, a path which he would eventually take and find great success in. Varner attributes his ability to make the jump from amateur to professional with learning to, “Do the things off the course.” He does the work outside of his golf life, and with the other areas of his life straightened out, he is able to take care of business on the course. Varner shared many nuggets of wisdom with the fellows, the first of which being, “Sometimes you don’t have options in life, but it is what it is. You just keep going.” Varner recognizes that life’s plans are constantly in flux, and at times, the best approach is to push forward without fear of how things will unfold. This philosophy carries over into his personal life where Varner is spontaneous and plan averse. He enjoys taking things as they come. He credits his success to the people who supported him. His parents taught him the difference between right and wrong, and he has kept those values with him. He values perseverance greatly, saying, “If you do the work and the right things, good things are going to happen. They might not happen when you want them to, but they’re going to happen.” Varner also places a strong value on service to others. He hopes to be remembered not for his golf swing, but for the changes he makes in the lives of others. Varner says, “True happiness comes from investing in others.” He isn’t afraid to hit the big shot and urged the fellows to have the same courage in their daily lives, be it applying for college or taking an exam. Varner, the only African American on the PGA Tour, proudly revealed he thinks the game is changing for the better. He witnesses an increasing number of superb athletes take up the sport and believes that by improving access to the game, better players will emerge and interest in the sport will grow. For Varner, access is everything. In education or in sports, Varner believes that if young people are given access to institutions they will capitalize on it and become great people that accomplish amazing things just as he did. Varner twice reminded fellows, “You can’t be afraid to hit the big shot.” CYC’s fellows have proven they aren’t afraid, and they challenge you to make the big swing you’ve been wanting to hit for a long time. Learn more at www.carolinayouth.org .

On Thursday evening, Charlotte Hornets President Fred Whitfield joined Carolina Youth Coalition’s podcast, Personal Statement. The podcast serves as a platform for influential community members to share their personal journeys and advice with CYC fellows. Thursday’s episode was hosted by fellows Miliani Smith, a junior at Charlotte Country Day School, and Augustine Glaygbe, a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Jordan WINGS scholar.

CYC's Fellow-led podcast, Personal Statement! Our goal is to showcase influential leaders' journey to success and highlight their contributions to their community and beyond.