As our seniors are heading off to college they open room in our program for a new cohort of students. Over 70 students applied to be a part of the program, vying for a total of 10 open spots. So, how do we choose these lucky 10 students? They first need to meet some basic criteria. Their family income must meet the requirements to be eligible for the free and reduced lunch program at school and they can have no parent or guardian who has graduated from a four-year college. But what makes the right candidate for the Access Youth Academy program? We are looking for kids that are hard workers, willing to put in the time and energy to being the best person they can be. Dedication to themselves and the program is key. We want to make sure they will take full advantage of what we have to offer them on a daily and yearly basis. We look for kids that are kind, to themselves and to others. And just as important, we look for good sportsmanship with leadership potential. After all, these are the leaders of tomorrow.

After they turned in their applications they met us for tryouts. This is where the fun begins. We put them through various stations of activities ranging from playing squash to writing an essay to discussion circles. Over 3 consecutive Friday's we met, interacted with and interviewed these students. We met some amazing young people and were encouraged about their futures. Unfortunately not all of their futures can be with us and believe us, decision making time was hard. In the end we ended up inviting 10 wonderful human beings into the program and are so very excited to get working with them. A big thank you to all of our current students and volunteers who came out to help facilitate the tryouts and congratulations to our new Access Youth Academy family members.