“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”

YMWIC received a donation from our Corporate Partner, PECO, in support of the African American History Month - Titans of Industry. We thank PECO for recognizing us at the February event and for their continued support.

Thank you to 3M for your enthusiastic and consistent support of YMWIC. We appreciate your generous donation.

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is one of the largest student-governed organizations based in the United States. Founded in 1975, NSBE supports and promotes the aspirations of collegiate and pre-collegiate students in engineering and technology. Its motto is: To increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers, scientists, and mathematicians who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.

YMWIC Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are supplemental programs and activities for our Scholars. SIGs are affiliated with professional organizations and the interests of the Scholar. Read more.

The YMWIC 12th Annual Science Expo took place on March 4, 2023, at B. Reed Henderson High School in West Chester, PA. Congratulations to the Scholar winners who will be announced at our Annual Scholarship & Awards Banquet in May. These photos are a sampling of our Scholars at their best as they proudly display and present the projects they worked so diligently to complete.

We thank our Scholars' parents for their dedication, encouragement and for holding Scholars accountable for completing their projects. We give heartfelt thanks to our many volunteers, without whom this event would not be possible. Special thanks to our Corporate Partners who assisted with this Event in various capacities and our Keynote Speaker, Mr. Scott Light, Vice President, Military and Federal Team, at Ansys, Inc. Your hard work and continued support is greatly appreciated.

YMWIC is pleased to announce that we have been granted a STEM Education Grant from the American Water Charitable Foundation. As stated on its website, the focus of the American Water Charitable Foundation is to, “Support employees in their own charitable endeavors, provide stronger support for disaster relief efforts, and to provide funding for higher-level initiatives related to clean water, conservation, education, and community sustainability.” The STEM Education Grant is part of the American Water Charitable Foundation’s Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program, focusing on three pillars of giving: Water, People and Communities. Read more.

Chester Upland Chapter: Raymond Jones, 8th grade student at STEM Academy at Showalter, joined YMWIC last year. He enjoys participating in Foundation events and appreciates that he is able to earn a scholarship to college. Raymond says the biggest impact being a member of YMWIC has had on him is that he is motivated to improve his academics. He would encourage others to join so they can experience the same.

Although Raymond does not yet know what college he may want to attend, he does know he wants to pursue a career in Information Technology. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and spending time on his computer.

Stay motivated, Raymond! We know you will do well.

Coatesville Chapter: Ruth Abigail Montes (Abbie) is the featured Scholar in our Coatesville Chapter this month. Abbie, a junior, attends Coatesville Area Senior High School. She joined YMWIC this Program Year and enjoys the activities she participates in during the Wednesday workshops and going to YMWIC Headquarters on Saturdays for Robotics and SAT Prep. She says the greatest impact the Foundation has had on her was while preparing for her Annual Science Expo Presentation, saying, “Everyone was so encouraging, and I saw the love (projected by volunteers and YMWIC Staff) and could feel that everyone just wants the best for us Scholars!”

Abbie would like to attend either West Chester University, Elizabethtown College, Susquehanna University, or Temple University and study to become a Physician’s Assistant. Read more.

Norristown Chapter: Alicia Morales attends Eisenhower Science and Technology Leadership Academy and is in the 5th grade. She joined YMWIC this year. She says, "During my time with the Foundation so far, my most enjoyable thing has been creating my science project for the Science Expo. I enjoyed doing the research and was able to create my own slime." She added, "The biggest impact being a member of YMWIC is learning to stay committed. I don’t always want to go to workshops, but I made a commitment to show up and give my best every time."

Alicia's advice to younger or new Scholars is, "Do not be afraid to accept new challenges." She adds, "I would encourage them to attend the workshops and enjoy making new friends." Read more.

Phoenixville Chapter: Saharra Thomas, a 5th grade student at Manavon Elementary School, joined YMWIC this year along with her two sisters. Saharra is enjoying her experiences as a member of YMWIC, especially the workshops. She is an artist and enjoys drawing. She sees herself being in an art-related career in the future. Saharra would encourage her peers to join YMWIC to share in the activities she is enjoying.

In addition to drawing, Saharra enjoys playing basketball.

We see many successful and creative years ahead for you, Saharra.

Upper Darby Chapter: Jaden Coleman is new to YMWIC this program year. He is in the 6th grade at Drexel Hill Middle School where he has earned Student of the Month recognition, has been appointed as a School Counselor, been recognized as a Mathematician, and received the Leader of the Pack Award. Jaden most enjoys the activities he is able to participate in as a member of YMWIC, as well as the new friends he has made. He is inspired by seeing Scholars who are older participate in projects.

Jaden would tell others considering YMWIC that it is a helpful group that allows you to earn a scholarship toward attending college. He would like to be a scientist or the CEO of a business in the future. In his spare time, he enjoys making music, playing games, and is involved in football, basketball and running track.

We welcome you to YMWIC, Jaden!

West Chester Chapter: Cristofer Garcia-Galan attends Collegium Charter School where he is in the 6th grade. He joined YMWIC when he was in the 4th grade and most enjoys the many Foundation Events he has the opportunity to take part in. The most profound impact he has noticed since being a member is that he has learned how to use his time more wisely.

Cristofer recommends YMWIC to any of his peers who are interested in STEM subjects, especially science, and would encourage them to stick with the Program, even if they don't like it at first. He would like to become an architect in the future but doesn't know what college he may wish to attend yet. Cristofer plays the trumpet; and in his spare time, he enjoys playing video games.

Cristofer, we encourage you to continue to take in all that YMWIC offers you.

William Penn Chapter: Michael LeSure, featured Scholar from our William Penn Chapter joined YMWIC this Program Year. He attends William Penn Middle School where he is in the 7th grade. He enjoys the exposure to different colleges he gets as a Foundation member. Michael finds that he has become more productive in his school work since joining; and his advice to his peers is, "Chase your goals!" He encourages other students who are considering YMWIC, "Join to make new friends."

In the future, Michael would like to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and become a Mechanical Engineer. He has received awards for playing soccer and bowling, and has earned Honor Roll status. In addition to soccer and bowling, he plays the piano and saxophone and enjoys gaming.

Welcome to YMWIC, Michael. Continue to chase your goals.

At Workshop 11, Scholars were hard at work preparing for their Science Expo presentations. They reviewed their experiments, practiced sharpening their public speaking skills, and created flash cards they could reference for their presentations.

They gave mock presentations in front of the group and were given constructive tips to help them to improve. All of their hard work and preparation was evident when they presented before the judges at the Science Expo on March 4th.

For Workshop 12, the Scholars in the Norristown and William Penn Chapters were led by STEM Educator, Dr. Naomi Hampson, in an activity to build a da Vinci Bridge. A da Vinci Bridge is a bridge construction technique devised by Leonardo da Vinci. The entire bridge is self-supporting, does not require any type of fasteners or adhesives, and can be constructed very quickly.

Scholars worked collaboratively in groups of two, as it is easiest to have two sets of hands participating in the construction process. The bridges were constructed using popsicle sticks. They also discussed keystone bridges, trestle bridges, and suspension bridges, and how all of these bridges distribute the load and stay upright.

Scholars in the William Penn Chapter also constructed playing card towers, which were self-standing structures, although extremely unstable. They discussed friction and how the surface the structure is built on can affect whether it will be able to stand.

For their third Community Service event, Norristown Scholars visited The Joy of Sox, an organization that collects and distributes new socks to people experiencing homelessness. Their goal is to distribute one million pairs of socks. Scholars, parents and friends sorted and packed socks so they could be distributed to the men, women, and children in need. Their volunteer contributions will help the Joy of Sox to achieve their goal.

This month our Scholars collected Milk Bone treats and jars of peanut butter to donate to the Brandywine Valley SPCA. Our 3^rd through 6^th grade Scholars made dog treats with the donations and were able to feed the puppies at the shelter. Our 7^th through 12^th grade Scholars did some chores around the animal shelter as well as made lick treats for both dogs and cats. All age levels as well were able to play and have some pleasant animal interactions with the dogs at the facility.

YMWIC’s Annual Job Shadowing Program begins on March 28 and runs through May 24, 2023. Both Scholars and Partners look forward to this annual event, one of the highlights of the YMWIC Program. Our Partner corporations sign up to host Scholars at their place of business. There, the Scholars will experience spending the day with Partners as they operate in their work environment. They learn about workplace rules, business etiquette, social norms, preparation and education required for the career, and being exposed to careers that interest them.

In addition, our Partners have the opportunity to get to know our Scholars on a more personal level. The goal is that internships and employment opportunities will be offered to our Scholars within these companies in the future; and, more importantly, they will be well prepared.

Women tend to experience more challenges, just for the simple fact that they are women. They were looked at as “weak and less intelligent” than men. Women did not have the right to vote because society thought women couldn’t understand politics enough to vote sensibly. People believed that a woman’s brain was inferior to a man’s brain; therefore, the vote of a woman wouldn’t be a reasonable vote.

The role of women back in the 1850’s was to be the perfect housewife. They were to clean the house, take care of the family, and stay home. Read more.

In this fourth installment of the College Prep Series, Dr. Koreem Bell, School Counselor in the Lower Merion School District at Harriton High School; Adjunct Professor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and recipient of the 2022 YMWIC Community Leadership Award, outlines the steps YMWIC Scholars who are in the 9th Grade should be thinking about and completing as they contemplate and prepare for applying to college.

Next month will be our final installment in this series with a list of things that eighth grade students should accomplish as they prepare for high school and college.

This year, YMWIC will host our 13th Annual Scholarship & Awards Banquet. This exciting event will be held at the Sheraton Valley Forge Hotel in King of Prussia, PA, on Thursday, May 25, 2023. During the Banquet, we showcase our Scholars for their achievements, reward our graduating senior Scholars with the college scholarships they have earned to attend the colleges of their choice and recognize service leaders who have made significant contributions to our communities. Attendees will enjoy a delicious dinner and a poignant message from our Keynote Speaker.

Join us as we celebrate our Scholars, Community Leaders and enjoy an evening of fellowship and fun! To register to be a part of this amazing event or to make a donation, use this link.

The YMWIC 2023 STEAM & Language Arts Camp is an exciting, educational, and fun-filled six-week experience for rising 1st through 8th grade junior Scholars as of September, 2023, who will have great experiences exploring new concepts in math, chemistry, biology, computer science, robotics, language arts, reading, art, and much more!! There will be weekly field trips. Previous educational trips have included The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia Zoo, Camden's Adventure Aquarium, and The Academy of Natural Sciences -- all included with registration!

Camp will take place June 20 through July 28, 2023, Monday through Friday; locations will be within the YMWIC partner School Districts of Chester Upland, Coatesville, Norristown, Phoenixville, Upper Darby, and West Chester. We are accepting applications now! To register, click here.

Young Men and Women In Charge Foundation, Inc. is hosting our 2023 YMWIC Upward Bound Summer Program for 8th through 11th grade students who meet Upward Bound requirements and attend schools that are part of the Upper Darby and Coatesville School Districts. This six-week experience will enrich, and expose and prepare Scholars for college; while providing insight into future employment opportunities. They will experience projects in the arts, entrepreneurship, mentoring, leadership, golf and much more.

The program takes place from June 20 - July 27, 2023, Monday through Thursday, 8:30AM - 3:30PM. Scholars will participate in college campus tours of six Philadelphia-area colleges and visit Fortune 100 corporations. The Program ends with our very popular and well-attended complimentary buffet dinner recognizing the end of the Upward Bound Summer Program with Scholars and parents at the Penn Oaks Golf Club. Click here to register.

Be sure to calendar the date to join us on Monday, August 21, 2023, at the fabulous Penn Oaks Golf Club in a Scramble Golf Tournament and Fundraiser to support our Scholarship Program for the Young Men and Women In Charge (YMWIC) Foundation, Inc. You will meet our Scholars, network, and have fun as you help us raise Scholarship funds.

Golfers will receive gifts and enjoy an open buffet lunch and an open buffet dinner. There will be prizes for our guests and winners. For non-golfers, please join us for the evening banquet and networking dinner event, which will include a delicious buffet dinner and much more. To sign up for this exciting event, click here.

Stay on top of what YMWIC Scholars are doing by following us on both of our social media platforms, Instagram and Meta (formerly Facebook). This is a great way to receive constant updates on what’s happening at YMWIC. All you must do is go on your Instagram and/or Meta (Facebook) app and type YMWICscholars. Once you see our logo pop up, click Follow. Drop a Comment to say hello! Welcome to our social media family! Looking forward to seeing you join in on the fun.  

To connect with us online on Meta/Facebook select this Link! To stay up to date with what’s happening at YMWIC via Instagram, you can select this Link.

Click Here for more information about these positions. If you are interested in applying for a position listed above, please let us know your preference and submit your resume to [email protected]. All candidates must have the required clearances: Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance, Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Clearance, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Criminal History Clearance which is required for all employees and some volunteers.

If you or your organization would like to be a valued volunteer for YMWIC, please use this link. We welcome and appreciate your talents, time, and willingness to work with us!

Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC): YMWIC Foundation, Inc. is eligible to receive funds from the EITC Program which is administered by Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development. We thank those businesses that donate their EITC funding to YMWIC Foundation and encourage others to consider directing funding to our impactful community nonprofit that provides college and career preparation for K-12 students; empowers their families; counseling, financial support and internships for YMWIC college alumni; and enriches our communities by developing a talented and skilled workforce. Please contact Rick Roberts at (610) 340-2844 if you would like to consider our YMWIC Foundation, Inc., as the recipient of your company's EITC funds.