From: St. Louis, MO

Age: 21, attends Harrisdale State University

How long have you been doing YPP: 3-4 weeks now

How’d you hear about the program: I found out about YPP through the United Negro College Fund, and I got accepted to the Walton Education K-12 Fellowship Program, and they paired me with YPP after taking different surveys and having different interviews and all that. 

What do you enjoy most about YPP: The thing I enjoy the most is how inclusive everybody is here at YPP and the fact that they want to enstill confidence, not just like math, in everyday things and what not. Like I’ve been able to self reflect a lot being here. It’s rewarding. 

How was YPP affected you: In like a positive light, like you may think that you can’t do something, and you actually can. You actually can, if you try and what not. Even with some of the problems, like I look and I’m like this is difficult, but not just Kessen, but Shauna, and Yvelene Logiste, they’ll just be like “Try it, it’s not that hard” or “It was a little foreign to me at first too” so, it just makes me look at that and be like “ok what else in my life is the same way", ya know? 

What are your other interests outside YPP: Music, I sing and I used to play the flute from 3rd grade until 9th grade and I joined the Choir when I got to High School cause I couldn’t do both. And I’m an Educational studies major with a minor in psychology.