What brought you to YPP? How long have you been with them?

My professor Dr. Mims, from The Calculus Project, had Maisha Moses and Cliff Freeman come to the program as guest speakers. Unfortunately, I wasn’t present for the discussion, but I managed to stay posted throughout the conversation thanks to a friend. When being told the details of the Young People’s Project, I told my friend Adianez to give all my information to them, and tell them to call me. I received a phone call from Cliff Freeman and from that day forward I became a Math Literacy Worker (MLW) for children living in Boston. I’ve had the pleasure to be working with YPP since April of 2017.

What have you learned from YPP?

I’ve learned a lot since I joined YPP. I learned how to use a mathematical platform to create, express, and teach math in fun ways. I’ve learned that it is important to teach lessons in various ways so students can have multiple methods to refer back to.

What are some marketable skills have you been taught and how have you applied them in school and home?

When participating in the Flagway tournaments the ability not to quit when outworked, but to acknowledge defeat and strive and strategize to outwork them the next time. Which is a skill I use often in school because I when I’m put in a competitive environment I thrive more. I can also respect and appreciate others success. Also, I learned how to be a better leader for various crowds.

What do you enjoy the most from YPP?

I enjoy the fact that we are a community that encourages a world with young intelligent leaders that aren’t discriminated due to differences. We believe with hardship and faith we can achieve success like that. I love that YPP dares to be different by changing the mindset of associating challenging tasks to be negative into something beneficial and positive. It allows me to open doors for our youth by encouraging leadership, analytical thinking, and discipline.

How has YPP impacted you?

I began my YPP journey when I was attending The Calculus Project <http://www.camb-ed.com/americas/the-calculus-project> and Leadership Academy at Boston University. My professor, Dr.Mims, had Maisha Moses and Cliff Freeman speak to the class about the merits of YPP and to emphasize the importance of giving back and helping your community. Unfortunately, I wasn’t present for the discussion, but I managed to stay informed throughout the presentation thanks to a friend. When being told the details of the Young People’s Project, I told my friend Adianez Cabral to give all my information to them, and tell them to call me. I received a phone call from Cliff Freeman and from that day forward I became a Math Literacy Worker (MLW) for children living in Boston. When I was an MLW I learned facilitation, agenda planning, teaching k-12 STEM literacy, and so much more. Now, embarking on my fifth year in YPP, now as a CMLW, I’ve been exercising skills of program developing, grant writing, and computer science: coding python. The work that we do at YPP is revolutionary for students and for workers. I love that we can create a fun learning environment with a multi-layered curriculum of STEM literacy. And most importantly, be able to mentor many students from my community and see them achieve greatness.