YES (YOUNG EISNER SCHOLARS)

YES works to increase educational access and opportunity, providing a support system to fill in the gaps in systemic and institutional support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds - increasing the number of students from traditionally underserved backgrounds who graduate from college. We strive to level the playing field of education, providing our scholars with the means to access both crucial and transformative opportunities around the country and the world - those usually only available to their more affluent counterparts. We believe in a holistic approach, and our programming meets the needs of our scholars at every level - academic, socio-emotional, mental & physical health, financial - from the 6th grade through high school, college, and career.
YES provides crucial social immersion opportunities for Scholars to build their cultural capital through internships, travel, workshops, and professional mentors. These programs provide a vital social component that prepare our Scholars with the interpersonal, critical thinking and communication skills that are necessary for long-term success. YES’ long term, holistic approach allows us to nurture our Scholars’ interests early and to facilitate their path to, and graduation from, college.

Our long-term holistic programming focuses on providing the essential academic, social, and cultural preparation necessary for our scholars to become competitive candidates for college acceptance. Through socio-emotional support, involvement with family and community, and a long-term commitment to each Scholar's individual path, YES seeks to support students in every aspect of their life. Our long-term programming focuses on providing the essential academic, social, and cultural preparation necessary for our scholars to become competitive candidates for high school & college acceptance and career success. YES provides generous supplemental financial support for tuition, testing fees, cultural experiences, indirect school fees, medical costs, and other essential elements that that lock so many low-income students out of higher education and perpetuate generational cycles of poverty.
YES spends an average of $40,000 to financially support a scholar from the 6th grade through college graduation. Our middle school students receive weekly school-day education enrichment programs, high school admittance counseling, books, and preparatory courses for the Independent School Entrance Exam. In 9th grade, YES works with every scholar to create a 4 year college readiness plan. High school students get free professional SAT/ACT prep courses, academic tutoring, internship opportunities & personalized assistance through the college admissions process, from financial aid workshops to personal statement seminars. Middle & high school students participate in our robust summer programming. College scholars are provided with personalized academic & career counseling, and assistance with applying for/navigating internship options, and grad school prep. YES staff maintains regular, meaningful contact with college scholars throughout each semester, helping with time management & navigating a bureaucracy designed to be indifferent or hostile to first gen students without resources & social leverage. Additionally, student health and wellness services have become essential factors in ensuring that our diverse student population can successfully transition from their home neighborhoods to independent high schools and later, college. YES provides scholars and families with access to mental health, legal & medical resources. We help facilitate essential counseling services for the mental health struggles that affect our Scholars, including eating disorders, anxiety, depression, physical & sexual abuse, substance abuse, and sexual & gender identity. Additionally, many of our highest-needs Scholars don't have access to quality healthcare; YES helps wi the costs of doctor appointments, orthodontics, glasses, treatment for various debilitating illnesses, prescription medicine costs, dermatology, hospital bills and grief counseling.

We prioritize directly integrating our organization with the communities we serve, especially the deep relationships we develop with the schools, parents, and extended families of the communities we serve. YES relies on our active alumni board to guide and oversee the growth of our organization and our programs. Our evidence-based practices are directed influenced by our YES alums; we solicit feedback about their middle, high school, and college experiences and then develop and implement new programs in order to better serve their younger peers and move closer towards our ultimate goal of a 100% college graduation rate.

100% of YES scholars are accepted to college. 73% of current YES college and graduate students are attending or have graduated from schools on the US News & World Report Top 100 List. In total, YES scholars are attending or have graduated from 115 colleges and universities in 29 states. Graduate students are in or have completed dental, medical, and law school, as well as many graduate programs. To their careers - which span law, medicine, finance, media, engineering, and the arts - they bring a unique experience and perspective of first-generation graduates who have broken the cycle of poverty.
Our grads are are employed at companies including Apple, PitchBook, Morgan Stanley, Google, NPR, Teach for America, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, Grandview/Automatik, The Whitney Museum, Boeing, UTA, Mercedes Benz, Lucid Motors, Americorps, Thomson Reuters, Gore, Hogan Lovells LLP, Autodesk, The National Park Service, Banijay Studios, Northrop Grumman, & Warner Media.