The YMCA has been a part Yvana Coleman’s life for more than a decade. She started as a young girl taking taekwondo at the South Tampa Family YMCA. Yvana remembers it so vividly because her father suffered his first heart attack around the same time.
“Then, two years ago, I was introduced to the Teen Achievers program and that program really helped me,” recalls Yvana. “When my father passed away, they were there as a support system to keep me going, keep me motivated, to help me stay on track - applying to colleges, looking for scholarships and not just giving up.”
Yvana is one of the thousands of Hillsborough and Pasco County students in the Tampa YMCA’s Teen Achievers program that targets academically at-risk middle and high school students who need intense academic and/or social support. “This program is unique,” explains Senior Program Director Wayne Johnson. “The average Teen Achiever is entering their freshmen year with less than a 2.0 GPA. Seventy percent of our Teen Achievers will be first-generation high school graduates and 95 percent will be first-generation college entry freshmen.”
The Teen Achievers program enables students to improve academic performance, develop self-image, build character, explore college and career options and interact with culturally-relevant role models to inspire them to reach their full potential. The program provides in-school career exploration and leadership sessions, specialized afterschool tutoring, a Summer Learning Institute and leadership retreat.
A recent graduate of Howard W. Blake High School, Yvana says Teen Achievers helped her in more ways than one. “I can’t begin to explain how much help the YMCA has been in my life,” testifies Yvana. “What I really love about the Teen Achievers program is they provide a group of friends that I can talk to about things that might be going on at home that other people can’t really relate to.” That support system helped Yvanna graduate as the class salutatorian with a 3.98 unweighted GPA.
Yvana also appreciates Y staff going that extra mile. “They always provide dinner for us which is a huge help because sometimes at home, it’s hard to find food every day,” says Yvana. After school, teens also partake in physical fitness activities at the Bob Gilbertson Central City Family YMCA like swimming, basketball and using the wellness equipment.
Today, Yvana is a summer camp counselor at the Central City Y before she pursues a biomedical sciences degree at the University of South Florida – a decision she made after touring the campus with her fellow Teen Achievers. If you would like to help more teens, like Yvana, discover and fulfill their full potential at the Y, contact wayne.johnson@tampaymca.org.
Click the video above to learn more about the YMCA Teen Achievers program.