Black Achievers Program
SEATTLE, WA
Kat Vellos, Reporter

On the cold and rainy morning of Saturday Jan. 12, Kat Vellos and Stephany Hazelrigg joined the 50 youth and adult mentors of the Black Achievers Program at Meredith Mathews YMCA for a morning of light, excitement, play and creative expression. With a focus on community building and creative writing, this amazing group of young people expressed themselves and their dreams for their lives in what was surely one of the most inspiring ways to start a day. Kat and Stephany are scheduled to return for a follow-up workshop on Sat. March 22^nd, and can’t wait to get there!

YMCA Black Achievers offers young people in 9-12th grades the opportunity to have fun and explore career interests through workshops, guest speakers and presentations, touring businesses and other interactive activities. Open to all, participants in this program focus on career clusters including Arts and Humanities, Law & Government, Health, Engineering, Communications, Business and Computers, while they are mentored by community volunteers who generously give of their time. Scholarships are also available to college-bound seniors who are active in the program.