A 2022-2023 Phillips Alumni Scholar

Kellette Boynton is a graduate of Otter Valley Union High School in Vermont. She is now pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education at the University of Maine, Farmington. Kellette was able to get a jumpstart on her career preparation through the Human Services program at her high school, which placed her in preschool and kindergarten classrooms. She expanded upon that experience as an educator for first graders at her church, and by serving as a student representative on the local school board. On top of those commitments, Kellette participated in both the National Honor Society and National Technical Honor Society and worked multiple retail jobs during her time in high school. She is now eager to delve into her college coursework which, “will provide me with an education and experience that [will] help me to achieve my goal of becoming an Elementary School Teacher.”  

A 2022-2023 Phillips Alumni Scholar

Jasley De Jesus spent her time at Providence’s Central High School taking full advantage of programs that taught her the skills she would need for the next phase of life. She explained, “Through programs like Youth In Action and Generation Teach, I’ve been strengthening my leadership, communication, and teaching skills and I also learned from peers and adult allies, which helped shape who I am today.” Today, she is a student of Childhood and Special Education at New York University, preparing to be a mentor for others like the teachers who helped her succeed as a student even when faced with challenges like the coronavirus pandemic. Jasley also played tennis throughout high school and worked last summer as an event ambassador at the zoo.  

A 2022-2023 Phillips Alumni Scholar

Kimberly Manyanga is currently pursuing her degree in Public Health at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She plans to proceed directly to their accelerated master’s in public health program after completing her bachelor’s degree. She said, “I’m particularly interested in the maternal and childcare sector of healthcare equity and hope to one day become an OB/GYN serving underserved communities.” Kimberly developed her interest in this professional path through experience as a Clinical Research Apprentice at Lahey Hospital and in an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification course during her time at Billerica Memorial High School. She has been active in her local Zimbabwean and church communities as well and has worked in food service and childcare. 

A 2022-2023 Phillips Alumni Scholar

Steven Hardy did not immediately enroll in college after graduating from high school. Instead, he worked as a firefighter and then joined the United States Coast Guard. He shared, “I love to help people, which is what drew me to join the fire department, so the Coast Guard was the perfect next step.” While on active duty for the Coast Guard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire he became especially interested in protecting fisheries and upholding wildlife conservation laws. In 2021, he enrolled at the University of New Hampshire, where he is majoring in Environmental Science. He continues to serve in the Coast Guard as a reservist and is active in community gardening and sustainable agriculture organizations. 

A 2022-2023 Phillips Alumni Scholar

Joshua O’Brien, the Class of 2022’s valedictorian at Chicopee Comprehensive High School, is now pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Operations and Information Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. During high school he was the president of his class, captain of the track and cross-country teams, a member of the Key Club and the National Honor Society, and worker at the local market. Joshua’s high school counselor described his valued presence at school as “a lunch buddy to new students and… a successful math tutor to several of his peers… not just a fantastic student and leader but a wonderful person.” In Joshua’s own words, “it is an incredible feeling being able to participate in something larger than yourself,” and he looks forward to being involved in community organizations at college. 

A 2021-2022 Phillips Alumni Scholar

David Richardson is a recent graduate of Danville School in Vermont. In his freshman year there, he was introduced to Interact Club. He said, “I immediately was hooked onto the idea of volunteering and helping others throughout my community. Over the course of the school year, we had the opportunity to do a supply drive for an animal shelter, and volunteer in a
homeless shelter.” Building on his involvement in Interact Club, David became a leader in Student Leaders For Voice and Change, which he described as “a group in our school designed to help create change in our educational environment through the voices of student advocates.”

David was also very involved in student government as Vice President and President of his class, which led to two years of service as a school board representative. In his seat on the school board, David affected positive change and discovered his purpose. He reflected, “It was at this moment I found my passion for what I wanted to do in my life. I loved advocating for change in my community, and after I graduate college, I hope to be able to do the same thing on a state and federal level.” Regarding his time at the University of Vermont, where he is currently enrolled, David stated, “While at UVM, I hope to be able to learn from some of the best professors in the country, and participate in activism on campus and in the Burlington community.”

A 2021-2022 Phillips Alumni Scholar

Kimberly Owens is a recent graduate of Boston’s John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science. There, she was a member of O’Bryant Push Up, a peer leadership program that works to prevent substance abuse among young people and to advocate on public health issues. Kimberly recalled, “One of my favorite events with Push Up was giving testimony to the Boston Health Commission about why they should ban menthol products. I spoke about my mother and niece who both have asthma and live in apartments where there was no smoke free policy. I was able to tell them about how my niece passed away from asthma and how the pollution from cigarettes only complicated [her] asthma more while she was alive.” During high school Kimberly also engaged in activism as a member of the Mayor’s Youth Council, where she was able to raise awareness of youth housing insecurity in the city of Boston.

Kimberly recently enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She plans to be a lawyer one day, “to do pro bono cases for Black and other marginalized communities.” She said, “I hope whatever career path I go down I am able to improve my community.”

A 2021-2022 Phillips Alumni Scholar

Mohamed Elsankary traces the roots of his care for others to helping his family distribute packages of food to the less fortunate while celebrating Eid on visits to Egypt. That experience, he said, “inspired me to find ways I, too, could assist in the same ways my parents would. This led me to volunteering in my own community around New Haven, Connecticut.” He found service opportunities at Hamden Hall Country Day School through the Interact Club, at soup kitchens around New Haven, and at his mosque’s community center.

Recently, he said, “I also worked with a student-led organization named FLY/LinkCT in an effort to connect virtually with inner-city students from New Haven Public Schools to offer
them homework assistance, but most importantly, someone to talk to during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Distance learning prevented children from being the social and talkative souls they naturally are so it was really important to me to interact with them aside from doing schoolwork.”

This fall, Mohamed began his college career at Trinity College. He plans to eventually become a dentist, “working to provide others with the oral care they need.” He would like to run a free clinic in New Haven one day.

A 2021-2022 Phillips Alumni Scholar

Kayvona Brown is a first-year student at The University of Conneticut Storrs this fall, having graduated from Stamford High School in the spring. After benefitting from the help of volunteers at an afterschool program she attended in her youth, Kayvona was determined to give back once she was able. She explained that in high school, “I devoted my free periods to tutoring 9th graders on how to write essays and understand the format of an essay. I also spent my afternoons before work tutoring lowerclassmen in Sciences, such as Chemistry and Biology… I knew what it felt like to not understand a text, a passage of a book, or a stoichiometry equation. I wanted to be the one to help others get to the place where they did.” Kayvona also volunteered with The Stamford Public Education Foundation, which provided an opportunity to mentor younger children.

In college, Kayvona will be majoring in Biological Sciences on a pre-med track. She shared, “I grew up watching my grandmother and mother work within the nursing home as an LPN and RN. I watched them delicately care for the elderly, and listen to their agony and their long stories of the past. I grew to enjoy helping people and bringing a smile to their faces. I intend to do the same thing every day for the rest of my life as a pediatrician.”

A 2020-2021 Phillips Alumni Scholar