Spotlighting Y Teens
Ys Works 2023: A Year of Impact
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Bladimir Cerda
Bladimir is one of our all-star teens and the 2023 Golf & Gala scholarship recipient. He comes from our Castle Hill Y in the Bronx where he participated in our Y Rowe Scholars program and Teens Take the City. His Teen Coordinator Brianna described how inspiring it has been to watch him blossom in our programs, finding his voice and building his confidence. Congratulations, Bladimir!
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Zakhro Kakhramonova
A shining example of the power of the Y’s youth programs, Zakhro began her Y journey in 11th grade. Through our Y Rowe Scholars and Leaders Club programs, she not only excelled academically, but also emerged as a more confident person, professionally and personally. She is now a first-year student at Adelphi University studying criminal justice, and we couldn’t be prouder of her!
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Ryan La Barrie and Kimberly Navarrete
This year at our Heroes of New York Gala, we honored our 2022 von der Heyden scholarship recipients, Ryan La Barrie and Kimberly Navarrete who just began their sophomore years of college this fall. Ryan, who participated in Teens Take the City (TTC) and Leaders Club, attends Vanderbilt University where he is studying computer science. This summer, we welcomed Ryan to the Y’s Marketing and Communications Department as an intern! Kimberly, also involved with TTC and Leaders Club, is enrolled at CUNY Hunter College with a focus in biology. An active Y teen since the 7th grade, Kimberly has held multiple leadership roles with TTC and currently works part-time at the Chinatown Y Beacon as a teen advisor.
The von der Heyden scholarship has been helping students achieve their dreams of pursuing college for 25 years, and we are pleased to support Ryan and Kimberly in their higher education endeavors.