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Vanessa Diaz Success Story
Jonathan Ober • July 11, 2016
Hello, my name is Vanessa Diaz. I was born in Connecticut but raised in Lancaster, Pa. Growing up in Lancaster was tough for my family and I. I did not do much after school, my mother was very strict. Advantage Lancaster changed my life for the better. It opened my mind up to others things/places out of Lancaster. When you’re young, you only know what you see and believe me I did not see much but this program took me to visit college campuses in which I started to think about my life and I was only 13 years old. Advantage Lancaster even showed me new places around the city I had no idea where there, it taught me culture, diversity and history. I even remember books we all read together. Advantage Lancaster made me want to do more than just live in Lancaster and that’s exactly what happens. I joined job corps after high school graduation and that took me to Maryland. You see, home is where your heart is and no matter how far this life takes me, I will never forget home. Mr. Bair and Mr. Meadows are Advantage Lancaster. They are the voices for kids who don’t know they have so much to offer to this world. They believe it’s in the youth where you start to teach the importance of education and overall importance of living a stable, joyful life. I learned my basic computer skills from Mr. Bair in which I remember using while in Maryland community college. They also teach you real life experiences and not just your everyday reading and writing. They even cover stage fright and reading speeches or speaking in front of a crowd in which I also had to do while in job corps. I was a very shy girl growing up, meeting these two brave warm hearted men helped built me up personally, making me brave enough to never think less of myself ever again. Advantage Lancaster makes you believe in yourself. That is simply what kids just need and no one knows how to do that better than Advantage Lancaster.
On Tuesday, July 9th, Advantage Lancaster students embarked on a memorable journey to Princeton University for the Tigers Together Journey to Athletics. This special visit offered a unique opportunity for students to explore potential career paths in the world of collegiate athletics and engage in a day full of insightful experiences. From a thought-provoking Athletics Panel discussion to a delightful lunch at the Princeton Football Stadium, and an inspiring tour of the Carl A. Fields Center for Equality + Cultural Understanding, the day was packed with enriching conversations designed to broaden students’ perspectives and ignite their passions.
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The purpose of this magazine was to recognize women of color that chose STEM-related fields to pursue as a career. All the women in the book went through the Advantage Lancaster program, except for Jenn Meadows who is the high school coordinator of the Advantage Lancaster Program. Check it out! Download The Color of STEM
Twenty-three years ago, a friendship blossomed in Lancaster County that would change the community for the better. Working as a summer camp counselor for the Boys and Girls Club of Lancaster, Philadelphia-native Shayne Meadows met fellow counselor Ty Bair. The two shared the same mindset when it came to serving children. As Meadows put it, […]
Settling in front of a video camera before co-anchoring the morning news at Hand Middle School on South Ann Street, Nasiyah Albright, 13, fretted that her hair was a mess. (It was fine.) Meanwhile, Omayra Pagan, 13, agreed to operate the teleprompter because classmate Heavynn Rodriguez, who normally runs the script-displaying device, was at band […]
As a former president of the U.S. Tennis Association, Lancaster’s Judy Levering is accustomed to flying to London every July to see the finals at Wimbledon. This year she took a detour. On July 11, she and her husband, Gordon, were in Los Angeles for the ESPYs — ESPN’s annual awards show. Levering, 78, serves […]
Advantage Lancaster’s purpose is to create a “winning life plan” for all of its students. With its five fundamental principles; educational opportunity, community involvement, appreciation of the arts, wellness and career exploration, the program is able to provide students with the tools they need to succeed after graduation. Often times, students who seek a professional position […]
Growing up, Milenny Valentin was no stranger to trouble — particularly at school. A fractured relationship with her mother, she said, led the 15-year-old to act out in school for much of her childhood. In seventh grade, she reached her boiling point, as she hit one of her teachers and got kicked out for a […]
Summer, for most students is a time to unwind and forget the academic stresses of the school year. During the summer many forget what they’ve learned during the school year, and all their hard work slips away. This is also known as the summer slide. As described by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development […]
A Lancaster-based nonprofit formerly known has Exit Lancaster has changed its name to Advantage Lancaster. “Since 2002, our program has worked diligently to support youth within the local community. The name change better reflects our core mission to equip our students with the necessary skills to succeed beyond intermediate school,” said co-founder Shayne Meadows. “Together, […]
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