Education is the wings that make dreams fly.
The Louisville Urban League is committed to helping students become successful academically, personally, and socially through the various educational programs it supports and maintains. Students who may be struggling with coursework, as well as those who simply want to advance their educational attainment, can find a program to meet their needs. The overall goal of the League’s educational focus is to meet students where they are and broaden their horizons by exposing them to possibilities.
For example, as a high school student, Stephon originally came to the League for ACT tutoring services but has continued to grow into a hardworking young adult, sharpening his social skills. He has been a Youth Ambassador for the League for two years and has become a youth advocate for his fellow students as well as for his community. Similar to Stephon, Adja, Jessica and Wardaoriginally came to the League for ACT tutoring support, but after becoming aware of the variety of supports through Project Ready, they have remained engaged with other youth programs.
Currently in her senior year, Adja has been involved in programs that helped her identify her career interests. Choosing which college to attend is the major decision with which she is now grappling and getting support. Jessica has selected the University of Louisville as her first choice of colleges to attend. She credits the various college tours, the Youth Summit, and Project Ready seminars for helping her narrow her career focus to mechanical engineering. For Warda, opportunities to develop her leadership skills, sessions focused on college prep, and insights into career paths were beneficial. In addition, beig guided through the scholarship application process was extremely helpful.
Kaniya, now a junior, was conflicted about her “what’s next” and needed help sorting out her real interests. Keniya has identified culinary arts as her future career choice. She credits LUL’s collaborative efforts with Sullivan Culinary Arts School, especially “getting a behind the scenes look at multiple kitchens while students were actually cooking.”
Over the past two years, Project Ready has also been a compelling force for Rhionna and Kennedee with its year-round programming and youth summit events, multiple in-state and out-of-state college tours, and hours of career and college preparation. Because of her exposure, Rhionna says that she better understands her options regarding which colleges would be a better fit as well as which career she may wish to pursue. Kennedee still has some decisions to make, but she is now confident in her ability to make sound , thoughtful decisions about her future.
Middle school students also find a space in the LUL educational programs vas well. Jaylin struggled with reading and math when he began participating as a sixth grader two years ago with the LUL Kumon Program. With a unique tutoring plan, Jaylin has shown significant improvement as demonstrated by his MAP test scores. Credit for his continuing success is given to his Kumon tutor who comes early to assist Jaylin with his regular school work.
Nyanah needed help to tackle her social anxiety and ability to make friends. She first came to LULas as a middle school student. Currently, Nyanah has been accepted into the art program at Indiana University Southeast. She credits LUL with helping her develop the self confidence that in turn fueled her creative process. To this end, Nyanah was able to host her own Youth Development session for her peers, displaying her art work and sharing her creative process. The unique vision of a visual artist may be the most literal interpretation of the adage, “Different strokes for different folks.” Nyanah and students like her are proof the Louisville Urban League’s Educational Programs are committed to supporting a variety of student needs with the sole purpose of giving students the wings to make their future dreams fly.
