By Janice Podsada
Herald Writer
EVERETT — In September, three students attended the Snohomish County YMCA’s Minority Achievers Program. Nine months later, more than 50 students are involved.
Students attend the after-school or evening meetings to talk about their goals or sign up for field trips.
At the Marine View Conference Center in Everett on Wednesday, 29 students and 11 adults — tutors and mentors — were honored at the first Minority Achievers Recognition Banquet and Scholarship Awards dinner.
The program, which emphasizes scholarship and achievement, holds meetings at the Marysville YMCA and North Middle School in Everett, said J.J. Frank, Minority Achiever’s director.
"The meat and gravy of the program is to support and motivate minority students to go on to higher education and set career goals," Frank said.
Nationally, Minority Achievers is one of the YMCA’s fastest-growing programs.
The program began in 1971 in New York’s Harlem neighborhood. Then it was known as the Black Achievers Program. But as the program expanded across the country during the next 30 years, local groups changed the name to Minority Achievers, Frank said.
"We chose that name here," Frank said. "One of our strengths is that we have different ethnic groups in Snohomish County."
Since the program started last year, local businesses including Boeing, Verizon, Everett Trust, Cascade Bank, Providence Everett Medical Center and Grayson Associates have contributed to the program’s operation and scholarship funds.
For more information about the program, contact Frank at 360-653-9622.
Award recipients include Allen Almachar, Benjamin Travis, Ashley Burns, Taesha Cintron, Sabrine Al-Diney, Zaineb Al-Alak, Shahad Al-Ghazali, Jennifer Cummings, Natalie Guevar, Alicia Stach, Jennilee Batac, Blayne Perez, Celisse Resurrion, Jennifer Florendo, Yvonne Eugenio, Marjae Toler, Madison Clark, Jeneiro Almario, Margaret Walker, Lynne Acuario, Brieanna Talbott, Victoria Johnson, Chris Winthrop, Amelia Wise, Pat Inthathirath, Leslie Hooks-Barton, Ammar Al-Rubaie, Ahmad Al-Rubaie and Dwaa Al-Rubaie.
You can call Herald Writer Janice Podsada at 425-339-3029 or send e-mail to podsada@heraldnet.com.
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