News & Updates

The Kearns Center experienced a lot of growth this year – welcoming six new staff members to the team. Kearns Scholars Program Manager Claude Poux was brought on in April, Student Support Services (SSS) Academic Coach Jess McCane started in May, Kearns Scholars Academic Coach Yarleny Andeliz was hired in July, Educational Talent Search (ETS) Academic Coach Lindsey Fronk and Department Coordinator Charles Howe both started in August and Kearns Scholars Academic Coach Alex Williams was brought on in mid-October.

In addition to bringing on new staff members, the College, and Pre-College Program teams let by Melissa Raucci and Jerri-Ann Cadet –celebrated a lot of successes during the Fall 2024 semester. On the college side, the SSS program inducted 22 new students in October and the McNair program accepted applications and started interviews in December, to begin selection of a new cohort of McNair Scholars. The College Programs team also hosted several successful events including bringing a national speaker to campus for First-Gen Fall at the University of Rochester, and hosted the second annual Kearns Student Awards Ceremony. Six students won awards after being nominated by their peers for recognition in several different award categories.

On the pre-college side - the ETS program had a very successful recruitment period, while ETS, Upward Bound (UBC) and Upward Bound Math/Science (UBMS) all saw increased student engagement. The Pre-College team also introduced new programing for students with the introduction of their ‘Guest Speaker Series.’ The series brings professionals to speak with students once or twice a month about their educational and career journeys. Students get the chance to learn about careers in engineering, data analysis, civil service, welding, and telecommunications according to UBC/UBMS Program Manager Serenity Lovett. The Pre-College team also organized and hosted the 8^th Annual HEOP Fair, where representatives from over 20 colleges and universities in the state met with students from six Rochester highs schools. Well over 200 people attended the event according to ETS Program Manager Ben Godfrey, which was held in collaboration with OMSA, the Office of Minority Student Affairs.

A lot was happening on the Graduate side of things as well, including very encouraging news from Dr. Antonio Williams, the Director of Graduate Diversity Initiatives at the David T. Kearns Center who says URM (underrepresented minority student) graduate applications are up and the highest ever for this time of year. The fall was a successful time for recruitment as well, as several students who recently participated in REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduate) programs at the University of Rochester (UR) decided to apply to graduate school at UR.The Graduate programs team also helped launch the G-Talk Speaker Series hosted in connection with GSOC (Graduate Students of Color). Two virtual sessions were held this fall, aimed at giving students real life information in an informal way.

Here is a look back at all the featured photos we posted on our website this semester, including a few more that were too good not to share!

Recognizing the New Faces at Kearns, July 2024

The Kearns Center is pleased to welcome three new members to the Kearns College Programs team! From left to right; Yarleny Andeliz who started in July as an Academic Coach in the Kearns Scholars Program, Claude Poux who started in April as the new Kearns Scholars Program Manager and Jess McCane who started in May as an Academic Coach in the Student Support Services Program. Please join us in welcoming them to the team! (Photo: Alexa Olson, University of Rochester)

The Kearns College Programs Team takes a group photo on the University of Rochester’s Quad. Pictured from left to right, front row: Jazmin Dunham, Melissa Raucci, Yarleny Andeliz, Samantha Branch. Back row, left to right: Aaron Banks, Jessica McCane, George McCormick, Alex Williams, Claude Poux.

The Kearns Pre-College Programs Team takes a group photo on the University of Rochester’s Quad. Pictured left to right, front row: Ben Godfrey, Aye Wathy Myat, Serenity Lovett, Whitnee Shipman. Back row, left to right: Jerri-Ann Cadet, Michael Conley and Lindsey Fronk.

Programing that Sparks Creativity, August 2024

The David T. Kearns Center’s Upward Bound program had another successful six-week summer program this year! One of the STEM activities the students participated in was creating an interactive collage they programmed using a Circuit Playground Express microcontroller. The activity was led by Director of Diversity in STEM, Danielle Daniels. Learn more about our Upward Bound program by clicking here! (Photo: Alexa Olson, University of Rochester)

Kicking Off the Fall 2024 Semester, September 2024

Dozens of students joined us to kick off the semester during the Kearns Kickoff event on September 11th. Pictured left to right: Katy Gao a Kearns Scholar and Icesis Hinkson-Serrano a McNair Scholar. Check out the rest of the photos from this event on our Instagram channel.

Kearns Center Inducts 22 Students into SSS Program, October 2024

The Student Support Services (SSS) Program at the David T. Kearns Center recently inducted a cohort of 22 students during an induction ceremony on October 2, 2024. Current SSS Scholar David Del Valle Ortiz spoke to the cohort about his time in the program. "As a first-gen student from rural Puerto Rico, SSS has been life changing, helping me with resources I would never have thought of." Learn more about the Kearns Center’s SSS program. (Photo: Dara Rozen, University of Rochester)

Kearns Center Welcomes Featured Speaker Ruben Canedo to Campus, November 2024

The David T. Kearns Center helped plan several events to celebrate First-Gen Fall at the University of Rochester, October 24 - November 8. First-Gen Fall concluded with the First-Gen Day of Celebration featuring a keynote address by Dr. Ruben E. Canedo, Director of Strategic Equity Initiatives at the University of California, Berkeley. Pictured left to right, Canedo and UR alum Mariffer Acosta in the Kearns Center living room, November 8, 2024. Acosta introduced Canedo at the event. Check for any upcoming events the Kearns Center will be hosting! (Photo: Alexa Olson, University of Rochester)"

HEOP Fair brings dozens of high school student to the university of Rochester during First-Gen Fall. The fair was a collaboration event between the Kearns Center and OMSA, the Office for Minority Student Affairs. (Photo: Alexa Olson, University of Rochester)

Students Recognized at Second Annual Kearns Awards Ceremony, December 2024

Six students were recognized for their achievements at the second annual Kearns Awards Ceremony, December 10, 2024. The students were nominated by their peers for the awards which included: The David T. Kearns Resilient Scholar award, The David T. Kearns Student Leadership award, the David T. Kearns Excellence in Undergraduate Research award, and the David T. Kearns Civic Engagement award. A fifth award, the David T. Kearns Staff Choice award, was given to a student nominated by the staff who has demonstrated a dedication to the Kearns Center and its mission. Three of the six students were in attendance to accept their awards. Pictured left to right: Austin Okoase, Kelechi Ejiofor, and John Conduah. (Photo: Alexa Olson, University of Rochester)