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EXP’s Young Fellows Program: A Mentorship Program for Boys of Color

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Boys of color continue to face numerous obstacles to succeed in American society and tend to suffer greater economic and social disadvantages compared with other demographic groups. In fact, data shows that boys and young men of color, regardless of socio-economic background, are disproportionately at-risk throughout the journey from their youngest years to college and career. To help improve these outcomes, in January 2021, EXP launched its Young Fellows Program, a mentorship program for boys of color. We are now expanding the reach of this program so more students can benefit.

In support of LAUSD’s Black Student Achievement Plan, Young Fellows Program demystifies what it means to be a successful professional by connecting high school-age boys of color to mentors representative of their own experiences, communities, and backgrounds. It is designed to engage and empower young boys of color through a series of meaningful and impactful mentorship sessions virtually, through a social justice lens.

The goals are that students will emerge from our program with a heightened sense of self-worth and confidence, a game plan for post-high school success, and a new group of mentors who can help guide them.


 

Thanks to Our 2022-2023 Sponsors:

 

2022-2023 Participating Schools

  • Barstow High School

  • Carson High School

  • Environmental Charter High School

  • Gardena High School

  • Lawndale High School

  • Long Beach Polytechnic High School

  • Manuel Dominguez High School

  • Narbonne High School

  • Phineas Banning High School

  • Rancho Dominguez Preparatory High School

  • San Pedro High School

2022-2023 Workshops and Speakers

  • Workshop #1: Race, Privilege, and the Color of Me: Artnelson Concordia, Santa Barbara Unified Ethnic Studies Coordinator

  • Workshop #2: Discovering Your Masculinity: Raymond San Diego, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Asian American Studies Program, Northwestern University

  • Workshop #3: Mental Health: Robert Altamirano, Patient Care Manager, APLA Health

  • Workshop #4: Passion, Purpose, and Resiliency: JC Lugo, MA, Adjunct Instructor, CSU Dominguez Hills

  • Culmination: Anthony D. Mays, Speaker, Career Coach, Software Engineer, and Founder of Morgan Latimer Consulting

2022-2023 Industry Mentors

  • Robert J. Washington, LA Unified School District

  • Leon Johnson, Bank of America

  • LaNell Lamkin, Marathon Petroleum

  • Andy Lopez-Lara, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health*

  • Floyd McMillon, LA Unified School District

  • Manny Meza, MME Consultants*

  • Keith Mott, LA Police Department*

  • LaMont Perry, DirecTV

  • Nathan Russell, Raytheon Technologies*

  • Kevin Russell, Gibraltar Investment Partners, Inc.*

  • Francisco Sanchez, American Honda Motor

  • Aaron Simpson, LA Unified School District

  • Levi Sinkler, City of Long Beach

  • Leonard Williams, Barstow Youth Sports Coalition

  • Kervins Yeye, Bank of America

  • Sean Yokoe, Torrance Memorial Medical Center

  • Troy Alsobrook, Bank of America

  • Dr. Adolphus E. Archie, Gigs4students.com

  • Jaime Avina, Matson

  • Christopher Bacon, Torrance Memorial Medical Center

  • Devon Blankenship, J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.

  • Jon Chapman III, J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.

  • Rickey T. Childs, Pasha International

  • Paul Deng, Ports America

  • Eddie Espinoza, McCarthy Building Co.

  • Malik Ford, Vanguard Consulting Group, LLC

  • Mikell Granberry, LA Unified School District

  • Kevin Gray, LA Unified School District

  • Moises Gutierrez, Long Beach City College

  • Derek Hoskin, Bank of America

  • Victor Ibarra, SoCal Gas*

  • Christopher Ikeanyi, LA Unified School District

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. - Iota Zeta Lambda Chapter Mentors

  • Akil Bektemba

  • Justin Blakely*

  • DMitri Creer

  • David Fortune

  • Jonathan Green

  • Ryan Hall

  • Damon Hawkins*

  • Donald Hills

  • Damien Sar

*Returning mentors

Highlighted Mentor Partner: Alpha Phi Alpha - Iota Zeta Lambda Chapter

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American Men. Founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University, the fraternity was established by seven college men who recognized the need for a strong bond of brotherhood among African descendants in the United States.

With chapters on four continents, the fraternity engages communities throughout the world in the areas of mentoring, education, voter engagement, and elder care through its signature programming.

Alpha Phi Alpha has long stood at the forefront of the African-American community’s fight for civil rights through leaders such as W.E.B. DuBois, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Edward Brooke, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Andrew Young, William Gray, Paul Robeson, and many others. 

Since its founding, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world. 

The Iota Zeta Lambda Chapter of the Fraternity was chartered on May 15, 1968, and has served Compton, Long Beach, and the surrounding South Bay communities for the past 53 years. Mentorship and youth leadership development are key priorities for the chapter’s members.

Student: Joshua, Bright Star Academy ‘21

It’s important to have a safe place to be myself with others like me. Thinking about my own experience in the program, people should support it. I know a lot of us don’t have people we can talk to about things, such as mental health or what it’s like to be a man. So, I really found it valuable to have a safe space to communicate with other people like myself. Talking with mentors who have been in my shoes and have gone through challenges that I am going to face... that is very valuable.

Mentor: Nate Russell, Raytheon Intelligence & Space

The opportunity to build up a deserving young person is the most rewarding part of being a mentor. When I think about my career and life, I had several individuals that did the same for me at the most critical stages. The accumulation of those relationships contributed to my personal and professional development.