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