Twenty Area Students Begin University of Success

Twenty rising high school students entered The University of Scranton’s University of Success program. The four-year, pre-college mentorship program began for the new participants with a two-week summer institute, which took place on the University’s campus in July.

The University of Success is an academic and enrichment program designed to provide academic, social, and cultural enrichment to area high school students. The program’s ultimate goal is to assist participating students to successfully complete high school and gain entrance into a college or university. Students enter the program at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years.

The summer institute provides learning experiences designed to engage the students in creative thinking, problem solving and communication through activities that expose students to concepts in various academic disciples.

The summer program featured presentations by University faculty, staff and students as well as counselors from Lackawanna County Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center. At the institute, students learned about alternate renewable energy sources, sustainability, climate change, physics, neurobiology research and neurological disorders, among other topics. The institute included field trips to Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) in Pike County and the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The students also volunteered for a cleanup project at the Advocacy Center and helped to water plants in the Community Garden on the University’s campus.              

Following the summer institute, the students meet monthly throughout their four years in high school.

The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include AT&T; BB&T Bank; The Dime Bank; Fidelity Bank; Charles A. Frueauff Foundation; Carl and JoAnne Kuehner; Medico Industries; Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials, Inc.; Overlook Estate Foundation; Peoples Security Bank and Trust; PPL Foundation; Lisa C. Thomas, M.D.; and Waste Management.

Students entering the University of Success program are as follows:

Christain Alers, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;

Brandon Amorim, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;

Amiya Brown, Scranton, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;

Christopher Cordero, Scranton, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;

Christina Denney, Clifford Township, who attended Mountain View Middle School;

Nathan Fuller, Scranton, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;

Alisha Jackson, Scranton, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;

Leslie Martinez, Scranton, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;

Luisa Martinez, Taylor, who attended Riverside High School;

Pujan Nepal, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;

Aiden Norton, New Milford, who attended Mountain View Middle School;

Latifa Pearson, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;

Christian Quintana, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;

Dawson Reed Machado, Peckville, who attended Valley View Middle School;

JoAnn Regan, Moosic, who attended Riverside High School;

Jorge Rodriguez, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;

Mikayla Sansky, Clifford, who attended Mountain View Middle School;

Sulekha Sharma, Moosic, who attended Riverside High School;

Gabriella Singh, South Abington Township, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;

Amber Wine, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;

For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.