The Joyce Ivy Foundation and University Prep Schools Announce Partnership
New Partnership Will Expand Summer Scholarship Opportunities for Detroit High School Students
Ann Arbor, MI, May 2, 2018. The Joyce Ivy Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the academic advancement of high-potential young women, today announced a new partnership with University Prep Schools. The partnership will provide jointly funded scholarships for talented female University Prep students to participate in summer academic programs at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, Brown University, Cornell University, Emory University, Barnard College, Smith College, or Washington University in St. Louis as Joyce Ivy Foundation/University Prep Summer Scholars.
The Joyce Ivy Foundation is the leading provider of summer academic scholarships in the Midwest. To date, the Foundation has named 719 Summer Scholars from the states of Michigan, Ohio, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Summer Scholars participate in pre-college summer academic programs at partner colleges and universities, typically following their sophomore or junior year of high school.
The Joyce Ivy Foundation recently named 84 Summer Scholars, two of whom are University Prep students – Samyia Martin of University Prep Academy and Kourtney Newberry of University Prep Science and Math High School. Samyia plans to attend a two-week program at Brown University where she will study social movements of the late 20th century, and Kourtney plans to attend a 2-week program at Harvard University where she will study constitutional law and civil rights. Samyia and Kourtney’s summer program experiences will be jointly funded by the Joyce Ivy Foundation and University Prep Schools.
“We are thrilled to formally establish this partnership,” said Brittany Carlson, Executive Director of the Joyce Ivy Foundation. “The Joyce Ivy Foundation and University Prep Schools share similar missions of expanding access and creating opportunity for underserved students in the Midwest. Together, we can accelerate the impact of our overlapping work and create greater opportunities for young women from Detroit.”
University Prep Schools is a K-12 charter school system, founded in 2000, and headquartered in Detroit. University Prep Academy was the first school in the system and with the promise of a 90% graduation rate and a guarantee that 90% of students would go on to postsecondary education, it became the first “90/90 school” in Detroit. Since its inception, the UPA district has grown to include a high school (2003) and two elementary schools, Ellen Thompson Elementary (2005) and Mark Murray Elementary (2008). UPA High School graduated its first senior class in 2007 with more than 93% of its graduates enrolling in postsecondary educational programs.
“This unique partnership will create more opportunities for our students and ultimately lead to a future full of endless possibilities,” said University Prep CEO Mark Ornstein. “I firmly believe that academic experiences that take place outside the classroom truly expand the field of vision for kids and am excited to work with the Joyce Ivy Foundation.”
The 2018 Summer Scholars, including Samyia Martin and Kourtney Newberry, will be honored at the annual Scholars Gala on May 12 in Ypsilanti, Michigan, featuring an address by the 2018 Joyce Ivy Foundation Leader of the Year, Dr. Janet Reid, founder and CEO of BRBS World and founding partner and Director (retired) of Global Novations. The Foundation will also honor four Women of Impact award recipients: Nia Batts & Katie Cockrel, Co-Founders, Detroit Blows; Cynthia Shih, Performing Songwriter & Management Consultant, McKinsey & Co; and Tiffany Taylor, Deputy Chief People Officer, Teach For America.
About The Joyce Ivy Foundation
The Joyce Ivy Foundation seeks to provide exposure, encouragement, and financial assistance to young women who have the academic, intellectual, and leadership potential to attend the nation’s most selective institutions of higher education. Funding for the Joyce Ivy Foundation is provided by individuals, other foundations, and corporations. Since its founding in 2006, the Foundation named 719 students from Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and South Dakota as Joyce Ivy Scholars, providing scholarships for them to attend summer educational programs at partner college summer programs, and providing or leveraging $3.7 million in scholarship funding. For more information, please visit www.joyceivyfoundation.org or contact the Joyce Ivy Foundation at info@joyceivyfoundation.org or (734) 661-0229.
