YSU program connects students with local nonprofits

Youngstown State University's Center for Nonprofit Leadership has received a grant from The Wean Foundation to support its 2025 Nonprofit Leadership Summer Fellowship Program. This program connects YSU students with local nonprofit groups.

The program, which happens every two years, lets 12 YSU students work at nonprofit organizations in the Mahoning Valley. These students get job experience and help the organizations with their work.

Students will work full-time for 12 weeks (480 hours) or part-time for 300 hours between May 12 and Aug. 1. All students will earn $18 per hour.

Here are the students and the organizations they will be working with:

• MacKenzie Harrington, a master's student in business, will work part-time in marketing and social media for The Andrea Mahone Foundation.
• Melea Johnson, a social work student, will work full-time as a site instructor for Inspiring Minds Youngstown.
• Serene Awad, an environmental studies student, will work full-time in program management for the Mahoning County Land Bank.
• Connor Tapp, a history student, will work full-time in community engagement for the Mahoning Valley Historical Society.
• Kevin Balella, a marketing student, will work full-time on the Panerathon event for Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley.
• Tara Wine, a marketing student, will work full-time in marketing and development for Meridian HealthCare.
• Sujey Navarro Negrete, a business administration student, will work part-time in community engagement for Northeast Ohio Adoption Services.
• Aicha Sawaneh, a communication student, will work part-time in marketing and events for Oh Wow! Children’s Center for Science & Technology.
• Danuneka Cargill, a business administration student, will work part-time in marketing and events for United Way of Trumbull County.
• Haya Farhan, a graduate student studying public health, will work full-time in marketing and development for the YMCA of Youngstown.
• Sabrina Johnson, a psychology student, will work full-time in neighborhood stabilization for Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.
• Miya Brown, an accounting student, will work part-time in accounting for the YWCA Mahoning Valley.

The organizations involved in the program work on community building in areas of Warren and Youngstown that need more resources, which matches The Wean Foundation's goals.

Laura Dewberry, the director of the Center for Nonprofit Leadership, stated that the program gives students "meaningful, career-related experience" and helps them become "effective nonprofit leaders." She added that the program also helps the organizations by adding to their work over the summer.

The Nonprofit Leadership Summer Fellowship Program started in 2011 and has had 80 YSU student participants so far.

The Center for Nonprofit Leadership offers a certificate and a minor in Nonprofit Leadership. These can be added to any major at the university.