College-bound Neighborhood Youth Association Class of 2025 seniors, pictured at June 1 Scholarship Celebration at the beachfront Dockweiler Youth Center in Playa del Rey. NYA photo: Penny Jennings
[The Episcopal News] Neighborhood Youth Association (NYA) – a diocesan institution since 1906 specializing in 100% college placement of under-resourced students – has awarded $72,000 in 2025 scholarships while also preparing to open new branches in Inglewood and L.A.’s Leimert Park area.
Scholarship awardees are both college-bound seniors and NYA students now completing university who qualify based on merit and a detailed application process, said Robert Williams, NYA board president.
Funded through year-round contributions and endowment income, awards were presented at NYA’s 42nd Annual Scholarship Celebration, held June 1 at Dockweiler Youth Center in Playa del Rey. New donations may be made online or by mail to 3590 Grand View Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066.
NYA’s board of trustees voted June 11 to widen its scholarship fundraising to a goal of $150,000 in 2026. Awardees will include students enrolled in NYA’s afterschool program, which will expand in August to add Wednesdays at Christ the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in L.A.’s Leimert Park area and Thursdays at Holy Faith, Inglewood. NYA’s Tuesday classes will continue at St. Bede’s, Mar Vista, where NYA has been headquartered since January.
“NYA deeply appreciates the warm hospitality of its host parishes,” Williams said, noting that clergy in charge – the Rev. Susan Anderson-Smith in Leimert Park, the Rev. Joseph Oloimooja in Inglewood, and the Rev. Jennifer Wagner Pavia in Mar Vista – all are elected members of NYA’s board of trustees. “It is a joy to partner with the local clergy, parishioners and vestry leaders to advance NYA’s program.”
At each of the three sites, NYA now is enrolling students who will start classes as high school juniors and seniors in August. Interested parents and students should contact Sonia R. Hernandez, NYA program facilitator, via email at shernandez@nyayouth.org. There is no cost to participate in NYA’s programs, which are fully nonsectarian.
The new sites will bring to 60 the number of high school students served by NYA in addition to some 30 students now enrolled in college.
NYA’s Class of 2025 comprises 12 seniors, all of whom have been placed in college with a number receiving substantial financial aid packages, Williams said.
The students (surnames withheld per NYA policy) and the schools in which they have enrolled are as follows:
- Ashley will attend Santa Monica College majoring in accounting.
- Bryan will attend Santa Monica College majoring in accounting.
- Danna will attend USC majoring in global health.
- Emily will attend Cal-State Northridge majoring in biology.
- Eduardo will attend L.A. Trade-Tech with the goal of becoming an electrician and firefighter.
- Esteban will attend UC Santa Cruz majoring in electrical engineering.
- Jesús will attend Santa Monica College majoring in kinesiology.
- Juan will attend Cal-State Fullerton majoring in biology.
- Luis will attend Cal-State Long Beach majoring in computer science specializing in cybersecurity.
- Natasha will attend Cal-State Long Beach majoring in biology.
- Vanessa will attend Cal-State L.A. majoring in biology
- Veronica will attend Wellesley College majoring in biology.