Sept. 20, 2024 | By Dani Young

In 2019, Y.O.U. began the Carol Rivchun Development (C.R.E.D.) Fund Employee Scholarship to allow full-time staff to further their professional development. Each year, staff members apply to support an education of their choosing.

The fund, established through a generous donation from the Swaminathan and Garg Foundation, is administered by College Now, a Cleveland-based non-profit that specializes in designing and delivering educational funding opportunities.

Foundation Founder and Y.O.U. Board Member Sanjay Garg said the fund is the “best investment our foundation has made.” He was happy to see the winners so motivated for self-improvement and by the challenge of learning new things.

The scholarship is named in honor of former C.E.O. Carol Rivchun, who led Y.O.U. to new heights from 1998 to 2018, and strongly advocated for continuing education of her staff.

At the recent scholarship celebration, current Y.O.U. President and CEO Craig Dorn noted to the “all-star lineup” of past and current recipients that the scholarship honors Carol’s legacy, and how she immediately wanted to give back to staff development.

“Education is the greatest gift in my life,” Rivchun said, adding she believes it is a catalyst for change. She applauded the winners on their perseverance and for being a role model for their youth. “I’m proud of you.”

See what this year’s winners plan to do with their scholarship, as well as hear from last years recipients!

***Henry Wessel, Bianca Thomas-Veal, Kimberly Rush, Bethany Johnson***

2024 Winners:

Henry Wessel, Career Readiness Facilitator — DEI Leadership Certificate

Through Tri-C Corporate College, Henry is pursuing a certificate focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Working with a diverse community, he looks forward to furthering his knowledge of DEI, working better with his students and better serving others and himself.

Bianca Thomas-Veal, Career Specialist Instructor — Building Engagement and Morale Training

Bianca hopes this learning opportunity through Ronald Clark Academy allows her to better connect with her youth as she encourages enthusiasm and engagement with her JOG students. It will help her maintain a higher morale, foster a great sense of community, and help students develop pride over their career plans. She would like to formulate a plan with each student earlier in the school year to help pursue different strategies.

Kimberly Rush, Career Readiness Facilitator — Grant Writing Certificate

Kim looks forward to learning more about grant writing, fundraising and how nonprofit organizations operate, helping to broaden her knowledge and expertise. As a life-long learner, this weaves together her love of writing and communications with her love for nonprofits.

Bethany Johnson, Career Readiness Facilitator — Master of Education in School Counseling

Bethany is using her funds to continue earning her Master’s Degree from John Carroll University with a specialty in Forensic Psychology. She chose this program to help her students grow into successful adults. She is learning about working with different cultural backgrounds, overcoming personal biases and also receiving Social Emotional Learning training.

***Celeste Simcox, Christian Howard-Smith, Christina Kester, Bryce Mathis***

Previous Winners:

Celeste Simcox, Career Specialist Instructor — Certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

As an instructor at Lincoln-West School of Global Studies, Celeste teaches many kids that are coming from other countries, so she wanted to learn best practices on teaching English as a second language. The rest of the funds went towards OnBoard Cleveland, a selective leadership program to further develop as a young professional.

Christian Howard-Smith, Career Readiness Facilitator ODA — Master’s in Business Administration

Christian is pursuing her Master’s degree from Ohio University with a concentration in finance. She’s learned more about strategy and positioning, and the program has helped her teach financial literacy with the Young Money Mentors summer academy.

Christina Kester, Accountant — Payroll Certification

With her new certification, Christina is now able to do payroll all on her own along with a better understanding of taxes and payroll laws. After a recent promotion to Accountant, she is also now training a new person in payroll.

Bryce Mathis, Career Readiness Facilitator — Digital Marketing Certificates

Bryce pursued his passion in marketing with two certificates, learning about analytics, ads, platforms, AI training and more. He uses this knowledge to better message and strategically position the company.

See more of our previous scholarship winners here.