Lebanon County, Pa. – High school bullying left Daniella unmotivated to finish school, so she dropped out.
“I ultimately stopped going to school because my mental health took a very big toll, and I wasn’t getting the education I needed to become successful,” Daniella wrote in her Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education Scholarship Fund scholarship essay. “Besides being bullied, my teachers weren’t as hands on as I would prefer them to be as I strongly believe that I learn sufficiently well when individuals are hands on, physically present, and explain each lesson.”
Then Daniella became involved in the YAP® Lebanon County, PA’s Truancy Plus Program, where young people like her receive wraparound support through partnerships with elementary, middle, and high schools that deliver absenteeism reduction services, in addition to economic and emotional assistance that is also provided in homes with students’ families.
“While working with Youth Advocate Programs, I gained a lot of benefits and confidence in myself,” Daniella wrote. “The people who worked with me to complete each study lesson were not only hands on, but very respectful and understanding of my level of education and how much I understood things. They helped me to the best of their abilities, which I cannot thank them enough for even until this day.”
Daniella earned her GED diploma thanks to the help of YAP® and will use the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund scholarship toward her training in becoming a licensed Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).
Current and former YAP® program participants and their families are encouraged to apply for the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund scholarship. Thanks to donors – most of whom are YAP® employees – beneficiaries are eligible to apply for and receive the scholarship annually. The award is $1,500 for college or trade school tuition, fees or supplies, or a laptop computer. The unique Endowment Fund also received generous donations from the YAP® Board of Directors and other contributors.
YAP® is a national nonprofit that partners with youth justice, child welfare, and other systems in communities across the U.S. to deliver family-centered, accountability-focused services as an alternative to correctional and residential care facilities.
“I graduated from the [YAP Program] in under a year with the help of amazing people guiding me along the way,” Daniella added.
YAP® Lebanon County Truancy Plus Assistant Director Hanna Scipioni worked with Daniella and has known her since 2024.
“I can attest that she is a very smart and motivated woman that will do great things in her future,” Scipioni wrote in her recommendation letter of Daniella. “Her dedication and commitment to earning her GED also had a positive impact on those around her. Through her own consistent effort and determination, she became an example to her peers and motivated other students in the program to push themselves and perform at a higher level.”
Daniella is also a YAP® Alumni Ambassador and shared her experience during the organization’s Annual Planning Meeting in Harrisburg in June.
“I believe that my hard work and passion to be more successful than I was prior to really helped me to become a better person for myself and others around me,” Daniella said. “I am truly grateful for this opportunity to receive a scholarship and will use my time and dedication toward a bright future.”
Her final goal is to be a pediatric nurse.
For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org or visit the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund, to donate.
