New York, NY –Girls Action Network, Inc. is pleased to announce and salute its 2018 GAN Scholars as new cohorts to the GAN Summer Scholastic Enrichment Program (SSEP): Nicole Anyanwu (Beltsville, MD), Pamela Bayrak (Bronx, New York), Sierra Branch (Warner Robbins, GA), Carjae Duncombe (Miami, Florida) and Maliyah Lyder (Macon, Georgia).
GAN Scholars Sierra Branch, Carjae Duncombe and Maliyah Lyder were selected to attend the Wesleyan College Spectacles Summer Program. The Spectacles program is a math and science camp for middle-school girls held at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. Wesleyan finds that, “Middle school is a crucial time for girls as they view the world and the options that are before them. It is often the time when they make decisions about their interests and abilities in science and math.” In addition to the away-from-home experience offered through Wesleyan, the week-long program offers the girls the opportunity to explore science and math in innovative ways, such as creating DNA bracelets or sharing ideas and thoughts with a nightly guest speaker, usually a woman with a career in science and math-related fields.
GAN Scholars Nicole Anyanwu and Pamela Bayrak were selected to attend the month-long Smith College Summer Science & Engineering Program in Northampton, MA where they will receive the unique opportunity to participate in innovative curricula in astronomy, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, engineering, physics and a young women’s health education initiative. The Smith program also promotes global cultural learning and appreciation due to the number of student participants who come from all over the world. The scholarship funding for the 2018 GAN Scholars was made possible by Girls Action Network, Inc., Smith College and Wesleyan College.
GAN is a grassroots organization focused on social transformation to educate and empower girls ages 11 and up, with special emphasis on those from underserved communities. At the core of GAN’s mission, the realization is that girls commonly are directed towards traditional careers, away from, for example, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Reaching beyond single mentoring, GANFounder, Elisa Basnight, comments that “GAN strives to create a myriad of innovative programs and experiences, some in partnership with other not-for-profits and organizations, designed to show girls their expansive career and educational choices at a time when, research consistently shows that ‘education for girls is one of the most effective –if not the most effective investment a nation can make to improve the health and prosperity of present and future generations.'” The GAN Summer Scholarship Enrichment Program is led by the dedicated efforts of Tangiah Royster, Vice President, Community Outreach& Scholarships.
For more information, please visit www.girlsactionnetwork.org.