Dear Friends and Supporters,
Among the many things I love about ASAP, one of my favorite things is catching up with alumni — especially from my early years running the chess program.
A little over a year ago I was in my office chatting with Vanita Young, a young woman who started playing chess with ASAP in 2006 — my first year on the job — who now has a burgeoning career as a scholastic chess coach. In the midst of a lighthearted conversation about ASAP’s upcoming 20th anniversary celebration and fundraiser, Vanita interjected:
Caught slightly off-guard, I slipped into grant-speak. I recited lines from ASAP’s theory of change, detailed our comprehensive logic models, and rattled off the most impressive findings from our most recent evaluation of ASAP’s students and partners.
Vanita politely let me finish and as I stopped to catch my breath, she gave the answer she had in mind all along:
“You’ve got me!”
(DUH)
She was right. Vanita is living proof of everything ASAP hopes to demonstrate with our fancy tools and sophisticated methods.
By the time she first started playing organized chess in the sixth grade, she had already overcome a great deal. Raised by her grandparents and naturally introverted, she often felt out of step with her peers.
But when it came to chess, Vanita was a rock star.
As a middle and high schooler she dominated ASAP’s scholastic chess leagues and became one of the strongest chess players in the state. In the process, she trashed, in her own understated way, the negative stereotypes about girls who play chess and served as a role model, albeit a reluctant one, for all the other young black girls in ASAP’s chess clubs.
When she was invited to a prestigious all-girls tournament in Texas, ASAP raised funds to help get her there. Competing against the best girls in the country, she won her biggest prize to date – a full-ride scholarship to Texas Tech (and later switched to Webster University just outside St. Louis) where she could continue to develop her skills under the tutelage of chess legend Susan Polgar.
If this were a Hollywood movie, that would be the ending.
But in reality, the adjustment to college and living a thousand miles away from her friends and family proved difficult.
And then there was the pressure of living up to the scholarship.
She had setbacks. Big ones. She had to pick herself up and try again. She made mistakes. She learned from them. Eventually, she moved back home and managed to complete her degree all while holding down multiple jobs.
We remained in touch throughout this time and her experience only deepened my admiration for her and challenged my own notion of what a “success story” is. Vanita is an undeniable triumph – a testament to the brilliance that exists in every corner of our city, evidence that every kid deserves access to life-changing enrichment opportunities, proof of the power of positive relationships, and a vital reminder that conventional measures are often a poor arbiter of a young person’s true value and potential for greatness.
So when years later sitting in my office Vanita said “You’ve got me!”, I’ll admit that I was deeply moved. Moved not just by her vote of confidence for ASAP’s impact, but by a sudden wave of gratitude for the impact she had on me throughout my time at ASAP.
Working in service of young people is a great responsibility. We are caretakers of their stories and experiences, ambassadors for their dreams, and stewards of their potential.
Of course folks are right to ask: “Tell us how you know your program is making a difference in the youth you serve?”
But sometimes the real magic is in the difference the young people make in you.
As I prepare to move on from ASAP, I am reminded of all the amazing students and colleagues who have changed my life with their courage, their humility, their kindness, and their greatness. You are too many to name, but please know I will be forever grateful. And as hard as it is to say goodbye, I am comforted knowing that I’ll be taking a lifetime of memories and all of your lessons with me.
Sincerely,
Justin Ennis
Executive Director
For questions regarding ASAP’s Executive Director transition, please contact smorningstar@phillyasap.org or vbakey@phillyasap.org. And to stay up to date on organization updates, please subscribe to our newsletter.