East Liberty nonprofit Youth Enrichment Services Named 2019 Champion in Action
“Trib Total Media recognizes the power of the mentorship provided to young people in the Pittsburgh region by Youth Enrichment Services.”
— Jennifer Bertetto, Trib Total Media President and CEO
By Courier Editor, March 4, 2019
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Youth Enrichment Services (YES), a nonprofit providing socially and economically at-risk youth the opportunity to achieve success through participation in mentorship, education and enrichment programs, has been named a 2019 Champion in Action in the category of Youth Leadership. The award, announced jointly by Citizens Bank, WPXI-TV, Trib Total Media and Pittsburgh Cares, includes $35,000 in unrestricted funding as well as promotional and volunteer support for the organization’s outstanding work, according to a release.
Youth Enrichment Services (YES) provides empowerment, experiential opportunities, academic enrichment and summer employment as positive pathways to future success. YES partners with local organizations to create synergy and generates transformative stories, national accolades and positive research outcomes.
DEANNA SINEX (she, her, hers)
Director of Research & Program Strategy
Dr. Deanna Sinex serves as the Director of Research and Program Strategy for YES. She attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) as a Meyerhoff Scholar where she earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Music. Dr. Sinex continued her education at the University of Pittsburgh earning a PhD in Bioengineering, where she developed tools to help improve our scientific understanding of female pelvic disorders and explored ways to improve female pelvic health literacy in communities. Dr. Sinex also engaged in research within the Swanson School of Engineering’s Department of Diversity, where she helped develop assessments and models to describe the impact of Graduate Diversity Programs on student success.
Although Dr. Sinex was born into a family of educators, she first discovered her own passion for teaching, mentoring and service while volunteering as a camp counselor for the Young Scientists' Academy at Montgomery College in Takoma Park, Maryland as a highschooler. During her undergraduate studies, Dr. Sinex engaged in as many opportunities as possible to encourage and support youth interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). While pursuing her engineering degree, Dr. Sinex trained and served as a lead math tutor for her peers. As a graduate student, she continued to nurture these interests by pursuing a certification in STEM teaching, redesigning and teaching a summer engineering course for matriculating underclassmen for six years, and eventually becoming a first year engineering instructor at the University of Pittsburgh. While Dr. Sinex appreciates her journey and her educational pursuits, she maintains that the most rewarding part of it all has been the opportunity to engage with and support others in their self-discovery and journeys of success. Dr. Sinex is most proud to have had the opportunity to mentor over 20 individuals while completing her degree, many of whom have gone on to pursue undergraduate, graduate and medical degrees.
In her role at YES, Dr. Sinex will use her past experiences and scientific training to ensure that YES’ goals, programming, and services align with science based methodologies by developing robust infrastructures, curriculums, and implementation strategies for YES’ academic program offerings to support all YES students. Furthermore, Dr. Sinex will work to maintain and develop partnerships that help capture and communicate the amazing life-changing work done by YES staff and participants.