Generational Impact: Meet Maya & Jazzy
Jaz’Mine Boatwright, 7th-grade CSD Coding Student
In 2010, Maya McCullough was just 14 years of age when she participated in our entrepreneurship program. Through Teen Tech, Maya developed a relationship with the Clarence Jordan Vision Center that has come full circle.
In 2017, Maya returned to the Vision Center and successfully completed Synergy, a paid summer internship and leadership development program. She first heard about the program through her advisor at Onondaga Community College. She was placed with one of our worksite partners where she gained exposure and experience in her field of study.
Fast forward to January 2022. As we are welcoming students for our iCAN Robotics program, 10-year-old Jaz’Mine Boatwright approaches Mercy Works Program Director, Nati Torrence and said, “My mom took classes here a long time ago!” Much to Nati’s delight, she learned it was Maya’s daughter. They hugged and had a great conversation catching up on MercyWorks’ impact on their lives.
Nati learned just how much the entrepreneurship program inspired her. Maya shared,“At the time there were no programs quite like Teen Tech in the community.” She continued to share that Synergy also had a great impact in her life because the training she received in time management, networking and professional development were the very things she drew from to launch out as an entrepreneur. Finally, she shared how blessed she is that her daughter will have the same quality of care through new and expanded programs.
“I want to expose Jazzy to Vision Center programs at a young age,” said Maya. I want her to know that whatever she decides to do as she gets older is her choice. I want her to be familiar with the Vision Center as the place where she can receive the care and training she needs to succeed. The programs that you offer here like coding, entrepreneurship and Synergy will open a lot of doors for her that I want her to explore.”
Maya and Jazzy embracing at the Clarence Jordan Vision Center.