Young Women's Preparatory Network Announced (formerly FEYW)

To better align its mission with its name, the Foundation for the Education of Young Women announced a new name and a whole new look on Sept. 24 at a festive celebration on the lawn of the group’s East Dallas headquarters that included a gathering of board members, educators, donors and students. 

Gloria Campos, Evelyn Henry Miller, Laura Estrada--all three are Young Women's Preparatory Network board members; Sally Posey (who, along with her late husband, introduced this all-girls concept to Texas; left of sign); Gina Betts, Young Women’s Preparatory Network board chair (in back middle); Lynn McBee, Young Women’s Preparatory Network CEO

The newly-named Young Women’sPreparatory Network (Young Women’s Prep for short) provides private funding and other resources for the network of STEM-focused, all-girls preparatory public schools across Texas. Currently seven schools strong with plans to expand, the single gender campuses, which are primarily attended by disadvantaged and second-generation immigrant students, boast 100% graduation rates and high achievement in college admission exam performance and college scholarship awards.

 

The party’s agenda included after-school fare from Steel City Pops and Ruthie’s Rolling Café, as well as student performances by a girl-power cheerleading squad, an orchestra and a Ballet Folklorico troupe from the newest school in the network—the Young Women’s Leadership Academy at Arnold in Grand Prairie. 

Young Women's Leadership Principals Berta Fogerson (Lubbock), Vivian Taylor-Samudio (Dallas), Cheryl Horton (asst. principal, Grand Prairie), Mia Hall (Fort Worth), Delesa O'Dell Thomas (Houston), Jeanne Goka (Austin) (not pictured: San Antonio)

“As we headed into the second decade of operations, we looked back and saw that we’d become so much more than a granting organization for these programs,” explains Lynn McBee, Young Women’s Prep CEO, “and then we realized it was time for a new name and a new look. We’ve got big plans for the future, which means we need a strong brand image that will adequately convey our message to donors and community members.” 

 

Founded in 2004 as a partnership with the Dallas ISD, the Foundation for the Education of Young Women, now Young Women’s prep, has helped open schools in Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Lubbock, Houston, and Grand Prairie in the last decade – and talks are in place to launch a new program in Harlingen, TX.

Young women from two schools along with the leaders Sally Posey (left of sign); Lynn McBee, Young Women’s Preparatory Network CEO; Gina Betts, Young Women’s Preparatory Network board chair (both right of sign)