YEP - Young Educators Program

The Young Educators Program Fellowship is geared towards further developing the fellow's academic, leadership, civic, and presentation skills. Our goal is to prepare the fellows to excel in their college education and professional careers.

We do this by creating an environment that exposes fellows to political power and strategic thinking, and allows them to master a topic and teach this topic to talented Latino pre-college students enrolled in CAHSEE’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Institute.

In our paradigm, graduate students and advanced seniors work with undergraduate students, teaching college level classes to junior and high school students participating in the STEM Institute. As such, YEP Fellows serve as a role model to the STEM Institute students and prepare them to enter and succeed in college. Fellows learn how to convey knowledge and teach college level classes in a demanding, yet friendly, environment.

CAHSEE’s rate of success is very high. All STEM Institute students enter and excel in college, mostly in science and engineering. Many attend some of the nation’s top universities; many receive scholarships. The college graduation rate for CAHSEE alumni is 100% with 70% entering graduate school upon two years of graduating from college. Many of our former interns are currently enrolled in or have completed doctoral or master’s degree programs.

The goal is to create a cohesive talent pool of Hispanics who will lead our nation and community by assuming key roles in all aspects of American society. We like to say that we are contributing to the creation of the future leadership of America.

The fellowship is divided into three components:

Component One

Fellows travel to Washington, DC to participate in a two-week series of seminars concerning:

1. Seminars on Teaching
1. Learning and teaching methodologies
2. Learning and teaching techniques
3. Preparing and delivering a class
4. Preparing exams, quizzes, tests, and homework
5. Correcting exams and grading
6. Dealing with young students
7. Creating a positive learning environment
2. Seminars on Leadership
1. Strategic thinking and planning
2. Seminars on leadership, leadership qualities, and skills
3. Team building and team participation
4. Constructive criticism
5. Evaluation
3. Exposure to National Decision Makers
1. Cabinet-level Secretaries
2. Members of Congress
3. The White House
4. Prominent academics and intellectuals (e.g. National Academy of Sciences, NASA, NSF)
5. Latino leaders and entrepreneurs
4. Seminars on the theory of knowledge and the educational system
5. Visits and lectures at national museums and exposure to Washington, DC cultural life

Component Two

Fellows teach a five-week college-level course to talented primarily Latino students participating in CAHSEE’s STEM Institute at any of the following universities: The George Washington University, The City University of New York, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Merrimack College, and yet-to-be-determined schools in Santa Clara and Los Angeles.

YEP Fellows are assigned as Instructors or Teaching Assistants. Both work as a team and are responsible for delivery of course material and for creating a positive learning environment for the students. This part of the program is extremely challenging because Fellows are responsible for mastering a subject in order to teach it in a demanding environment composed of very smart Latino and African American children. Fellows are required to submit weekly reports.

Component Three

Fellows spend one week preparing a report on the YEP Fellowship experience and the STEM Institute. These are comprehensive analytical reports. In the past, our doctoral students have told us that writing these reports has been a key experience for writing their dissertations. We also get similar comments from those entering Corporate America.

The report guidelines have been crafted to enhance the analytical and writing skills of the Fellows.

Compensation and Rewards

CAHSEE covers housing and air travel and provides a stipend between $2,750 and $3,000 (depending on assignment and educational level). The fellowship is non-taxable.

YEP Fellows have the opportunity to meet and work with some of the most promising Latino science and engineering students in the nation. Fellows also have a positive impact on Latino youth and the future success of our community, and have access to our nation’s leadership and policy makers at the highest level.

If you would like to apply, download our Summer Fellowship Application Form. If you have any questions, contact the CAHSEE National Office.