YOUNGSTOWN — As high school graduation approaches and college decisions loom, the Youngstown Foundation has made it easier for city students to attend Youngstown State University.

The downtown-based nonprofit has expanded its Y-STAR Scholarship program to cover more of the goods and services college students need. Students now will be eligible for a four-year scholarship through the program to cover tuition, fees and books. The Foundation announced it also will help to cover the cost of meals, campus housing and personal computers.

“This is a direct response to what students, the university and the school district are telling us,” foundation CEO Lynnette Forde said. “Room and board and computers are part of that student success story. We know that students who live on campus have a higher GPA than those who don’t. Even for commuter students, having access to food on campus is really important. So, to make these necessary tools readily available, accessible and affordable is important to us.”

The Y-STAR scholarship is automatically applied to the invoices of YSU students who graduated from Youngstown City School District, to cover any gaps left over after all other funding sources have been exhausted.

The scholarship program was established in 2012 and the class of 2016 was the first class that was eligible to receive it. Forde said the expansion is about helping students make the most of their college experience.

“It’s not necessarily about putting more money into the program, it’s just diversifying how the students can use it,” she said. “These funds were set aside many years ago and we’re confident this can continue forever. We’ve essentially endowed it.”

In addition to other items covered by Y-STAR, Forde said the scholarship covers a $1,000 meal plan and pays for a computer. She said students get to choose what computers and meal plans they prefer. Parking fees also are covered.

“We’re trying to leave all this up to the students,” Forde said. “We don’t want to put any constraints on them that will make this more difficult.”

Jenae Brown is one student who has enjoyed the benefits of Y-STAR. Now entering her sophomore year at YSU, the 2023 Youngstown Rayen Early College graduate is double-majoring in international business and philosophy. Her bachelor’s degree is just the start, assuming her plans come to fruition.

“I plan on going to law school, and my end goal professionally is to be an international corporate lawyer,” she said. “I’m still trying to browse and see all of my options. I want to see what firms I’d like to get into.”

Brown said after her education is complete, she hopes to at least begin her professional career at home.

“I really want to start off locally and give back to the community that raised me before branching off elsewhere,” she said.

Brown said she was unaware of the Y-STAR scholarship because it is automatically applied to her costs. Then, one of her high school teachers asked her about it. She said she had to review her invoice before she realized how much it has helped her.

“Definitely, it helped with books, but the main part was that it covered living in dorms because I stayed on campus,” she said.

Brown just moved out of Lyden House, where she spent her freshman year. In total, Y-STAR covered $11,710 in room and board costs and $463.95 for books.

“It helps a lot with me being able to focus on my studies because I know I don’t have the burden in the back of my mind, of ‘How do I pay for this?’ and ‘Am I going to need to take out loans?’,” she said. “I was able to have more confidence in completing my courses and being able to enjoy my freshman year.”

Instead of working a part-time job to help pay for school, Brown said she was able to participate in extracurricular activities.

“I was a part of the softball club, and I know that I would not have even had a thought about that if I’d have had to get a part-time job,” she said.

The Youngstown Foundation and Youngstown City Schools hope the scholarship will lead to more stories like Brown’s.

“The district is doing so many things well under this superintendent (Jeremy Batchelor) and his leadership team,” Forde said. “They have a vision to increase enrollment and expand the quality and quantity of programs they have. We’re hopeful that, between that and the scholarship, families will look at the district with pride and hope for a future beyond their high-school education.”

Forde said the foundation will continue to speak and work with the district and YSU to find out more about what students need to be successful.

“We’re learning more about what education is like now and how to have students ready to respond to that,” she said.

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