Join Quin in Supporting Our Scholars!

I believe every young person deserves personalized guidance, confidence in their voice, and a real chance at college success. Working with the Whitney M. Young Scholars Program, I see firsthand how support and opportunity transform lives. That’s why I’m asking you to join me in supporting this work.

About the Program

For over 30 years, Lincoln Foundation’s Whitney M. Young Scholars Program has supported high-potential students in grades 8–12 through:

• Academic enrichment and mentoring

• College readiness and scholarship guidance

• Leadership development and real-world opportunities

We give students the attention and resources they might not receive in a typical classroom, and we watch them thrive.

Digital Transformation Academy, in partnership with the University of Louisville

How I Got Involved

When I first moved to Louisville, I knew I wanted to keep working with high school students, but I was ready to step out of the classroom. I still had the same passion for helping young people build brighter futures, so I searched “non-profit education” and landed on the Lincoln Foundation's website. I am so thankful that they had a position open and I was able to join this incredible team. 

I cannot imagine a more rewarding way to spend my time. I'll admit I still struggle a bit with work/life balance, but not in a stressful, teacher-grading-papers kind of way, in a I want them to win kind of way. I celebrate their wins, walk with them through challenges, and invest in their futures as if they were my own. Every day, I get to work with scholars who are brilliant, hardworking, and endlessly inspiring. They remind me why this program matters so deeply.

Let me tell you a little about Daisy

Daisy applied for a scholarship not because she thought she would get it, but because I asked her to try. When she was chosen as a finalist, she was stunned. Finalists had to create a presentation about themselves to deliver in front of a panel. She came into my office every day that week to work on it. When we got to the slide about her accomplishments, Daisy froze. She couldn’t name a single thing she thought was worth celebrating. She had convinced herself that if she had achieved something, it must have been easy, and therefore not impressive. That was the moment I realized she wasn’t just preparing a slide; she was confronting how little credit she gave herself.

So we started listing her achievements together. I asked questions, reminded her of moments I’d seen her succeed, and slowly she began to see what I already knew: she had worked hard, accomplished so much, and deserved recognition. By the end of the week, she wasn’t just building a presentation, she was building self-worth.

The day before the presentation, we did a final run-through and went shopping for a professional outfit. I’ll never forget the moment she walked out of the dressing room. Her smile radiated confidence, and I knew she had already won, no matter what the panelists decided.

Daisy ended up winning the scholarship. She won’t pay a dime for college, but the real prize was something far bigger: she finally saw her own value. Watching that transformation was one of the proudest moments of my career and a powerful reminder of why this program matters. 

Networking Event with Community Leaders

This is the kind of impact the Whitney M. Young Scholars Program makes every day. We fill in the gaps that schools simply don’t have time or resources to cover, such as personalized attention, mentorship, opportunities to grow as leaders, and guidance to navigate college admissions and financial aid. 

Annual Speech Contest Finalists

We take scholars on college visits, connect them with professionals, and teach them the skills they need to succeed in life beyond high school. Whether it’s ACT prep, a bus pass so they can get to educational clinics, or the chance to present a business idea through our Digital Transformation Academy, support for this program changes lives.

Kentucky to the World Networking Event at the Louisville Slugger Museum

I see the impact of this program every day: in scholars finding their voices at the annual speech contest, in the texts I get from graduates sharing life updates or seeking advice, and in the way they walk across the stage at the Senior Banquet with scholarships in hand and futures wide open. Your donation makes moments like these possible. It means a scholar can retake the ACT to raise their score and get that scholarship. It means a laptop for a future engineer, or a suit for an interview that gives a scholar the confidence to shine. Most of all, it means continuing to build a program that provides scholars not only with opportunities, but with belief in themselves.

2025 Senior Banquet

I believe in these scholars and this work with my whole heart, and I’d be honored if you would, too. Thank you.