Yancy Singleton oversees the recruitment, training and learning, Ally management, and partnership development for the Public Allies Connecticut 10-month AmeriCorps apprenticeship, in his role as the Bridgeport Program Manager . Yancy is a two-time Public Ally AmeriCorps volunteer alumnus, having served at Stamford Academy from September 2016 to June 2018 as a Youth Development Specialist in an attempt to instill social and emotional values in the students. Yancy is dedicated to sharing his life experiences, time, energy, and passion to a variety of organizations and populations. He’s served as a board member for InterCorps Council Connecticut between 2016-2017 and interned at the Institute for Innovation and Prosecution at John Jay College in New York City from 2017-2018. His passion and excellence have been recognized in many ways: Public Allies Connecticut’s Class of 2017 graduation speaker (voted by his peers), RYASAP’s 2017 Bellinger Award winner, and CTJJA’s 2018 Above and Beyond Award winner. Yancy is a Norwalk native who spent his teen years in Bridgeport, where he graduated from Harding High School. He has first-hand experience with the criminal justice system, which ignited his passion for true justice through education. To that end, while incarcerated, Yancy was awarded a paralegal diploma in 2007 and served as a GED readiness tutor for four years, impacting over 100 other learners. Yancy is a writer at heart and in deed, spanning the spectrum from poetry to opinion pieces. His opinion letters detailing his personal experiences have been published in the Norwalk Hour in March 2017 and May 2018. He recently started a non-profit organization with his childhood friend’s mother called “Abe Prior-Keep 5 Alive,” In honor of her son who passed away. The purpose is to provide students from single-parent homes with socioeconomic struggles scholarships to obtain a higher education. The organization will allow individuals an opportunity to not only attend college, but also to develop interpersonal skills, critical thinking skills, mental and physical agility through community events. These integral skills will empower various generations to succeed despite their socioeconomic status.