Community Partner: Historic East Baltimore Community Action Coalition Youth Opportunities
Intern: San Tripathi
Site Supervisor: Jamille Pitts
What is HEBCAC YO?!
In 1999, the HEBCAC Youth Opportunity Center was founded to address the education, counseling, and career
development and training needs of out of school youth in East Baltimore. The HEBCAC YO staff also connects
youth in need of other services such as housing, family support, and health care with partnering public and
community‐based agencies.
My summer with HEBCAC YO! has surpassed all the expectations I remember having when I started
CIIP. The biggest thing I hoped to gain from this experience was to understand Baltimore as a city – to
learn more about its history, its people, its places and parts – and maybe also to find my own niche
here, to figure out what role I can play in the city. That’s a lot to ask for in 8 weeks, but when I reflect
on the moments (big and small) that punctuate this summer, I do feel this heightened sense of
understanding. I do feel as though I’ve found a place here. I feel it in the weekly field trips I took with
the students, which allowed me to see this city through the eyes of people who’ve lived here their
whole lives. I feel it in the joy of helping a student (whose history and educational struggles I’m well
aware of) master balancing chemical equations. I feel it in my irrational irritation with a fellow
passenger who made fun of Baltimore as soon as our train entered it. I feel it sitting on top of Federal
Hill, watching the sunset. I feel it when I get a simple text from my supervisor – “Want Popeyes?” –
that turns my whole day around. This summer, I found a family at the center, and a home in Baltimore.
My understanding of the city – its structure and its quirks – grows increasingly nuanced every day. As
for my understanding of my place here, this summer has helped me realize that I’m not finished with
Baltimore – my time here is just beginning, not ending. We live in a complicated and beautiful city, and
thanks to CIIP I’ve just started to get to know it more closely. It would be a shame to stop now. ‐ San
Tasks:
• Helped plan and direct programming for the center's summer Youthworkers
• Taught a biweekly computer and keyboarding skills class to two groups of students as a part of Youthworks
• Planned and directed weekly field trips to various museums and events in Baltimore City, as well as a trip to the Smithsonian
Museums in Washington D.C.
• Assisted with tutoring GED and pre‐GED students
• Managed the Summer Food Service Program (coordinated daily delivery and distribution of free breakfasts & lunches provided
by the Maryland State Department of Education)
25